BRANCH, OCTOBER 21, 1902
APPENDIX E
G. W. BRANCH, late private, Company D, Twenty-sixth Volunteer Infantry, having first been duly sworn to testify the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as to the matter respecting which he was to be examined, did testify as follows:
Q. What is your name?—A. G. W. Branch.
Q. Were you a member of Company D, Twenty-sixth Volunteer Infantry?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. What is your age?—A. Twenty-five.
Q. What is your occupation?—A. I am a locomotive fireman.
Q. What is your address?—A. Genesee street, Avon, N. Y.
Q. Were you stationed at Banate?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. At what time were you stationed there?—A. I was stationed there six or eight months in the fall and winter of 1900-1901.
Q. Were you mustered out with your regiment?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. What kind of a discharge did you get?—A. Very good.
Q. Were you under the command of Captain Brownell?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was there a prisoner there by the name of Augustine de la Pena while you were at Banate?—A. There was a man there. I don't know whether his name was Augustine, what you called him, or not. I don't know whether he was a priest or not.
Q. Describe him.—A. He was a man, I should say, 4 foot 8, a stout built man. This officer had him there in solitary confinement.
Q. What officer?—A. Captain Brownell; and Captain Butts was there some of the time.
Q. Go on and tell all you desire.—A. They tried him there, I could not swear as to that. It seems they could not get anything out of him, so they kept him there longer. One night I was detailed for a guard, about, I should say, half past 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. We went over there to this solitary confinement—Sergeant Campbell, myself, and a fellow named Artificer Davis, and there was another one. We took him down to a house where the president of the town lived. The president of the town deserted that house just a little while before because we had a little scrap there and trouble. Captain Brownell was there, and this contract doctor for the Army, Woods, and the interpreter from the Filipinos, I don't know his name. I believe Worthington came down there a little while afterwards; they took him into a small room in that house. Captain Brownell was in there, this interpreter, Campbell, and somebody else. I was in the next room, outside that room over a stairway that goes up from the outside, guarding that stairway so that nobody could get up there. Outside there was a guard placed under the building. Brownell and these fellows, I suppose, gave this man the water cure. They had water in there. Dr. Woods was there some of the time. I could see that he was tied down; his hands and feet were tied. They had water in there—a couple of cans of water.
Q. Do you know if they gave him the water cure?—A. I could not swear if they gave him the water cure or not. They had water in there.
Q. Were you present when he died?—A. No, sir. I was in the building, but not in that room. I was one of the guard that buried him.
Q. Was Captain Brownell in the room when he died?—A. He was, sir; I know he was.
Q. What was the condition of the priest when they took him in there? Was he able to walk?—A. Yes; he could walk.
Q. Did he say anything?—A. I don't know whether he did or not. I could not remember.
Q. Who told you he was dead?—A. They sent for the doctor, and I went in there then when the doctor went in the room. He said he was dead. I saw the doctor try to work him to life.
Q. You saw him dead there?—A. I did.
Q. And you saw the water?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you see him tied there?—A. Yes; he was tied. They had him tied on a board.
Q. Do you know if he was buried?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. Where?—A. He was buried between where the other priest used to live, the church, and the guardhouse.
Q. How do you know where he was buried?—A. I seen him buried there.
Q. And you helped to bury him?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you ever see the water cure administered?—A. Yes, sir.
Q. State the occasions when you saw it administered.—A. I saw it many times. Captain Brownell was all the time giving it. If he wanted to find out anything he would give the water cure.
Q. State some of the instances.—A. He gave the water cure at Anileo [Anilao] to natives there when he was on a hike to find out things. He gave the water cure to a couple of Filipino officers in headquarters at Banate, and he gave the water cure in the mountains when we were on a hike going to Dinglay [Dingle]. When he captured a seaport town and we stayed there four or five days, he gave the water cure to a good many there.
Q. For what purpose did he give this water cure?—A. To find out information about guns and things and where the enemy was.
Q. Can you remember the dates?—A. I can not.
Q. In these instances was life taken by administering it?—A. Only at that one time in the case that I have testified to.
Q. Has anyone been here to get your testimony upon this subject?—A. No, sir.
Q. Have you told all you know?—A. Yes, sir.
G. W. BRANCH.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 21st day of October, 1902, at Avon, N. Y.
E. HUNTER,
Judge-Advocate, U. S. Army.