case the defendant admitted his guilt, but said that he was so poor that he stole the food to satisfy his hunger. In this species of crime it is often difficult to detect the real offender, the defendant pleading in de fense that he was forced by the gang to go along with them, and that he escaped from them as soon as possible, which statement is by no means improbable, since in the past unsettled times such lawless bands were in the habit of impressing the laborers of the vicinity, probably for the purpose of swell ing their command, to give them importance or the semblance of power. In this country it is hard to get at the reality of matter, de ception being a second nature of the people. Bands of robbers, somewhat similar to the Italian banditti, have existed from time im memorial. They form no part of the in surgent forces, but infested the country long previous to the insurrection against Spain, and may continue to frequent the woods and mountains long after the suppression of the insurrection against the United States, though their extirpation is a consumma tion devoutly to be wished, for the common good of the community, and particularly for the reason that it will be difficult to estab lish permanently new political institutions until peace and tranquility are completely maintained throughout the Islands. In some instances atrocious crimes are committed by the outlaw bands. Only yes terday two men were before the Court charged with being accomplices in the crime of murder. The- defendants were members of a band of robbers under the leadership of one Felix. The chief sent one of the num ber named Mariano to buy rice, entrusting him with one and a half pesos for that pur pose: at a late hour Mariano returned with out the rice, stating that he had lost the money gambling: thereupon the chief or dered him to be held by one or two of the band, which was done: he struck him across the neck with his bolo, another of the gang stabbing him in the body. In another case the father of the family was held or tied up
and tortured by applying a lighted torch to his naked body, after which he was taken out of the house and killed. This Island has never been the scene of regular insurgent operations. Shortly aftet the uprising against Spain, in November 1898, a constitution and frame of govern ment prepared in the Island of Negros was sent to Washington, with the request that it be adopted as the government for the Island. This system acknowledged the sov ereignty of the United States, and was, per haps, in a general sense acceptable to the Government at Washington, but in the then existing political conditions it was consid ered best to establish a semi-civil govern ment, subordinate to the military authority at Manila, which was done, such govern ment continuing in operation until super seded by the present government established by the Philippine Commission. Previous to the government established under the Military Governor at Manila, the people of. the Island had set up an independent gov ernment, having no connection with that of Aguinaldo, Juan Areneta, a prominent native, being the first governor. This gov ernment, however, was short lived, giving place in a few months to that above referred to, established by order from Washington. The Island of Negros has an area of 3467 square miles, with a population of about of 500,000. the Archipelago, It is said tothe be principal the richestproduct island • being sugar, in the cultivation of which, I presume, it is in advance of any other section of the country. It is a narrow island, being some 130 miles long from north to south, with a ridge of mountains extending through the middle. These mountains are heavily wooded, the hills and forests affording refuge to outlaw bands that infest the country and do great damage to the sugar plantations, as well as keeping the people terrorized or in a condition of disquietude. The chief of the mountaineer outlaws is a man known as Papa, or Pope, Isio, who seems to be a sort of veiled prophet among them, having the
