The Belangiga Massacre-- Part 5: Deaths and Afterwards

The exact number of Filipinos killed is not known and likely never to be.    In the 1990s,  a ten-year study was made on the Belangiga Massacre by British writer  Bob Couttie who put the figure at 2,500.  yet, there are some historians who put the figures closer to 50,000.

When events in Samar became known, there were prompt investigations.  Secretary of War Elihu  Root sent orders to relieve American commanders and to court martial Gen. Jacob Smith.  Jacob Smith and Littleton Waller faced courts martial.  Waller was found not guilty and Smith was found guilty, admonished for his tactics and forced to retire.

What About the Bells?