The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-09-09
]. ". 7. Miller, Who Left With
the First California.
SAYS PHILIPPINES A FIELD
Backwardness Of Country Met Col.
L. M. Johnson Honolulu Men.
In Manila Bay.

]. w. +. Miller, who was sergeant
in the N. G. II. barracks here when
the first expedition for the Philippines
came along and who 5oined a Califor-
MIA company, writes to a friend in the
Advertiser office:
Cavite, p. I've have heard about
annexation and everybody interested
in the Islands is glad of 1t. This
leaves Dahlstrom, Lane and myself, all
formerly of the N. G. II. regulars,
quite well.
We are stationed in the fortified
town of Cavite. seven miles by water
from Manila. We can stand In our gar
rison doors and see the hulks of five
of the Spanish ships sunk by Dewey
on May Day. We also look out upon
Dewey,s squadron, with the Olympia
and Baltimore on the right OF line.
Grouped around them are the first ana
second expedition ships. In the dis
lance can be seen the English, German
and Japanese warships. And grim ana
stern all of them look in their war
time fittings. All this, with steam
launches. tugs and cutters and barges
dashing hither and thither across the
waters makes lively scene. The In
surgents keep steadily at work day and
night on the Spaniards within the fort
flied city of Manila. The Spaniards
are cooped up and bottled up. The in
surgents have advanced their picket
lines to within two miles OF the city
limits. We can hear their skirmish
firing nearly all the time. There are
several thousand Spanish prisoners
here in our fort at present and more
being brought in nearly every hour
They are sorry looking lot. From
all appearances they are half starved
Judging from what have seen since
coming here the rank and file OF the
Spanish army is as anxious to surrend-
er as we are to have them for prison
ers, but they are compelled from Mad
rid to make some showing OF resist
ance. They have good guns and We
shall lose some members OF our mess
before the thing Is ended.
OF our own forces ! may say the
health Is good. The volunteers are
poorly drilled and equipped, but wha'
they lack in that direction they make
up in enthusiasm.
have been out on one reconnaissance
along the insurgent lines. The rebels
have little or no discipline, but they
are brave to rashness.
by the way, l.. NJ. Johnson, who wai
sergeant major of the N, G. H., II
ordnance officer with the rank of col
onel on the staff of the rebel chief.
had a long talk with l.. Nj. He hope'
to come out in the end with good pc
tition and he deserves it, for he ha'
worked hard, has exposed himself
much. has been under fire whole lo
and is an Al man for the business
They depend upon him very Target,
in the artillery branch. While l.. Nj
and | were together some Spanish
shells dropped in our nelghborhood
but l.. M. and his men soon sllencet
the battery.
This country is in virgin state anC
Il looks all right for a hustler or FOL
an enterprise of almost any kind
Hundreds and hundreds OF the fellows
who have come out at soldiers Will
remain II Uncle Sam holds on and will
make themselves rich in land deals
and business. There are plenty of OPP
portunities in sugar and tobacco ant
hemp. | have had chance to tall
with several kamaainas-mostly Eng
lishmen and they say everything viii
be all right for the best kind of money
making In every direction II the Am
erican flag goes up ans stays for any
length OF time. The Spsniards have
held everything right at the san.'
stage for couple OF hundred years
You cannot imagine the backwardness
here in every way. Why, II a mar
brought a cargo of cheap watches and
pistols In he'd carry away a cargo Of
silver. You know those station OF thu
Cross Chromos Drum Major King had
in the widow in his store on Hote
street. Any native or Spaniard would
give $50 worth of stun for one OF them
We are hoping that all will have q
chance for good action in the assault
to be made on the city All the N. q
II. fellows have been picked out foi
the artillery service. II | do say II
myself, we are considered good sol
diers as they have in the whole out
ft. We are now getting the full value
of the hard infantry and artillery drill
we had under Good, Coyne and Zieg'
Ter. Remember me to all the boys IL
tho narracEc and nthar friends