Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-08-11
LETTER FROM TAMPA.
Regular Army and CiviliZed-Thc En-
feet of Lightning on Coiorod Cook.
Port Tampa City, Aug. O. 1898.

1t is expected that the last of the troops
stationed here will leave tonight. These
troops are the 9th cavalry and they arc to
proceed to Montauk Point, Long Island.
They will travel about three days on the
cars and each regiment shipped from
Tampa to the above station costs the gov
eminent the neat sum OF sos OCO. The col
orcd troopers have surely made a name
for themselves at the front and they need
ed to partially blot out the stain placed
upon so brave a regiment MS the 9th cav
airy by the hundreds of recruits who have
joined the regiment since it departed for
Cuba-raidinG houses, stealing. insulting
men and women are records the recruits
of the 9Th leave behind them--and it will
he blessing to them when they are dis
tributcd among the troops of that organi-
cation. Before a year has passed they
will be a different class Of people and will
not be identified with the toughs they
were while here. Other regiments are not
much better off. But with one officer, IL
sergeant or a corporal. and may be two or
three old soldiers left behind here when
their regiment left for Cuba. to handle
from sixty to seventy men was not su,li-
cicnt, for lot of young toughs who i'm
asined they owned the earth as soon rs
they were dressed in Uncle Sans blue
with brass buttons. Little do they know
how short Il time ii takes to make men out
of them as soon as they once Join their
companies.
Only little over a month Longer ma
tves claim and this place now hole of
typhoid md all other sorts of malnrinl
fcvcrs, will turn into health resort but
at present ii seems to be far from II and
u"aths are frequent. Yesterday train
load entirely composed of fever patients
left for Georgia, and 1t seems that every
thing combines to do up our army, even
the elements have turned against them.
Thursday while at dinner the house at
which the Free Press correspondent gets
MS meals was struck by lightning and
some OF the papers had the entire crowd
Killed., In fact the lightning only knocked
all the boarders from their seats sp!lllns
sufficient food over their clothes to feed
a batch OF Northern chickens a week en-
tered four rooms upstairs, hut never burn
ed anything, went out of the window and
Knocked tank used to catch rain water
all to pieces and left the colored cook on
her knees praying very fcrveut'y Four
Ccaths have occurred by lightning and last
hlSht one moro was struck and killed
whilc three others are yet in n citical con-
dillon up in the military camp. Our
friends OF the Third Cavalry are getting
on the train TO leave this evening for Fer
nandina. Ten transports are now ut the
quarantine station and are the San Ma
rios, Allegheny. Comae, Rito, Yucatan
Clinton. Saratoga. Siguarania, Santiago
and KnickcrbocEcr. Tbout 800 sick SOL
dicrs were OH board and are now at Camp
Detention on Egmont Key The Rlto
comes from Porto Rico the remainder
from Santiago. The Yucatan will be fu-
migated at once, loaded with supplies and
return to Santiago. Several others Will
do the same, while every surgeon and am
bulancc not absolutely needed here will
he sent to Cuba, among them Cant. r. l.
Worden, one of the best army experts on
yellow fever