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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