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CLAIMS

ARISING FROM THE AMERICAN OF THE PHILIPPINES.

OCCUPATION

BY W. F. NORRIS, SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR THE UNITED STATES. THE Board of War Claims has been in sion from the Spanish government—whether session in the City of Manila for some or so does not, however, appear in evidence. sixteen months, during which period it has Shortly after the American occupation of heard numerous claims against the United the city two soldiers entered the abode of the States arising from the American occupa widow and presenting a revolver at her head tion of the Philippines. The greater number demanded money, or as stated in her written of claims are for comparatively small claim—dinero pronto. The woman had amounts, as the value of a caramela and saved 250 silver dollars of the currency of horse, or a cariboo and the cart attached. the country, after the manner of the people; The destruction of a house and its furniture in her fright she produced the bag contain by fire. Many claims of the latter class arose ing the dollars, and the soldiers took it and as a result of what is known as the Tondo vanished. In those unsettled times it was and Binondo fires, on the 22d and 2ßd of impossible to trace or prevent crimes of this February, 1899. The Districts of Tondo and character, and the men got safely away with Binondo were occupied in a large measure their infamous booty. The claim was never by the lower classes of the inhabitants of the judicially investigated, for when notice of a city, especially the former, which was the hearing was attempted to be served it was stronghold of the insurgent element, by found that the woman was dead. whom presumably the Barrio was set on fire, Perhaps the most important claim arising and almost completely destroyed as was par from the American occupation of the islands tially the adjacent Barrio of Binondo. The is that of the Manila and Dagaupan R. R. v. buildings destroyed in this conflagration The United States. It is much the largest were mostly small nepa houses, the owners in amount, though not presenting as inter generally either through poverty, ignorance esting legal questions as others. The rail or from their insurrectionary sympathies road extends from Manila to Dagaupan, a making no claim against the government. distance of one hundred and twenty-two As a rule compensation was denied to those miles. The claimant is an English corpora asking compensation on the ground that the tion, with its business center in London, the United States was not responsible for losses General Manager residing at Caloocan in the occasioned by the acts of insurgents in time island of Luzon. The Company has sub of actual military operations for the purpose mitted several claims against the Govern ment, the largest which is now in course of of subduing the insurgents. The most pathetic case submitted to the hearing being for $2,384,049.84, the amount Board was that of the widow of a Spanish alleged necessary to put the road and its officer who was living by herself in a small property in the same condition it was at the house at the time of the American occupation time of the outbreak on the fourth of Feb of the City of Manila. She was poor, her ruary, 1899. On the date in question, the chief or onlv support being the rent derived road, with most of its rolling stock, was in from two caramelas, or the little carriages possession of the insurgents. The Americans constituting the chief passenger traffic of occupied Manila: the Manila station, with Manila. As the widow of a Spanish officer between one and two miles of the track, was she may have been entitled to a small pen within the United States military lines, the