Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-07-08
Letter from Gene Carley.

| 10 camp TAMPA, Fla, June ~.
EDITOR HERALD: I thought
would write and tell how I am en-.
loying this soldiers life. Ill ask you
filrst lrst OF all to excuse pencil, pens
and ink are a scarce article about
the camp, except at the Y. NJ. c. A.
tent, but we had orders this morning
tosstay close to our quarters. From
St. Paul / went to Ft. Mcpherson,
Ca. where l stopped five or six days.
We were shipped from there to Mo-
bile, Ala, and from Mobile to Tampa: :
| We took roundabout way from
Mobile to Tampa, going back by the
way of Montgomery, then d0wnzto
! Waycross, Ca, east of the center of
the state. then southwest to the
western coast to Tampa. So you
see l have travelled over lots of
country since I left Little Falls. Olin
Cray enlisted at FL. Smelling but did
not get to Ft. Mcpherson until a few
days after l did. He was not counted
ln with the company that left Nc
PheraQn when I did and 1 have not
seen Him since. There is a detach-
ment expected here from Mcpherson
soon and he will no doubt come when
it does. l should have received word
from home before this and the only
way Hcan eccount for. not doing SO,
IS, that there were several bags Of
mail sent to Cuba for the 3rd infan-
try and the detachment mail got
mixed up with the 3rd.> We are
classed a detachment of the 3rd un-
til we reach our regiment. have
often read that Florida is called the
land Of flowers, but I haven't seen a
flower growing in the state where /
have travelled. Talk about Little
Falls being a "sandv city," here is
where we get the sand. l think we
Will be sandy lot of men by the
time We get ready to sail for Cuba;
where We will soon get it taken out
of.us: Why, we have even got sand
to take the place OF feathers in our
beds, with one thickness OF blanket
over the sand, bub still, I can sleep
as sound as the next one. Two OF
Fonf number Of SO are sick, one With
malaria and one with typhoid fever.
They are somewhat better today
and expect to be able to he about in
few lays. The cavalry boys are
the ones that have the most sickness
in thei rranks, on account OF drilling
so harl; they drill about 8 hours a
day. The cavalry boys are tough
set. Ore got drunk the other night
and tried to take the gun away from
a guard in his own company and was
shot dead in his tracks. The troops
on Tampa Heights, about 2 miles
from here, were paid off the other
day, and most of them went down
town I'd have good time; it wasn't
long before they became noisy, in
sulting people on the streets. One
went 50 far as to insult the ladies
when business man who stepped
out of his store to interfere, was shot
IN the head by one of these toughs,
who was arrested and turned over
to the state officials.
The entire camp is astir today.
We got orders to be ready to move
at an hours notice This detach.
ment has drawn Is day travelling
rations and As day field rations;
there are II t, ansports in the har-
Dor an id we are expected to leave for
Cuba: Hurrah for Cuba! Vincent
Cupa and John Krause, who are
from Lit5le Falls, seem to stand the
climate pretty we'll. I have been
about sick a bed since Saturday
mornih ihg,. but I am feeling good to-
day, better than I have since l left
Chicago We were marched up to
the do tors tent this morning and
we're yae;inated. so there will be
sone sore arms in a day or two.
= +: 49, E.. III. CARLEY.
= Il n = ----------- -----------
Nowfor the circus. !.