The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-20

What the Boys in the Philippine
Write Home-some War Incidents.
Nebraska IndependenU.
The Dakota Ruralist publishes ex-
tracts from number Of uncensoreC
letters from soldiers of that State
who are serving in the Philippines
from which the following extracts
aie printed.
Dick Birkhovep of the South Dako
ia Regiment, from Malolos writes 8
friend in Walworth county in a letter
published in the Bangor News, June
/, in which he says:
George, think it is a shame the
way we are killing off these poor mig
gers who are fighting for 3 just
cause. They are fighting for liberty
and | don't blame them bit for
lighting.
This trouble with the Filipinos
could very easily have been avoided.
They have been fighting for liberty
for the past ten years, and on the
18th day Of last August, when they
helped Dewey whip the Spaniards,
they had no idea the Americans
would grab their little islands and
that they would not be allowed to
hoat their own llsg. They are just
AS proud of their flag as we are of
ours. Their flag looks very pretty,
as it red, white and blue, with
three stars and the rising sun on it,.
They are fighting for just cause
and are not going to give up right
away
ALMOST BROKE OUR HEARTS ~
PivA Q Sanders on writes the Flsnd-
reau H,rsld, in letter published 10
June
"Ths South Dakota Regiment was
on firing line all the time from the
frat fight we had until we
reached M,lolos, about ten battles,
and we had our old SpringAelds,
while there was lot Of regulars be
hind Us with modern rifles. lt look
ed kind Of rdicul1us End more 50,
because there are 10, 900 KrsgS box
ed up in Wall city, but of course we
either keep our mouths shut or else
say that our government and army
officials are the wisest and most just
men that eyer lived. But | must say
q word about the county here before
| close. Most of our boys carried
the idea that the country around
Manila was as good as any in the is
land, and that the people in and
around the city were the most intel
ligent and civilized Of the FilIpinos.
Our trip, however, convinced US that
everything was the opposite. The
further we got away from Manila the
nicer the country was and better cul-
tivated, everything looked more civ
Lied. We seldom went through q
house without finding more or less
reading matter there, which tends to
prove that good share of them can
read. a great many farm houses are
surrounded with nice gardens full of
vegetables and bananas and other
fruit there. There was plenty OF
rice wherever we went. do not be.
lieve that there is people anywhere
living in tropical climate who are
more intelligent and industrious than
the Filipinos,, and it almost breaks
our hearts that we have to fight
them.
"ENTERED FOR A BETTER PURPOSE"
81 was over and had a chat with
some Nebraska lads last night. Lots
Of them say they will not go another
step if they are ordered to advance
They enlisted for better purpose
than to be used as numbering tools.
They also agreed on the point that
if every commissioned officers pay
had been only little above the pri
Yates there would never have been a
shot fred on these islands. They also
thought the war would not last very
long if every American voter could
only be here and see what we see.
There must have been about lO0, 900
innocent men, women and children
fleeing like lot Of scared rabbits
in front of US. When came up saw
severel gray haired men and women
wounded. | suppose they were un-
able to keep up with the rest, there
fore, got in range os our bullets. The
Filipino homes we're looted and lots
of them burned. There was an or
der issued against it once, but |
never saw it enforced"
THE WAR FOR CHRISTIANITY.
Private Charles f Bate writes the
Marshall MINI } Ledger as follows;
"There is perhaps in this world no
sadder sight than desecated church
and here the sight is before our
eyes. The altars are overturned the
images of the saints shattered and
scattered, and every particle of val
ue stripped from the sacred edi6ce.
AS we came in sailor was behead-
Iug J hu the Baptist with a hand
saw. while another tried to separate
the head of ekerub from a group of
the holy family. Besides these shat
tered figures of the saints there was
nothing in the church. Even the
confessionals had Seen stripped of
their carvings. The very paving
had been torn from the floor beneath
and searched for hidden treasure.
AN ANTI ExPANsIoNIsT.
Dick Mills writes from Manila in a
letter published last week in the
Howard Democrat:
81 hope they will let US 90 home
when they (the regulars get here, as
they said they intended to do but
hardly think we'll leave here for
some time, as the United States
seems bent on holding the islands iu
spite Of all the kicking the natives
do.
81 suppose you know by this time