The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-21
BURIED IN BLANKETS
Rough Rider.Describes Funer-
al Of Brave Roy Cashion.
DEAD LIE IN DEEP ROWS
How the Country Around
Siboney Looks.

Miss Gurley Rhodes Of 437 North Fourth
avenue has received a letter from her
brother. John D. Rhodes, member of
company D, Rooseve!t's Rough Riders.
The letter is dated Siboney. Cuba, Septem-
Der 2. MI Rhoades enlisted from Hennes-
sey with Roy Cashion- He gives graphic
description of the burial of Cashion and
be remembered as the Rough Rider who
was arrested for escaping from the hOspi-
tel after being wounded and joining again
in the hght.
He says he can stand the fighting but
never could again help to bury his dead
soldier brothers. Describing the country.
he says:
The mountains are covered with grass
and the valley grown with tropical plants
till it is almost inlpen etrable. This part
of the island is not cultivated and has
few wild plants. There are lots of man
goes and lines and some oranges, but the
oranges are not good, having a very fat
taste. Pineapples and cocoanuts are
abundant. 1 saw one cocoanut grove ten
miles long and mile wide. The cocoanut
trees are everywhere, even on top of the
mountains, but scattering and not in
groves. I can't imagine how the seeds
could nave gotten up there but found
them wherever l went. Tue pineapple
grows on the side of the mountain and
the lines in the valley. The lines are
small. but make good lemonade il one
uses enough Of them, 1t taking from two
TO four to make a good strong lemonade.
There are a number of iron mines here
and they have already commenced work
and every few hours train loads of ore
goes past here to Santiago.
1--WE have no news mere and know
practically nothing of what has happened
IN the outside world since landed hero.
There has been a rumor here that peace
is declared but we don't kn1w whether
1t is so, or not.
''My regiment has been sent to the
states and hear they are mustered out
If it is so, 1 viii be given my discharge
as soon as I am released from quarantine
at New York. If they are not mustered
out 1 will be sent to retoin them.
II hope the war is over, as the pros
poets of a campaign against Havana is
not pleasing to me for I haven't sense
enough to keep out of danger, and if any
troops go my regiment will be sure TO be
there for we made too good a fighting
record to be left out when the fighting is
going on. am one of the only two who
received honorable mention in the report
of the battle. General Woods was kind
enough to give me honorable mention
for bravery on the field of battle and
I am told by old soldiers that 1 am en-
titled to and will receive gold medal
That is quite a distinction to be singled
out among so many brave men, for while
we were in many tight places not a man
fmched nor held back in the desperate
charge we made unless sent to the earth
by a Spanish bullet.
Roy Cashion, who enlisted with me
from Hennessey, was killed on the first
Of July. There were only two from Hen
nessey, and I must return alone. I have
mis- watch which I am taking back to his
parents. He was only boy of Is and 1t
must be very sad for his parents TO lose
him. never realized, until was burying
him, what war meant, but as 1 looked
down into his young face for the last
time and thought of his parents and
brother and sister mourning for him,
thought of him sleeping in a foreign soil,
wrapped in his blankets( a soldiers cof-
fin my heart turned cold in me. thought
of all the dead SpaniardS as well as Amer
leans, and thought that for each and
every one there would be some one who
loved them in mourning. I turned away
to hide my tears and wondered why such
things need be. Afterward 1 saw the
dead as they were being buried were
bloated beyond ali recognition. I saw
them piled five and six deep in the
trenches and it filled me with horror. I
never want to see another battle. If 1
do 1 shall plead sick Immediately after
ward so as to escape helping bury the
dead, for many of the bodies are so nor
rible that once seen can never be forgot
ten.
''I am tired and must close but viii
write you again from New York
JOHN D. RHOADES,
"CSo d RooSeVelt's Rough Riders"