West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1898-12-08
IN PORTO RICO.
Interesting Information About The
People and Places Of That Beau
tifGl Island Of tbs Sea.
One Of Oar Soldier Boys Writes Up
His Trip with the Hospital Corps
Incur Army oflnVasiOn

~~' SNlFRNS Nta sun "a
list.
While the pride OF CASTLE has been
hunbied aud Spain now gcUvels at our
feet while the greatest trinmphs ia
the annals OF history have crowasd the
efforts OF QUE brave sailors and soldiers
and we stand to-day, masters OF our
fallen foe, and even while the election
is over and our defeated candidates are
sleeping in their political graves, we
might take ur the old subject OF camp
life" aud say a few things about tho
Porto Rican campaign that would make
reading for your patrons. We hesitate
to tell our experience ia the army and
the Porto Rican campaign, as some of
our correspondents and soldiers have
told shocking tales OF the i'll treatment
at the hands of officers and the in
habitants, of scanty supplies, the
worst state OF dolor, starvation and
describe the island as, without roads,
a rough, hilly and uucultivated do
main. the climate hot and unhealthy
aud fit only as a rendezvous for illit.
crate, uncivilized negros aud Spanish
halfbreeds, while others speak IN the
opposite. We guess this is because
some saw the good side, cthers the bad
side, as most things have at least two
sides. But we must have been one
who saw both.
It was al enthusiastic crowd that
left Newport News on the Steam Ship
Massachusetts,, last Juty, We never
saw or heard such expressions OF Joy
as we did on board the Steam Ship
sighted the Jersey coast We had
aboard some three hundred GONZALES
cent soldiers from Guayamo, Ponce
and MayRguez, Porto Rico and Satiago
de Cuba They had experienced many
of the unpleasant features of war, had
suffered with every stage of fever and
disease. Their mirth increased as we
passed Highland Beach aud took on
board our pilot at Sandy Hook 1t
only reached its zenith when we had
passed quarantine, Staten Island,
whes we had plOughed beneath the
statue OF Liberty, holding in its out
stretched hand, 800 feet above the
harbor its brilliant electric light, en-
tightening liberty TO the world and at
last tied UP TO good old American
post on Brooklyn side The humorous
remarks and funny sayings OF our
fellow comrades that dly were many.
They would have made "A horse laugh
or tickled the stubbornest mule. They
saug the funniest songs they knew aud
the homesickening chorus of Home
Sweet Home. Had we been blind we
would have never dreampt that such
lnerriment and unique expressions
were coming from walking skeletons
who had so recently been raving fever
hospitals.
At early morn we found ourself MAX
ing our way up one of the streets in
Brooklyn with member of the 1Ith
Infantry, hunting restaurant for
breakfast and a barber for a hair
dressing and shave. We had scarcely
struck the paved streets, however, tin
we were followed by such a crowd and
we wondered IL those people had mis-
took us for some newly discovered
animals from the wilds of south Amer
lea or calithumpian parade. Men,
boys and women greeted us and young
girls came bareheaded in:o the street
put their fair hands upon our shoulders
their slender arms around our neck
and try 70 pull the buttons from our
blouse. They asked II we had plenty
to eat In Porto Rico, IL IL vas hot down
there IL we didn't tan and nearly burn
up, II we had 10 eat hard-tsck, II we
had sugar and cream in our coffee
what kind Of stuff that corped bsef
was the soldiers talked about IL we
saw any Spaniards, aud what we
thought Of the Porto Rican girls IL we
slept on the ground, aad one old col.
lege Prof with mis- cane, long tailed
coat, untrimmed hair and silk hat
questioned MS ill ne bad a full history
Of our life from the day we were born
aud as I've looked at his watch and
asked IL we had COWS milk 20 drink in
Porto Rico. started with a rush, saying
he was bound to 20, that he was sorry
to leave, just as though hs we're slight
ing or disappointing gs.
compared with the natives, we had
plenty % eat. As they, except those
fused up in g" live on what they can
pail from the bushes, you would sson
Vhtnk that wasn't much
IT is certainly warm down t&sre.
The chi'dren from infants TO twelve
and htteen years old mostly 20 naked.
They spend great doal of time in the
civer, like 50 many fish.
We ate bareback when we could get
them. We couldn't always get them.
When We bad sugar aud cream in opr
coffee II was at our own expense
There we're times when moving we
didn't have coffee We becalae thor.
oughly acquainted with that stun thew
called cerned beef but will not st.
tesDpt To descubs H. The labels on
snrne ~ fhn GA ua a. oro tr,e~t.o1 .sp..f.-