Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-08-04
ers Received show That All Are AS
Yet Well and safe.

tfN heCelNeu SHOW All Aht ~
Yet Well and safe.
uring the past week number of
ers have been received from the
in Cuba by their parents here and
ir hearts have been gladdened by
looked for news which tells them
in dear ones escaped Spanish bullets
as yet are free from sickness.
ID Rummler writes that he came
ough tie battle all right and that
met Wood Jackson's brother, Char
on the field. He is one of the
ugh Riders from Illinois. Fred
R.nks if he can get back to Michigan
will be content to stay here. Char
Joslin has received several letters
Dm his son and the following from
)yal Palmer we publish:
SIBoNEY, CUBA, July II, '9S.
IDEAR FATHER AND MOTHER:-I
Iould have written before but hadn't
~ paper and it is hard work to Dor
W any OF the boys as it is scarce
ticle. The night of the big battle,
|lly |, at Santiago, at 10 o'clock, we
# Siboney and marched Is miles, got
the foot of the hills on which our
file pits are located at daylight and
id there four days. The bullets and
lells whizzed rather close to our
eads until Sunday noon, July 3, when
ne flag of truce went up and there
'as no more firing until Sunday, July
0, about o'clock. The flag went up
he next day at noon and there was no
more firing until today about noon,
mt it didn't last more than an hour or
o when we heard the city had sur
We doubt if it be true-we
ave heard the report SO many times
We were awakened about 10 o'clock
saturday night, July ,, by the crack
ng of rifles and were ordered to get
nto the rifle pits at once as the Span
ards were charging on our lines, but
then we reached the top of the hill
he boys in the pits had driven them
ack without the loss Of a man, while
he Spaniards lost about 800 men.
We, Companies | and L., were or
ered to Skaters headquarters to
-uard the Commisary and do outpost
uty, and were there about week.
his morning we were ordered about
i've miles to the rear to help build
ridges and roads and do outpost duty
IS we are on the pioneer corps. We
viii probably not see any fighting as
hey will not allow US in the pits with
springfield rifles as the smoke gives
ur position away.
1t is terrible muddy here, as it rains
very day. A 8-inch gun with twenty
mules hitched to it got stuck in the
aud near here yesterday, the mud was
rub deep. After an hours rain the
water will be one or two feet deep in
he roads and small creeks will roar
ike a large river, and in another hour
hey will appear the same as ever.
We have first class water and it is
plentiful, but warm. There are sixteen
.inds of ripe fruit at present, of which
We eat rather sparingly 50 it will not
lurt us.
We think VIM. Alden Smith couldn t
ave seen many Cubans or he wouldn' I
,e in favor of freeing them, as those
We have seen are the worst kind OF
hieves. Brains seem to be scarce
.rticle among them, but their officers
.ppear exceptionally bright. Every
me is Disguised with freeing them and
late them more than they do the
and think we will have to
lean them out after we get through
With Spain. We spent the Fourth this
ear somewhat different from previous
ears as we had nothing at all to eat
N that day, but we are getting used
o it as we live on one-fourth rations
III the time. Your afTectionate son,
ROYAL.