Notoriety
As a result of the black colored defector’s erroneous venture in order to general, guerilla competitors now treated him since “Heneral” Fagen. On the adopting the days, reports into challenging American proliferated. An enthusiastic unsubstantiated facts represented Fagen given that a cool-blooded executioner. However, numerous released POWs http://datingmentor.org/college-dating later on confronted such characterizations and you will affirmed so you’re able to Fagen’s kindness while they was inside the child custody.
New U.S. Army’s well known “guerilla catcher,” Col. Frederick Funston, turned enthusiastic about the brand new grab of your own renegade and you will decried a beneficial missed chance: “I’d a fairly good glance at the infamous Fagen at the a radius from a hundred yards, but unfortunately, got currently emptied my personal carbine. Which wretched man had towards a couple days composed me personally impudent and you can improperly spelled characters. Fagen is ‘permitted the same treatment since an angry dog’.”
Funston grabbed Aguinaldo instead-through a complex ploy-to your March 23. 2 weeks after, the newest Filipino commander swore allegiance to your You and purchased their forces to help you surrender instantly. From inside the Nueva Ecija, Standard Lacuna and other guerilla frontrunners obeyed the commander. Lacuna, but not, would not stop trying Fagen, and you can came off regarding the hills together with officers after launching the fresh Western regarding his command. Funston now embarked on the an almost all-out look for “your head of one’s American Negro.”
For the mid-day from December six, 1901, it seemed your wily Funston in the long run bagged their quarry. Anastacio Bartolome, a former guerilla, who today acquired an income because a beneficial deer hunter, registered the Armed forces barracks into the Bongabong, Nueva Ecija, lower than Lt. R.C. Corliss. The guy put a material sack on to the floor and you may recited certain occurrences of one’s past weeks, which the Western administrator filed due to the fact an enthusiastic affidavit.
The newest hunter said he had been angling with one or two friends from the Umiray Lake you to day, whenever Fagen showed up with two Negrito family relations with his indigenous spouse. The guy allowed Fagen and his awesome cluster to share with you a food of seafood and you will rice. The new affidavit checks out: “If you’re all of the was basically dinner, Anastacio and his awesome people quickly turned-on Fagen with his men which have bolos. Fagen are mortally injured and you will ran in the 100 yards and you will decrease lifeless. The two Negritos escaped improperly injured. Fagen’s spouse ran on ocean, popped inside the and sunken herself.”
Bartolome said the guy tucked Fagen’s system on riverbank, just after cutting off their direct. The guy opened their sack to disclose the data, a “badly decomposed lead, which have Negroid features.” Because then facts, Bartolome submitted a worn out picture out of Urbano Lacuna utilized in Fagen’s breast wallet and you will Lt. Alstaetter’s Western Area group ring. The fresh new You.S. Armed forces signed the book to the Pvt. David Fagen.
Veracity Requested
While this have remained the state membership, historians Michael Robinson and you will David Schubert published inside 1974 a blog post wondering the veracity. When you look at the a conflict in which all of the dime, nickel and mule are meticulously accounted for from the U.S. Armed forces, truth be told there remains zero checklist of good $600 bounty approved so you’re able to Bartolome. The newest historians also located numerous credible claimed sightings from Fagen by the Armed forces troops weeks after his reported demise.
You certainly will the latest deer hunter’s membership was basically a proper-developed spot hatched of the Lacuna and Bartolome to keep the brand new black colored defector real time? Could the guy keeps lived-in brand new jungles from Luzon free of Jim-crow and you will Frederick Funston, long after the brand new cessation out-of hostilities?
When it comes to remainder of Fagen’s comrades who remained faithful so you can the brand new American flag, more a thousand registered to remain in the hawaiian islands on the release on war’s formal stop into July cuatro, 1902. Citing the “racial affinity” towards locals, of many intermarried which have Filipino lady and you can compensated all over Main Luzon. They became clerks, educators, short growers and you may storeowners.
Master Frank Steward turned into the provost legal off San Pablo, Laguna, while W. Almost 100 years afterwards, their Dark colored descendants can be acquired all over the new Philippine diaspora, away from Pangsinan so you can Pennsylvania-and you will San francisco, where they first started the historical travel and you may in which an earlier black guy sailed on their novel added Philippine history.
