Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-07-08
SHE SENDS A VERY INTERESTING
LETTER FROM TAMPA.
A Good Description of the Life of the
NOlunteers-NOt Especially Captivated
by the Cubans- Com meDds the Neatness
and Cleanliness of Our Soldiers

hllIOCu ug tho MIlo VI Odpj. JONI Y.
Capron, of Co. NJ, 157th Reg't, now at
Tampa, Fla, We have been permitted
to take the following interesting items:
Tampa, Fla, July 3-Dear home
fOlks.-We received the box and John
was so glad to get his summer jacket
and pants. He put the coat right on,
shaved and washed and he looked so
nice and cool. | am kept busy visiting
the chinaman with his duck pants, but
he looks SO much better with clean
clothes that | don't mind the trips.
Most of the boys did look rather tough,
but the new shirts issued to them last
Friday have improved them wonder
fully. They all look thin but they say
they feel perfectly well There is only
one sick man, Mr. Miller, | think,
and John talks of sending him north.
The guards at st. Petersburg are of
the 157th regiment and the people there
like them so much they intend to give
them a Fourth of July celebration.
The regimental band is going over and
they are to nave a ball in the evening.
If } ohm can get away we are going too.
1t is delightfully."- cool here since six
O'Clock last evening and last night was
perfect moonlight night. The Tampa
people say that after the rainy season
comes the weather is fine here. The
winters are like our Indian summers,
but of course the dry seasons are un-
pleasant for 1t is so frightfully not, es-
pecially in the city,
The wives cf the regular officers and
soldiers here are worried over reports
| from Santiago. Ten of the regular
officers wives are at the same boarding
house with me and they are nearly
wild. 1t would be such a relief if they
could only hear from their husbands.
| hear there are some more trans
ports in and | am so afraid the 157th
will be sent to Santiago TO re-enforce
Shafter. | saw some of the illinois
boys leave, and while they seemed glad
to go and the bands played and all
! seemed excited, it made me feel real
sad, for some may never return, and
in mind, | can see the boat starting
with our boys, and / know I'll be
simply wild. | have chill every time
| hear anything discouraging and was
done up in ted with ice bandages at
my my head the last time the orders
came. L certainly will chloroform
John and bring him home if Spain
don't sue for peace soon.
A hospital is to be fixed up out at
Egmont Key and they say it is lovely
spot ani just the place for sick SOL
diers, and there will be a lot of them
from this last engagement. The Tam
pa papers say 1900 were killed and
wounded, but the Spaniards suffered
most.
| do not think the Americans put
the proper estimate on the Spaniards.
They are good soldiers and the Cubans
here say they will fight as long as they
have breath left. But the provoking
thing to me is to see the CuOanS hcre
resting SO contented and letting the
Americans DO all the fighting for them
Some of their young men | see walk
ing around all dressed up and perfectly
satisfied with life. while our boys are
odt digging in and fighting to free the
Cubans, The Cubans! Some look like
negroes and none look like white peo-
pie. l see lots of the refugees, and a
very contented lot they seem to be, but
they don't seem to stir up any feelings
of pity in anyone here.
| | saw lots of interesting things out at
I the Port the other afternoon, and John
and l are going out TO the docks today
There are several gunboats anchored
here and five or six large sailing yes
sells are at the dOcks,-one of which is
said to be the finest on the Atlantic
coast,-a four master. Great large
proposes roll and tumble near the
wharves and you ought To see the fish
jump up! l thought the proposes were
fish. but the men say they play around
all the time and keep the bay clear.
They are not allowed to be shot and at
the hotel there are a lot of tame peli-
cans. Everything is strange to me and
| spend hours just looking around. |
want to see real live alligator running
about free. All have seen so far are
| aa..oH nr CT N aA / n raal ss'Nnncur
with her hair all III kinks and knots
over her head She said it was curled
the "other day" and she was going to
have it combed "some day"