Evening journal., 1898-07-08
AS ]. P. DUNNING SAW IT.
HE WAS IN THE MlDSTss OF THE
TROUGH RIDERS HOT rFfGHT.

EXTRACTS FROM A LETTER
WRITTEN TO HIS WIFE, WHO IS
NOW VISITING RELATIVES IN.
DOVER.
John p. Dunning, the Delaware
newspaper man, who won fame by his
heroism during the disaster OF Samoa,
several years ago, and who is now in
Cuba. as a special war correspondent
OF the Associated Press, has written to
his wife, who is in Dover, relating
some Of his experiences. Following
are extracts OF the letter:
We'll. I've had some experience this
last week and I'm glad you did not
know where ! was last Friday, for
was in the fight of the Rough Riders
within six or eight miles CT Santiago
in which about twenty rOf our men
were killed and many wounded; 1t GER
tainly was hot for an hour, but | got
out with whole ekin. l landed from
the Dandy the day before at Dalquiri,
east OF Santiago, and marched twelve
miles in the broiling sun, with several
regiments to a place called Juragua,
where our base Of supplies has been es-
tablished. / slept on the ground Of the
camp Of Roosevelt's Rough Riders that
night, or, at least tried to sleep, but
was so dead tired that / couldn't, and
did not get more than two hours sleep.
We had to get up at 4 o'clock the next
morning and started out again. We
walked about five miles; the sun was
blistering and most Of the way II was
the hardest kind of a climb up a steep
mountain trail ! had a cup Of coffee
and a piece OF hard tack at o'clock in
the morning, then nothing more till
in the afternoon, and there was not FIVE
minutes in all that time that was not
on the move climbing rocks or pushing
my way through the bushes was
without water and nearly famished
from thirst most Of the time, for after
the fight started gave away the water
in my canteen to wounded soldiers.
when / got back to the coast late In
the afternoon,I found the Wanda in the
bay Her boat came ashore and sim
ply fell into II and was rowed out to
the yacht Mr. Diehl (the assistant
general manager Of the Associated
Press) and others lifted me over the
side and then l almost collapsed; they
gave me some whiskey, stripped my
clothes off and gave me a cold bath
After a little rest l was all right again
and able to write. We ran over to Guam
tanamo and filed bulletin ofabout five
hundred words, giving the main de,
tails of the fight and the list OF killed
and wounded. Then we went to Porf
AntOnia and / wrote two columns OF
/ the way over and sent II from here: tn,
cable tolls on II amounted to an enor.
nous sum. won't attempt to tell yol
any details CT the fight as | don't be
lieve you would like to read them
however. / stayed with the perform
ance from beginning TO end and 4
seemed to me that about a thousand
Spanish bullets whistled around m!
ears One ball cut the strand OF a wirl
fence just above my head. but I aime,
to keep in a protected position as mucl
as possible, and was not in such grea
danger. There were only four CORE
spondents besides myself present. Tn
Journal man, Edward Marshall, wa
nearly killed and the World man tool
care CT him. another correspondent
ran away early in the fight, and tn
fourth one was Richard Harding Davis
My account was the only complete on
sent. and Mr.. Diehl was delighted wit
it, | have been transferred to tn
Wanda. and will probably be on he
D alone. The Wanda is a 100000 boa
the finest dispatch boat here; she is