Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1898-10-22
FROM JOE DUSHEK.
The Philippines and Incidents on the
Trip There.

Trip There.
Frank Hessler has. kindly furnished
The TRIBUNE the following letter
which he received this week from Joe
Dushek, who is soldering with the
18th MINI. at Manila. So many
of the readers of The TRIBUNE have
expressed their appreciation of the
many letters which we have published
from the Morris soldiers. that it is
with much qualification that we pre-
sent the one.
MANILA, SEPT. z, 1898.
After our long journey we arrived
at Manila and landed Sept. 7th. We
had hard time of it getting here all
the way. We did not get hardly any
thing to eat and what we did get was
not fit to eat. We left San Francisco
July 25th, stopped at Honolulu four
days, and had a good time there.
The ocean was calm till we got to the
China Sea. There we had storm,
but it was not bad.
Twas taken sick after we had been
10 days out of Honolulu and just got
out of the hospital as the steamer got
into the Manila harbor. had
hard time of it, but | am all right
now.
It is not so bad here as we thought
it would be. We live pretty good
and don't drill but very little, as it is
too hot. The rainy season is over, it
starts in June and lasts till about the
first of September.
The city of Manila is very old city
with walls built of stone, extending
all around it. At some places the
wall is as much as 40 feet thick, with
deep dungeons within and deep
trenches all around heoutside.
To our sorrow, we got here too late
for the fight. But we may have trouble
With the Insurgents, as they feel very
chilly toward us. Our regiment is on
the police force in the city and Col.
Reeves is the chief of the police. From
every company there is a detail on
duty and they have. all kinds of
trouble in keeping order. So / think
that / will have good fight before |
gel back. At least it is not too late.
This country is about 200 years be-
hind the times with everything. The
natives are putting up building IN
front of our station. They have been
at it two years andthey have got tbs
frame up All the tools the carpen-
ter has is home made saw, an ak,
and hammer mo nails at all. All
is fitted together with pegs. have
not seen spade in this country ex-
cept what we have; they use baskets.
The horses are very small the best
of them will weigh about 600 lbs. A
good Chinaman can carry as big a
load as horse can pull. Thomas
son was after wood, (which is hard to
get) yesterday. with a two-wheeled
cart to which water-buffalo was
hitched. The water buffaloes are the
same as our draft orses-they are as
big as an OK and very strong nd lazy
4 X = i
We had good time last night.
We made raid on gambling joint
and arrested 48 natives. They made
it hot for some time but we have
them all in the guard room TODAY.
We had lots of fun with them.
wish that you could see US. We
lay all day long in our hammocks
and smoke cheap cigars We can
get them for one cent Of Spanish
money and good cigars at that.
| suppose it will take Ghis letter a
month to get to Morris, but it will
get there some time.
To-day it is so hot that you can
cook right in the sun. The fruit will
soon be ripe then it will be cheap.
At present it is high-oranges at two
cents and pineapples at ten cents,
Spanish money, which is valued the
same as Mexican money -one dollar of
American money is worth two of
Spanish.
This country is full of outlaws.
We have case of highway robbery |
every day and it is a common thing
here. But if we stay here long
enough we will put them into "clear.
We are doing it fast at present,
| think if the Americans hold these
islands that this will be a good
country. but it is not fit for white
man to live in.
| enclose best regards to friends,
| will remain,
Yours as ever,
JOE DUsHEK.