Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. IV.djvu/108

80 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS The original Philippine commission, headed by President Jacob G. Schurman, submitted its full report on January 31, 1900. On February 6 Presi dent McKinley selected Judge William H. Taft to head a new commission, which was completed by March 16, and reached Manila on June 3. The laborious endeavors of the Taft commission began to bear fruit, and on September 1, under its direc tion, civil government was inaugurated in the archipelago. A vital death-stroke was dealt the insurrectionists by the capture of the rebel dictator, Aguinaldo, in March, 1901, by Gen. Funston and a small band of men, who achieved success through stratagem and disguise. Early in the summer of 1900 the civilized world was startled by news that the foreign legations at Pekin, China, were besieged by an angry horde of celestials. A secret society, commonly known as "Boxers," determined upon the extermination of all foreigners in the Chinese empire. For a time wild reports were current that the entire legations and their charges had been massacred. On July 20 the first official news to the contrary was received at Washington from United States Minister Con ger. Europe doubted its authenticity, but further developments showed it to be genuine. The events which began with the destruction of the forts at Taku and ended with the capture of Pekin by the allied forces of Europe and the United States in