The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-01-06


sugar, cheese and canned apricots, but we
bought the cheese and fruit ourselves. This
morning we had couple of boiled eggs,
rice. coffee and bread besides what we
bought. The commissary issued US some
hams, cheese and other stuff this MOI uing.
We get fresh beef about three times week;
are supposed to get 1t Eve times. Guess
some one Is getting rake Of. We get no
fruit of any kind except what we buy. The
cheese they issued today Is to take tho
place of rice of which we have been getting
plenty. We also get dessicated potatoes
which are bad and dessicated onions which
are worse. but take everything together We
are doing very we'll. just sent our ''Au-
chachor boy down town to buy, some stun.
He can buy stun cheaper than we can; they
always hold us up for about Is much again
as thing Is worth.
We are going to have regimental review
this afternoon out on what Is called the
Luneta about two miles from here. The
last time We were out we got q good soak
ing and 1t looks little like 1t now. viii
quit now and get ready to 20 and will tell
you about 1t when get back.
9p. m. Well, will write few lines
more as we got back from our review all
right We were gone about three hours.
1t didn't rain and was cool for this place.
We had very fine review, they say the
best ever given here by any regiment. l
guess Colorado is all right yet; we still have
the largest number OF men for duty Of any
regiment here, aud G Co. has the largest
number of any company In the regiment.
1t is raining pretty good just now. The
boys In the next room are having hot time;
they have violin and guitar and are hav-
ing stag dance. have to 90 out In the
morning for twenty-fou hours duty at
Bilsbo, the penitentiary; they have only
about 1, 100 prisoners there now, had 5000
when we came here. / have never been
out there on duty so don't know anything
about the place; was In the place once to
get one of our boys out who had got drunk
and when arrested claimed to be a private
citizen. He says the next time he will be
soldier. Well. will close for now. Will
write more about the place tomorrow or
Saturday.
Nov 12, Ga. m.
Well just got back from the penitentiary
and have had fine time of it. 1t was rain
ing when we started yesterday morning and
is still at it; has kept 1t up steady. Not one
of your gentle spring time rains but one of
these that lets go all halts. + wish you
could have seen us when we got in. We
went out with our white uniforms all nice
and clean and now mine is the color of ink.
The water soaked through my poncho and
fixed things proper. l am tired this morn
ing as l was the only Sergt. out, so had
everything to look after. A Lieut.. was
with me, but he went to town and told me
to run things to suit myself and guess l
did. l had sixty guards with me that had
to post; had to look after the American
prisoners. Sent out guards with prisoners
to do work which had to be done, and about
a thousand other things. 1 lay down at
8 to go out to our out post to see what was
the matter that they were not calling the
hour. They said they couldn't hear the
call from the Inside. One OF the prisoners
died during the night and we had to rustic
some candles and cigarettes for them to
hold wake as they are all Catholics.
There are only 1000 prisoners there now
In both parts, one part being the penitenti-
airy and the other is the same as county
Jail or rather city prison. The native
prisoners make. bamboo beds and chairs
fancy baskets, silver spoons and rings out
of the horn of the water buffalo. Some of
the rings are very nice, being, inlaid with
mother Of pearl was talking with one
prisoner who had sentence of one hundred
years, but was cut down to twenty just
before we got In the city. The Spaniards
had thirty.fve prisoners to straDgle (the
way of execution here) but could get no one
to do 1t so told him they would cut him to
twenty years If Ne would do it. He took
them up and executed them out In the pub
lie square. He showed me the machine he
used. 1t is very simple but l couldn't des-
cribe 1t to you. Well must close as must
gel, this to the post Office In half an hour,
One of our boys got discharge and starts
for home today; wish 1t was ], still can't
say as dislike army life when there is any.
thing to do. You needn't be afraid of my
bringing home any dusky maiden, although
some of them are very pretty, especially the
Mestezoes or half-cast Spanish and native
who are as general thing very handsome.
am we'll acquainted with three of them,
their names being Victoria, Fannie and
Amelia Abad Amelia ia seventeen and