LUKBAN
soldiers to set fire to the town as soon as the parleying was over . At the onset , Murray demanded the surrender of General Lukban and all his forces , offering Lukban the post of governor of the island .
In the instructions of Kobbe , Murray was to ask for Lukban himself and his interpreter Col . Merchant , and inform him that the entire island of Luzon , except for some parts of Camarines , was in the control of the United States , and that the revolutionary government was already broken up and dispersed and that Aguinaldo himself was on the run . He was likewise to be told that the United States Congress and Government intended to crush the insurrection and retain possession of the archipelago . In which case , it was best for him and his men to surrender . And if they did that and surrender all firearms , Lukban and his officers would be paroled , may remain on the island , or may leave on any of the ships to Manila with their officers and their families . 5
Lukban through his emissary countered with a demand that the Americans desist from landing in any of the ports of Samar and leave Samareños to manage their own lives and affairs . Furious , Murray gave Lukban and his troops two hours to surrender and take the oath of allegiance to the American government , or else the town would be shelled and the rebels pursued to their death . 6
The boat carrying the flag of truce had no sooner pushed off from shore than men could be seen running in all directions through the town , evidently setting it on fire , and thin columns of smoke rising simultaneously in every quarter . It was ascertained afterwards that many houses especially selected had been partially filled with hemp saturated with coal oil , and these included the church and convent . Unfortunately , an unusually high wind prevailed .
The English agent of a hemp firm displayed two English flags , and although he was not personally molested , fire was deliberately planted where from the direction of the wind , it would doubtless reach his warehouse and residence . These were among the early buildings destroyed . 7
The high wind blowing from the land at right angles to the beach destroyed the central portion of the town , containing about one-tenth of the total number of houses , but these were all of the better class . Very little hemp was destroyed . The convent standing next to the church had been fired separately and was soon totally destroyed . The commanding general , noticing in the afternoon that fire in the fine stone church was making slow headway and was confined almost exclusively to the hardwood supports of the roof , signaled over to the Nashville for a landing party of sailors to ut out the fire . The boat anchored 600 yards from the shore , as a group of sailors led by Maj . Henry T . Allen 8 were
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