The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-11
A LETTER FROM MANILA
Volunteers Called the Bloody
First of Montana.
THEY DO NOT KNOW FEAR
S~paniards Are Anxious to Get Into the
American Lines-An the Boys Are
Disguised With the Country-want
TO Come Home Now.

Ex-Governor Richards yesterday re-
ceived a letter from his son, who is in
Cavite with the LIST Montana infantry,
United States volunteers, Company l..
The letter is dated Sept. I, only a few
days later than the date of his letter
published in the Standard Sept. &c. to-
gether with a number of others from
there. 1t was brought over i'm the Va
lencia, which arrived in San Francisco
on the 9TH inst. after a voyage of "a
days from Manila. The writer had not,
up to the time of writing. been in Ma
Mia. He was still at Cavite. After de-
scribing the fort and relating a few ex-
periences already related by previous
correspondents, he proceeds:
THE first night we spent here the in
surgents fired on a drunken soldier n
a fight followed. in which two Ameri-
cans were killed and two wounded.
The Montana boys were ordered up in
line. but were not called upon to fire.
Captain Jensen was officer OF the day,
and he was given orders to take a de-
tachment of men out into the bay to
one of the sunken ships. from which
some insurgents were trying to get n
gun. He killed one and wounded three
of the ~vandals, and since that day we
are known as the Bloody First of Mon
tana.' The Montana boys are cool and
anxious to get into "A real fight.
General Anderson vas told by an
other officer that the Montana boys did
not know What danger was and that
they would go through hell before they
give up. Now the general thinks that
we are all right.
IAN of the first night we were here
firing was continued by the s%entinels.
/ was just going to sleep when | heard,
not so feet away. Halt. halt Bang.
bang and then all was quiet for a few
minutes, and then one of our sentinels
heard something coming through the
trees and he CAV the command Halt
Then he fired. Upon investigation IL
was found that IL was a horse that had
made the suspicious noise in the brush.
If a man does not halt when com-
manded. he stands a good chance of be-
ing shot.
These insurgents are very small of
stature. Their guns stand a foo higher
than they do. Major Brennan said he
would bet his life that II they were dis
armed Richards of the Butte football
club could tackle them and whip a reg
iment of them in ten An
American Indian is an angel compared
with one of these insurgent a
I'VE have about 200 Spanish prisoners
here and the insurgents about the same
number. Every time we send out
Spanish prisoners to work, under a
guard, they bring back two or three
more with them who have run AVA
from the insurgents. The Spaniards
are afraid of the insurgents and think
that the Americans are fine people.
might before last two Spanish pris-
oners broke away from the insurgents
and pleaded with us to put them in the
g~uardhouse They were told hat we
could not imprison them upon their
own request without violating the rule
governing such cases. Our boys toid
the Spaniards to put up their dukes
and fight They did so and by the act
gave us a pretext for putting them in
the guardhouse. They were then the
happiest Spaniards on the island. II
those insurgents know what is good for
them they will never try to fight us.
for we will wipe them off the face OF
the earth.
Il have been all over the wrecks Dew
ey made and have collected a few val
liable souvenirs which / would like to
send you. and Will, II / can. A very
funny thing happened after Dewey's
battle. Some Of the crazy insurgents
got hold OF one Of SPANS big guns IN
some way and put IL aboard a little
Did boat With this improvised man
of-war they steamed across the bay to
lombard Manila while their soldiers on
a n essayed to attack the city from
their side. They got within gun range
of the city and fired the old gun on.
The piece was not fastened to the boat.
and when the shot was fired the gun
kicked the me OF into the sea and
upset the boat. The sailors had to swim
for their lives. They never saw the
boat or gun again. No enc knows
where the shot took effect. aside from
the execution to the boat and the crew.
This Is only n example of the insane
methods employed by the insurgents.
Il have not been to Manila yet. We
are all disgusted with this country and
want to get home. This Is not nearly
SO pretty a place as Honolulu. and is
not what IL Is cracked up to be. We