Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-08-25
Madison. Aug, %.


street, has received a number OF in
terest.ng letters from her son, John
V. Green, now in Porto Rico with the
second Wisconsin volunteers. Mr..
Green enlisted from Oconto and will
be pleasantly remembered in univer-
sity circles and the Madison bar. On
July 27, he wrote from the I. 5.
transport La Grande Duchesse, off
Aguincinto, 10 miles west of Ponce,
giving an interesting account OF the
voyage from Charleston. H says the
troops sailed away without any bat
tlesbip escort and a canal boat with a
bunch of giant firecrackers could have
taken them prisoners. On the voyage
he slept on the hurricane deck
with no covering save his
rubber blanket. They were
seven days and seven nights on
the voyage and Mr.. Green had the
honor of being the first on his trans
port to sight the island Of Prto Rico,
discovering Cape San Juan on the
nOrtheaste coast.
Mr. Green's first letter from Porto
Rican soil is dated July 80, and con-
tains much of interest. He says in
part:
Here we are in Ponce, city Of
$500 inhabitants, 1860 miles south of
Madison and 1000 miles east. We
left Guianima, 16 miles west, on the
28th at 5 a. M. and proceeded to
Ponce, accompanied by the battleship
Massachusetts and cruisers Dixie,
Annapolis, and torpedo destroyers
Wasp and Gloucester. We were pre-
pared to make a landing under fire,
but to our surprise, when we arrived
we learned that the town had sur
surrendered. The garrison Of 1000 sol
diers had withdrawn during the night.
Our landing was completed by 3 p.
NJ; at p. M, we left the haTbOr
for Ponce, an inland city, miles dis
tant We arrived there at dusk, very
glad to stretch our legs, after 8 days
voyage on boat. We carried our belt
aud rifle, shelter tent, pOncho, blouse
pair of pants, par of shoes, underwear
&C., canteen and haversack, contain
ing SO rounds o. ammunition, weigh
ing 5 lbs. total weight, about 40 lbs
The natives We're very glad tG see rs
shouting Vive La AmericanO.' This
country is covered with mangOes
bananas. cacO9nut trees and al kinds
Of tropical fruits; the weather IS NO
| as warm as many days l have passed
in Wisconsin. Last night orr company
! Y en- into the country at p. n, go
,irg five miles into the country to
ca" ture 50 soldiers who ware in
house. A call was made for 10 men
to volunteer to break into the house.
nth lighted lanterns. and shot or
capture the inmates. The whole
company vo1unt 2er5d, so the first 16
men we're chos n. I was one of tn
IS. We started with fixed baycn is
and loaded guns, with two inter
prefers I, with five others, was sent
ahead 100 yards of the company to
pre- ent surprise, and act as adva ice
guard. We had orders to halt all per-
sons and if they did not stop, then
to shoot to kill On our wayI captured
a Spanish soldier and my partner got
another We return ed to camp at
1870 this morning with seven sci
d.ers. The guide tried to fool us and
get us away into the country and h
mbushed.
"The Spaniards have been dcsert-
ing al day, we having several hun
dred in camp. The natives are in
ten:ely loyal to us, giving every aid
and inf rmation. They scour the
country for Spanish sympath zers and
stone them to death when found I
tell you this is a glorious Island
and man with brains and money
could make a fortune on plantation.
The natives talk Spanish: some are
very ght, that is tn sc OF Spanish
blood, and very. pretty. A dollar of
cur money is worth 81 in Spanish.
Bananas are 25 cents per hun r I'd,
mangoes a Mt api ce, oranges yer :
cheap, but not r'pe. The island is
very mountainous and has plenty of
good water.
I'VE are still here at Ponce, and
no immediate prospects of moving
IN my last let er I had 50 much to
v rite that I forge everything, so
will try % give you some general
; ews. This climate is so different
from Wisconsin. There is no tw'-
light and it is dark from sunset
until sunrise tt earth is GOV d
with darkness until a few minutes
Def re sunrise. Then a almol co..
C1ed light appears in the east. The
sun rises above the hills and it's heat
!, rays are more intens2 than at nom
The evenings are very cool There
is only one drawback to sleeping out
Of doors that is, the dew is very
heavy and the ground is covered with
C ntipedes. Several men have b e1
t1tten by them, the pain is severe for
sveral hours, tie tie. however is no
fatal. The natives ere of two classes.
natives, resembling negroes, and
! tho-e Of Spanish extraction. The ma
tives ara vegetarians, living mostly
eli fruit The children up TO five
ye-rs run around naked. I suppose
that accounts f7r the color, being
eunburned in youth, which sticks
By them. Thsra is a little creek
west Of the camp, where the natives
GO their washing, in a style peculiar
to this country. They ave a trough
in which they wash the garments,
Tiece by piece. by hand, and pound
hem upon stones to drive out the
| Crit. Spanis1 volunteers are
rom ng in every day. signing a par
I It'll.