The  outbreak  of  the  War  of  Independence  (February  4,  1899)
precluded  direct  American  intervention  in  favour  of  the  Spanish
prisoners.  General  Rios,  whose  importance  was  being  overshadowed
by  Seflor  Fuset's  productive  activity,  cabled  to  Madrid  that  he  would
attend  to  the  matter  himself.  But  the  didactic  tone  of  his  letters  to
Aguinaldo  was  not  conducive  to  a  happy  result,  and  having  frankly
confessed  his  failure,  the  general  made  an  appeal  to  the  consuls  and
foreign  merchants  to  exercise  conjointly  their  influence.  A  letter
of  appeal  from  them  was  therefore  drawn  up  and  confided  for  delivery


540  Baron  Du  Marais'  iU-fated  mission

in  the  insurgent  camp  to  my  late  friend  Baron  Du  Marais.^  This
chivalrous  gentleman,  well  known  as  the  personification  of  int^rity
and  honour,  had  resided  many  years  in  the  Islands  and  spoke  Tagdlog
fluently.  On  reaching  the  insurgent  camp  he  was  imprisoned  on  the
charge  of  being  a  spy,  but  was  shortly  afterwards  released,  and  on  his
way  back  to  the  capital  he  was  waylaid  by  the  natives,  who  foully
murdered  him.  Senor  Fuset  then  resumed  his  labours,  and,  as  a  result
of  his  appeal  to  the  generosity  of  his  countrymen,  he  was  able  to  set  out
for  Boac  and  Batangas  in  the  little  steamer  CasteUano  to  carry  supplies
to  the  prisoners  detained  in  those  localities.  On  his  journey  he  dis-
tributed '  to  them  500  cotton  suits,  290  pairs  of  shoes,  100  pairs  of
alpargaJtaa  (a  sort  of  hempen  shoe  or  sandal  made  in  Spain),  14,S75
packets  of  cigarettes,  and  P.1,287.  Several  subsequent  expeditions
carried  supplies  to  the  prisoners,  the  total  amount  of  material  aid
furnished  to  them,  in  goods  and  money,  being  estimated  at  P.60,000.
