Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-11-17
CAVITE AND ITS PEOPLE.
AS Seen by a South Dakota School
Master.

AS Seen by a South Dakota School
Master.
Captain F. w Medbery of the LIST
South Dakota United States volun-
teers, who was principal of the Rapid
City schools and is a graduate of the
state university at Vermillion, writes
an interesting letter from Cavite, Phil
ippine Islands. He says, in part:
ct would not take anyone from
South Dakota very long to conclude
that the summer season is still on
here if he should be suddenly dropped
down at Manila. We do no drilling
after a. ~, nor before p. m. and
from to 5:45 p. m. Of course, the
guards are on duty all day, the cooks
must prepare dinner, and there is
little fatigue work to be done, but
generally people keep in the shade
during the middle part of the day
For all this, l believe we are in a
wonderfully healthful place. There
are no great marshes around Cavite
as there are around, Manila. The city
is situated on little peninsula, with
ing it with the island proper. 1t is
a walled city, the Notifications being
really wonderful and most advantage
ously located. In the eastern ex-
tremity is Cavite arsenal. A strong
wall separates this from the rest of
the city. 1t contains the shops, store
houses and large storehouses of am
munition and guns. Our enclosure is
lined inside with great cannons, some
being OF brass, none of which appear
ever to have been used. Cannon balls
are so plentiful that they are used
for building up platforms on which to
mount large guns. Hundreds of tons
| of these balls now lie in long rows
| bordering the walls and drives, and
the western extremity is another great
wall serving to protect the city from
land attacks. Here are situated me
guardhouse and the gate. They are
now held by insurgents, who seem in
clined to be friendly, especially since
their numbers are few, Aguinaldo's
forces being several miles to the
| southwark. Between these two great
walls lie the markets and the
churches. The former are such as
one sees everywhere except that in
many cases the stock in the stores
will not exceed SIS. The church is
the thing about which interest CEN
ters here. 1t represents the mission
airy, the warrior, the tyrant. Of the
first I shall not speak, for 1 can say
nothing good. Or the second, the wall
OF the church is a part of the outer
wall Of the city. Of the last, the long
rows Of prison cells, the dungeons
found all along under the city walls,
the little rooms with barred doors.
heavily grated windows, little pulleys
hanging from the rough ceiling, and
links of chain lying about, are all too
suggestive of bad government. There
are three large churches in the city,
in one of which the second and third
battalions Of the LIST South Dakota
volunteers are quartered We use
only the second floor for quarters,
the first serving for storerooms, cook
house, etc. The chapel proper is used
only by the band now, except on Sun
days. From what remains, one can
see that in it's time it must have been
splendid. 1t was built about 300 years
ago. The natives seem to be a very
inferior race. They are small and Just
fairly Intelligent. All use tobacco
men, women and children. | can see
a woman smoke a cigarette with no
great sense Of wrong, but when she
pushes half of big cigar against
one cheek and, with her basket of
bananas on her head and nothing on
OF d1strust in the speedy elevation of
the people. They live in houses that
are raised from the ground on bamboo
posts. Roofs are matched and wind
oWs barred. No one sleeps on the
ground floor here for various rea-
sons. The ground is always wet be-
Ing nearly on level with and very
near the ocean. 1t would please
South Dakota people to see the horses
here. The largest weigh, perhaps, |
900 or 700 pounds. Nearly all we
see are driven single before carts, and
they are not larger than the smallest |
ponies at home. 1t is needless to saw
that our officers are not mounted. |
Inc only things here resembling cat
tie are the water buffalo These are
about as clumsy as the oxen at home,
and their long, black horns, sloping
back over their shoulders, give them
a peculiar appearance But we ex-
pect that, for everything is new"