Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1898-12-24
A Brave Boys Last Letter.

The following letter was received by
Newton Hi5os, of this place, from his
nephew, FrGnk W. Hibbs, of Manila, two
weeks after the death of the writer had
been announced by telegraph.
"My experience has boon worth a
man. life to ME, I have suffered great
hardships, am sometimes sorry I came
but knowing all, would enlist again under
the same circumstances. l have had
some pleasure with the bitter experiences.
The sea voyage was trying on me.
The only thing ate the first three days
out from San Francisco was one little
orange and was very sick but revived
before reaching Honolulu and was able
to fully enjoy the feast that was spread
for us there, and it was a grand spread.
The people there are very patriotic. We
were at Honolulu three days, and three
days after leaving that island was taken
down with the measles and was sick for
eighteen days and had not fully recovered
when we reached the island of Gaum.
was up ready to go ashore but the surgeon
sent me back to my bunk with three
other sick boys. We were very mad.
The rations furnished on the voyage
were bad. They kept the fresh meat
locked up and gave US bacon till the
fresh meat spoiled in storage. Then
they gave us spoiled beef and called it
fresh meat. We almost mutinied
and they then threw the spoiled meat
over board. They fixed up stews from
bones, thickened it with hard tack crusts.
1t was tainted with rotten meat. There
were beans iii which we actually found
cigar stumps and dirty dish rags in our
bill of fare and we had to eat this mess
on the voyags from Honolulu to Manila.
We arrived at Cavite July Isl. Cavite
is an interesting place about 900 years
old, and seems that the buildings were
all built at the Same time. One church
1 visited was built in 1913. We were
first quartei-d in barracks. The
struction was very old. The main part
of Cavite is fort with wall around it
about forty feet high fiat on top for 100
feet with four foot wall on the outer
border. On the inside, the wall in places
was on all incline so that the defenders
could walk to the top. Under this wall
was dungeon in which prisoners of war
were confined. The whole place was
| reeking with filth when we arrived. We
worked constantly at cleaning it up We
had to carry the wood and water we used
about half a mile, and we had to
boil all the water we used and cool it
with ice, which we bought. We were in
this place six weeks, and seemed like six
months. We were in suspense waiting
for the Monterey to arrive which was to
be the signal for the attack ON Manila.
Finally she came and with the news
came the order to move to the attack
We worked all night to get ready to
move at four in the morning. Each
man had two hundred rounds of am
rnunition and three days rations. The
ration consisted of a can of horse meat
! aiiA t"ShtJ VIC WGlC AG-
layed from six in the morning till three
In the afternoon and it rained all the
the time. We were soaked to the skin.
We then marched up to the Kings palace.
The Spanish were lined up with their
bayonets fixed and their guns cooked.
We confronted them as though we did
not observe their bayonets aud gnns and
ordered them to lay down their arms.
They hesitated at first but when one
Spanish soldier laid down his gun they
rushed to throw them all on the pile
And my company had the honor of being
the guard for the first flag that was rails
ed over the fallen city of Manila. 1t
took us five hours to remove the captured
rifles into the palace. About eleven
floor with rubber blanket for pillow.
This bed compared very we'll with the
bamboo hunks we had used dnring our
stay at cavite. On the next day we
established our present quarters.
Guard duty has been our worst trial.
To initiate me was on guard three days
and nights without relief after the cap
tain of the Spanish garrison here. When
we settled dewn to routine duty had
one night Of six bat now SO many are
unable on account of sickness to be on
duty that my turn comes evsry fourth
night,
Manila Is queer old city. The en-
closure around the walled city is fifty
feet high. It rises gradually for stretch
OF $50 feet then there is mote 20 fee,
filled with four feet of thin mnd or flth
and beyond that the wall was mounted
with cannons all around walled Manila
Under this wall were the magazines, one
of which ! guarded. 1t contained &c
tons of gun cotton 40 tons Of dynamits
and 40 tons of srnokeless rife powder,
There seems to be some contention
about the Philippines, The boys hers
all want Uncle Sam to keep them
They do not want to remain in the army
here to hold the country but they do no
want it to go back to Spain. We al
want to get back home but for on.
would rather remain here than to know
that Spain would again gain control o
)