Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-12

the arsenal and departed for the east
yesterday. Sergt. Bert Sears. Com
pany g. signal corps, also home ito
recuperate, prior. as he was told, to
being sent to Cuba. from Camp
, Meade, where he was ordered to re-
| port about Oct. l, was also surprised
| to receive instructions yesterday to
90 to Montauk Point. He leaves to-
i night. The boys are in a quandary
over the change in plans, the suspi-
cion having arisen that they may be
assigned to the Philippines or Hawaii,
but there is nothing official to Justify
this.
just Before Leaving.
! The ARGUS is in receipt of a letter
I; from Private Ed. Wagner, of Company
A, which is the latest that has come
from the boys preparatory to starting.
The letter is as follows:
Ponce, Porto Rico, Sept. I've are
I. about to leave for the states. We are
now in camp about two miles from
Ponce, the largest city on the south
ern coast of Porto Rico. We were
ordered here from UtuadO, n distance
/ of SO miles, to take transports for
home and are now awaiting patiently
the preparation of the Manitoba
and Seneca to transport US. We will
doubtless get away soon. This is a
beautiful country, fertile and with
fruit growing in abundance.
The finest cattle in the world
are raised here. The mountains are
full of copper, while granite of a fine
quality may readily be quarried.
The people, however, are without am
! bitiOn or life, and we will be glad to
get away from them and back to our
own country. | am feeling fine and
| in good health. The condition of the
entire Company a, in fact is first
class. having better record than any
in the 9th regiment. We have not
| lost man since leaving the, United
States and have no one who is sick,
except those suffering from minor
ailments, such as colds and sore feet.
Surely we have been very fortunate.
As to our fighting, most of it has
been at the mess tent-fghting for
grub. We have done considerable
outpost duty, but the hardest work is
on long marches. We came from
Ajuntas here through the mountains
distance of 20 miles in seven hours,
through mud and rain, and ford
here none the worse.
The officers have taken our orders
for new uniforms. 1 think we need
them. We all look like lot of
tramps, as orders have not been is
sued for any clothing since we left
Camp Alger, and we are sorely in
need of clothes. We expect to he
home before very long, but look out
for a gang of Weary Willies'' when
we do get there. Ed WAGNER.
A number of letters from others of
the company have been received by
relatives of members of the company.
Sergt... Bob McConochie in a letter
to his folks, tells how the company
cook, Nelson. narrowly escaped
drowning while on the march, being
rescued by two of the boys in the
nick of time.
Tanner Musters Out.
An order was promulgated by Gov.
Tanner Saturday mastering out of
the Illinois National Guard all those |
mem bers of the 1st, I'd, Sd, 4th, 9TH |
9th and 9Th regiments of infantry and |
of the 9th battalion, who were not |
mustered into the service of the |
United States; also those members of |
the cavalry fbattalions, headquarters |
battery, signal troops and officers of |
the medical department, except three |
assistant surgeon generals who are
in the government service. The or
der does not apply to national guards
men in the United States service, who |
were granted an indefinite leave of
absense from the state service when
thew volunteered. The only Illinois |
national guardsmen remaining eX-I
cept those in the field, are the 1st
and I'd brigade commanders and their
stats, Battery B, of Galesburg, the
engineer corps, three assistant sur
geon generals and the naval militia
men.
Death of Private John Schroeder.
Private John Schroeder, of Com
pany B. 50th Iowa, died of typhoid |
fever at Jacksonville, Fla, Saturday |
night. Although it was known he
was i'll, his relatives had been buOyed /
up by the cheering information from
time to time that his condition was
not serious; hence telegram received
at the home of III. n. Lienhard, where
the parents are at the bedside of their
other sick soldier boy, Edward
Schroeder, also member of Com
pany Il. announcing the demise of
their son at Jacksonville, came as a
great shock, and it was feared would
result seriously to the mother. John
was born in 1875 in Daven-
port township. He was big, husky.
strong, young man, the picture of
health. when, with his brother, he
enlisted at the outbreak of the war
His homo was on tho Jersey RIDGE | Z
road about five miles from Daven-
port. He is survived by his parents,
MIR. and Mrs. Louis Schroeder, four
brothers and two sisters. the latter,
Mrs III. y. Lienhard and Miss Emma
residing in Rock Island.
Mayor Baker, of Davenport, acting