The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-01-26

deep. There are onlya few schools
-Catholic-but not much besides
Spanish history and the catechism is
taught. They manufacture a great
quantity of cigars and tobaccos here;
in one factory there are $500 en-
ployees, at wages 20 cents per day,
our money, dos pesetas Spanish. The
whole island is covered by enormous
land grants, generally to some big |
gun in Spain, and has been generally
explored. | was at Philippine
dance the other evening. 1t was
comical to see our boys dancing with
the native girls when they could not
understand word their partners said
1t is queer to see the natives build q
house They build the roof first and
after raising it to the height required
then fill in the sides, doors, etc. The
better class of people cook in a kind
of stone stove, while the poorer peo-
pie cook in small pots, suspended
over small stone vesseles in which
they build their fire. Fuel is scarce
and is carefully economical A cord
of wood will last a Filipino year.
Dec. 2.-I send you some Xmas
cards, views of Manila and Philip
pine life. 1t generally rains here
about eight days in the week and we
are very tired of it. l hope to be
able to take a trip into the interior;
there is said to be 5000 acres of good
ebony timber on crown lands there.
1t is pity fellow can't get hold of
some of it, can't realize that this
is December and that you have snow
at home This is comparatively a
new country, because the Spanish
have never developed anything, still
wouldn't advise anyone to come
here unless they had some money.
Dec 5.-There is some talk Of our
going to Iloilo, a town of nearly
300 inhabitants 800 miles south of
here, 500 by steamer, but | don't
think any volunteers will be sent
there. We notice that the pictures
and accounts of the charge at Malate
don't give our battalion any credit.
They simply say one battalion of in
fantry pulled the guns, etc instead
of designating it as the 2nd battalion
Idaho volunteers. The favorte sport
of the Filippinos is cock fighting !;
every Sunday there must be over 100
roosters killed in the pit, generally
both birds are killed, the onlookers
wagering everything they have Or can
afford on the result.
Dec. 1--we haven't received the
long expected boxes yet A good
many of the boys have put in appli-
cations for discharge, but believe
we will be on our road home by the
time the applications goes to Wash
ington and passes through about so
officers hands. If one had Il good
excuse q discharge can be obtained
here, but no transportation allowance.
The rainy season is over and it has
been lovely weather for a few days
past. Yesterday the Minnesotas re-
ceived notice that they were going
home in sixty days; in little while
they were marching round town,
dressed in any old thing and carrying
shovels, brooms and rakes, they were
elated over the news On the night
of the l lth inst we had false alarm
and turned out to find Washington
volunteer on outpost duty had fired
| ut q shadow If he had been vet
eran, such as any of our boys, he
wouldn't fire at shadows We have
plenty of rumors of our going home
The California and Colorado boys
have February set for their leave
Y taking. The Astor Battery leave
G today.
: In one of his letters Woody gives
the following valuable information OF
Ed Harper: 1.-The Filipino girls
who hang around the kitchen here,
call us ladrones, which means theft
its bad name, but l can stand it.
e Ed Harper is liable to not come back
A Filipino girl here wants to marry
him. Yesterday the girls brother
asked Ed to marry his sister ant
t take her to America with him. "