Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-11-17

Guardians of the Law on the Philippine
islands Department.

lsinnds-Firc Departments.
A private letter from Mr. Alexander
r. Webb, now United States consul to
Manila, Philippine islands, to friend in
st. Louis is fuli of interesting gossip |
about the people and costumes ut his
post of duty, His description of the po-
lice and fire department of Manila is
graphic and amusing.
The Manila cooper" is thing of
picturesque beauty, If not joy forever
The coat and pants are Of navy blue,
with fancy decoration in red and white,
and heavy white cords with silver
pendants, festooned from the left shoul
der to the breast and looped around up
der the arm. The hat is a pure white
helmet. with silver knob on top, the
royal arms in silver in front and heavy
silver curb chain running half way around
it and hanging pendant from hook at
the back. They carry no club, but in
stead are armed with navy revolvers and
a knife two and one-half inches wide
and eighteen inches long. The handle is
OF brass, and there is usually tuft of
red plush at the hilt. This weapon,
which rests in brass tipped black
leather sheath, looks like an extra large
cheese knife with an ornamental handle.
l am told that one edge is kept as sharp
as a razor Both weapons are worn in
plain sight at all times, attached to a
black leather belt. This is the day uni
form.
.'The night force goes on duty barefoot,
with long, thin, black coaks that reach
from the neck to the heels and have no
sleeve holes and high black cap with a
cockade in front and a straight leather
front piece. In addition to the weapons
worn by the day force, each peeler car.
ries rifle slung over his shoulder. The
policemen are very small in stature, and
like all the natives, are naturally AYERS,
to fighting. They are quiet. peaceabl,
race, affectionate and kind to each other,
and apparently preferring at all times tt
submit to insult and abuse rather than t.
get into trouble. When they arrest
man they tie his arms behind him at tn,
elbows and march him off to the neares
station, and they seem to feel actual,
: sorry to be obliged to do it.
"When there is fire the policeman
blooms into a fireman. There are no fir
alarm bells. but when blaze starts SOM
one runs to the nearest police station an,
informs the guard, who immedatel
blows small whistle, and all the police
men within hearing come running in
! Then two or three policemen start on
! blowing their whistles and gathering i
4 the patrolmen, until there are fifteen @
twenty at the station, who have Stripe
o off their uniforms, and in bare feet an
: with no clothing but thin pants and shin
: and black glazed leather cap. are read
for work. The majority arm themselve
J. with axes, two carry pole with abou
: 100 feet of rope and small anchor al
! tached to it, and two more carry pol
: with perhaps 100 feet of two inch line
: hose and brass nozzle on it. Then the
l. start off on run for the fire, which, b
v this time, has gotten well under way.
e "The water system is very good, til
e supply coming from a river or lax
= several miles distant from the city, III
/ water being pure and as clear as crysta
II At intervals of perhaps fifty or a hun
n lred feet on all the streets are little, iro
VI trap doors about SKIS inches, undo
e which the fire plug is located. On the
e arrival at the scene of the fire, the hos
l. is attached to one Of the plugs, and
II stream can be thrown about one hundre
rs feet. While this is working pals al
n used at the upright plugs (also used f
drinking purposes), the men with Il
rope anchor and poles pull down Il
surrounding houses. and everybod
y works frantically. As most of Il
# houses are not more than twenty five fe
l. high, and are made of bamboo and car
1, leaves, huddled closely together,
a doesn't take long to burn up one hun
s. dred of them Last week over thrt
1, hundred burned in an hour. Still Il
le loss is usually light for the natives sc
le dom have more than two or three dc
& lars worth of household goods, and as
:, is quite comfortable to sleep out of door
1t they are not seriously disconnected
a being burned out. st. Louis Republi