The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-10-12
WITH THE VOLUNTEERS.
Bits of Information Cleaned From a
Talk With the Boys.

A SIGNAL reporter inl erviewed q
number of the Idaho volunteers at
Boise and obtained many interesting
facts concerning the engagements
they were in and nature OF the coun-
try over in the Philippines. They
gave very good description OF the
islands, etc, but our limited space
this week will only permit us tn
mention some OF the most important
events and features of the country.
The Santa Ana engagement, the
first of the battles between our forces
and the insurgents, was the one in
which the First Idaho suffered their
heaviest loss. 1t was in this battle
that the brave, patriotic Major Nc
Conville, whose name will live in
Idaho history, laid down his life for
the country he loved, and now as
mark Of respect for that good officer,
The BOYS of his command all wear
McConvile button. A photograph
taken immediately after this battle
shows the Krupp guns captured from
he insurgents, then in the possession
of the Idaho soldiers, and this is con
elusive evidence that these guns were
captured by our brave boys, and not
by the Washingtons and Californians,
who claimed to have taken the guns
mentioned General King bears wit
ness to this fact The ldahos were
to have brought the guns back with
them, but before starting the order
was cuuntermanded
Among the photographs shown the
reporter was one, also taken shortly
after the Santa Ana battle, showing
one of the ldahos trenches full of
dead PHILIPPINES, 81 being laid out in
this rude trench where few hours
before our boys had been sleeping.
Next was photograph of block
house No IL, taken in the above
mentioned battle. few yards from
which Major McConville met his fate.
Many other photographs were shown
the reporter, all belonging to W. A.
Fulton of Co H.
The description of the bamboo
lhickets, rice marshes, and jungles
were especially interesting, as they
proved, us nothing else could, how
our brave boys had to wade through
mud and water, and then during the
intense heat Of the tropics had to
force their way through jungle that
would appear to most people here
as impossible.
Washington county boys all made
good records, and though none OF
them came back with commissions,
it was not because they did not de-
serve promotion. AS to "bravery in
action" and character, excellent OIL
their honorable discharge, their papers
bear unmistakable evidence.
There is some difference of opinion
among the Idaho volunteers in regard
to the PHILIPPINES. Some say they are
''nigeers, while others class them
with pirates. While some say that
we should keep the Philippines now
That we have them, or practically
have them, there are many who think
it was ill-advised, to say the least, to
cut the throat of young republic,
when only little over hundred
years ago We were doing as the Phil
pinos are today.
The Southern Pacific R'y Cos.
agents tried to work our boys for
berths in the sleeping cars the com
pany hauled them in, but it did not
go with the Idahos, and they rode in
sleepers just the same, for which the
state had paid
Jack Breen, formerly of the cruiser
Boston, who was with Dewey at the
Battle of Manila Bay, enlisted with
Co. H and fought with them during
the Insurgent campaign. His home
is in Boise.
Q @ @
Charley Galloway, one Of Weiser's
popular young men, who was with
Co. d, has the honor of being one out
OF about twenty in the entire regi-
ment who was never in the hospital
in the Philippines So much for
Weiser's healthfulness.
GENERAL NEWS.