The evening program on the Luneta, which followed the afternoonexercises, was largely literary in its nature. It consisted of musicby the California band, singing by the famous Washington Male Quartet,fancy dancing, selected recitations, and stump speeches. In addition,Privates Green and Martin boxed four rounds, much to the satisfactionof the natives.
The program had just been completed when the Master of Ceremoniesreceived from the American general in charge a note tellinghim to announce the conclusion of the program at once and toorder all soldiers to report immediately at their respectiveregimental headquarters;--trouble had been reported at theout-posts. Reinforcements were hastened to several of the out-postreserves, and it appeared that the expected insurrection was at hand.
After the out-break by the Filipinos on New Year's night, it wasevident to both sides that it was only a question of a short time whenblood would be spilled in abundance. The Filipinos occupied all of theblock-houses--some seventeen in number--around the city of Manila. Thisforced the Americans to stand in the open and do guard duty exposed.
The Filipino troops were saucy. They couldn't understand why men shouldbe armed with rifles and not be permitted to shoot. They tormentedthe American soldiers daily with hideous pranks. They grew bolder,and pushed their out-posts forward until they stood within a few feetof the American sentries.
Marie went out and back through the American lines at will. Shesecretly kept the Filipino army thoroughly posted on the arrival ofnew troops from America. Occasionally she would take the train andgo up to Malolos to see Aguinaldo. She was the best posted personin the Philippines as to what was going on in each of the hostilearmies. Nobody suspected her. She was respected by the Americantroops. Everybody came to know her.
Just before dusk, on the evening of February 4th, 1899, Marieand her mother left the city of Manila, in a cariole, drawn by aChinese pony which they had recently purchased. They had in it all oftheir most precious household trinkets. As they passed Colonel JohnM. Stotsenberg, commanding the 1st Nebraska volunteers, stationedon McLeod's hill at the eastern edge of Manila, he recognized them,and called to Marie, "Where are you going?"
"Out on a little trip," retorted Marie.
"How soon will you be back?" asked he.
"O, I can't tell," responded Marie. "Mother is getting so nervousthat we thought best to go away for awhile."
"Say, Marie," said the colonel, "do you know who the Filipino officeris in command of all those thousands of troops that are now assemblingin the ravines between the hills along the far side of the rivervalley, yonder?"
"No, I do not," she declared with an emphatic swing of her head.
But she was lying. It was Colonel Miguel, her own uncle. She knew aboutit. He had secretly informed her that he was preparing to attack thecity and burn it and that he was going to exterminate the Americanarmy of occupation and all foreign residents that fell into the handsof his mighty army. He told her that he had chosen the east side ofthe city as his main point of attack, so that Dewey could not reachhis troops with the shells from his gun boats in case he tried toassist the American army, without elevating his guns and shootingcompletely over the city--a thing wholly impractical within itself,as Dewey could not determine whether his shells would be fallingamong the Filipino or the American troops. It was he who advised herto take her mother and flee to the hills for refuge.
Colonel Stotsenberg then asked Marie if she knew anything about theproposed attack on the city by her people. This, she denied also. Thecolonel's face flushed. Pulling back the flap of his tent, he saidemphatically: "Do you see that gun, Marie? Tell those fellows overthere when you pass their lines that I said they could have troublewhenever they want it."
Marie drove on.
Inside the colonel's tent stood a large gun from the Utah battery,mounted, loaded, ready for action; its threatening nose waspointed directly at the line of little brown men assembled acrossthe valley. The Filipinos were smarting for trouble. They wanted itbadly. Wherever and whenever possible they improved every opportunityto bring it about. The trouble came. Colonel Stotsenberg that nightused the cannon he had pointed out to Marie. A long pile of mangledforms lying at the base of the river hills on the opposite of thevalley next morning told the results.