04-007
1877.05.21 Manila, [Philippines].
From: Ricardo Aguado
TO: Jose Rizal
[Misc.]
Luna’s house assaulted by bandits.
Manila, 21 May 1877
DEAR JOSE,
I do not understand what you tell me about “the expedition going on.” Who are the boys at your house? On Sunday, the 20th, after Mass, I was standing at the door of the convent when I saw Mr. Patricio Lesaca (I call him “Mr.” because he did not even greet me) passing by in a vehicle. I was talking with Alaejos, Jugo S., and Olavides, a classmate. When we saw him, we called him, but not even for that did he look at us.
On the 19th, at 7:15 in the evening, occurred an event and it is this: At the Barraca, as you already know, lives Luna, your classmate. Well then, 30 bandits, more or less, assaulted his house at 7:15, as I said. And do you know who they were? Chinese dressed as Indians. They went up, tied the coachmen, and once upstairs two rushed to Luna’s father, one to his wife, seized her by the hair and dragged her through the house. Luna’s father snatched a bolo from one of the two who were with him and thus defended himself. The other one, who was holding his wife, seeing that the two bandits could not stop Luna’s father, left his wife and rushed to Luna’s father. It was then that they wounded him seriously on the left eyebrow, while his wife, as soon as she was freed by the one holding her by the hair, ran to the terrace and began shouting “Help! Help!” Another bandit was with his sons and daughters. One of the coachmen, who was tied, escaped and went to the quarters of the Veteran Guard in the district of Binondo and reported that bandits were at his master’s house. Instantly an officer with eight men left, reaching the house in a moment. Before entering the house, they stationed two sentinels at the door, another two at the corner of San Fernando and Riverita Streets. Immediately they went up and found Mr. Luna wounded. According to the family the bandits had fled towards Riverita Street. They went down immediately after receiving this information and when they were going in the direction of Riverita Street, they found a straw hat, a dagger, two scabbards for bolo, and the scabbard of the dagger, and a torn shirt full of blood. They proceeded towards Riverita Street, inquiring at all the stores (for they were open) if they had seen something, but they answered in the negative. They also questioned all those they met on the street and all said they had not seen anything.
They returned to the house and they did their duty searching everywhere but found nobody. When at 11:00 my uncle told them to go home, it occurred to one guard to look behind some large boards at the adjoining house. When he was about to pull down a board a Chinese shouted and he seized him and he whistled so that his companions would come. They came and they took down his declaration and he confessed where they lived and who they were.
They went there and they caught only four and afterwards the rest.
What is missing I shall write in my next letter,
RICARDO AGUADO