The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-10-12
LIFE IN HAWAII.
Interesting Letter from soldier joe
Levy

HONOLULU, Sept p, 1895.
II IS 80 long since | have had letter
from home that have almost made up
my mind that Somerset has been invad.
ed by Spanish army. This place Is 60
far out Of the world that We never get
any news until after it is week or two
old; we would fare better a. Manila,
where they have cable communication.
| However, we are making the best of it.
and l. for one. am not worry ing. The
fact is, like Honolaln better than any
place have seen yet. We have plenty
TO eat. plenty of exercise. and fine place
TO bathe. feel As though was enjoying
vacation at the seashore. have been
reduced 81 a common private and find
that it is the best job in camp. We arise
at $50; answer roll call and get breakfast
After % minutes exercise We go 10 the
ocean aud des ote an hour to padding
about in the water. A, 9.30 we have an
hours drill, and that's the end of work
FOR the day. Il IS better than clerical
work because there is just enough exer-
else TO keep one in fighting trim My
appetite is something awful, and the gov
ernmcnt will soon have to furnish me
with a new wardrobe, because l can
hardly button any Of the clothes / have
now. We are camping within stones
throw of the ocean, a q nothing braces
up a fellows appetite like a sea breeze.
There is no reason why we should not be
the healtbiest lot of boys in the army, be-
cause there is nothing here 70 hurt any
one who uses ordinary care. Liquor is
too expensive for any OF as, so there is no
drunkenness in camp. except an OCCASION
al victim of ''swipes'', something like
beer. The sun is hot, but breeze blows
from the arctic region all day long and
makes life out doors comfortable. bat in
the tents It is simply awful. All of the
boys are burnt brown, and many people
viii probably think there is "a new coon
in town" when return. wedon't mind
little matter like that as long as we con-
tinue TO enjoy good health. and there is
not sick man in camp al this time. You
can get anything here if you go after ii,
including leprosy. which by the way is
very common, Notwithstanding the gov
ernment tries 10 keep the lepers isolated.
A Red Cross woman told me that two per
cent Of the white people and a much lar
ger per cent. of the natives are afflicted
with the disease. As matter OF course
those afflicted keep it to themselves, if
possible, for as soon as Il is found out
they are shipped to Lsper Island and cut
off from the world. Too much care can
not be taken to avoid il.
To-day we met the enemy and they are
ours. They were not SpaniardS, but the
baseball team Of the First New York.
They had been swiping everything here
until they ran up against the Tenth Penn
sylvania recruits. We have a crack foot
ball team aud are prepared to meet any
thing that comes along.
Shortly after we landed here a lot Of
soldiers were acc1sed of robbing num-
Der OF plantations Of fruit. and the result
has been that every Islander has been
turned against the boys in blue. A board
of officers was appointed TO investigate
the matter, but we're unable T. discover
the offenders. There are a los of paople
in this world who don't know how TO be
decent. and make others suffer for their
sins. Since a guard has been placed
around the plantations there will not
likely be a repetition OF the offense.
JOE