The Dickinson press., 1898-10-01

everywhere where they could fnd i
place g lie These churches are grand
inside and must have cost millions, and
the question IS where did the money
come from7 was through the Palace
where the Governor General lived. This
is Q occupied by Gen. Merritt. OF.
course the city is under martial law.
The soldiers do all police duty and guard
all over the cityeand around the city. If.
the natives do not bother us any Q
the work will not be so hard. The eli
mate is hot and wei now. Itrainsnearly
constantly. Talk about being wet; we.
have not been dry until todayfor 2weeks,
no change of cloths, dirt, mud and filth.
The daysof the battle and day before and
after we waded through mud. marshes,
Dogs. ETC., waist deep. | laid in water
up to my sides a whole night; did not
have my shoes off for S nights. Talk Of
q dirty set of men, here they are to be
seen; some with torn clothes from. some
dead Spaniard. l rustled a pair o pants
and a kind of coat; and God knows this
is not all. Hunger. hunger, for seven
days We got very little to eat. "A few
crackers and a spoonful of canned.
salmon inl48 hours with a little coffee.
You may talk Of hardslips; ewo had it for a
week or so-from tho 10th to tho 18th. For
three days We got no bread or bareback, only a
little rice and n soup madc of tho rinds Of bacon
mill, naf;yn .u;onr yrx~-s..nE...,I
drink only when boiled. Of course where wo
catch rain water off tho houses we drink it. If
we drink the water from tho native wells .r
wntcr holes it nearly kills us, for it is as bal u
q hand full of pills. Tho fruit is nearly all gone,
for there has been a grent scarcity of food. The
bananas and cocoa nuts are green and wilted.
Neat IL not to DO had. Tho natives eat dogs
and dead horses and water OK. The Spanish
soldiers ate all tho street car horses. Tho horses
here are little ponies-do NOT amount 10 any
thing, -four costs $3.50 in Mexican money per
100 lbs., SO you can julgo the pric ,of fool. To-
bacco is very cheap, you can buy tho best Ma
Mia tciRara for two native cents or coppers,
Spanish cigarotts 1c. per pack. Clothing is
cheap. all business houses havc been closed IN
of late, but will DO opened now, and business
will BIO resumed The chips will bring in food,
since the docks nre opened again.
Well, R. j., our boys all wish themselves back
in N. D. since they have emclled powder, and
laid around in the mud and had nothing to eat.
i would BIO glad il l had to eat what you folks
throw in the swil pail. This sound. strange but
it is true. Officers and all fare alike. The mon
look thin and poor, you would hardly know
some of them. I have a four weeks growth of
beard on me. Wash! why if I wash once in
two days its plenty, but we do baitlie in the
bay nearly every day when not on duty. We are
tquartered near the bay now in ono of tho Span
ish barracks. We get "a hours rest, then 4s
hours duty. Do not know how long this will
last. hope they will settle matters soon and
take US back to the American coil. Vol, 1 must
bring my letter to a close. I hid a letter from
Vivian to-day. It was written in June. will
answer it when I got time. Our Gladstone boys
are all well at present, a little disfgnred, but
still in the ring to fight. Give my best wishes
o all my friends and brothers, especially in tho
Turner family.
From your friend in L.. B. & c.,
A. w. LINK.
Co. Z, 1tt N. D. Vol,
With Gen. Herritt's Army,
Manila, Philippine Islands.