Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-07-13
UNCENSORED LETTERS
What the Boys in the Philippines
Write Home.
The Service Required of Them Almost
Breaks Their Hearts Gray
Haired Men md Women Arc
Wounded.
[From the Nebraska independently

The Dakota Ruralist publishes eX-
tracts from number of uncensored
letters from soldiers of that State vino
are serving i'll the Philippines, from
which the following extracts are
printed:
Dick BirlShcven, OF the South Dakota
Regiment. from Malolos, writes Il
friend in Walworth county in IL letter
published in the Bangor News, JuEe
l. in which he says:
George. L think it is n shame the
way We are killing off these poor mig
gers who are fighting for Il just cause.
They are lighting for liberty and
don't blame them a bit for lighting
This trouble with the l'ilpinos C iuld
very easily have been avoided. They
nave been fighting FOR liberty for the
past ten years, and OH 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 al
lowed 10 iicat their own flag. They are
JUST as proud Of their flag as we are OF
ours. Their flag looks very pretty. as
II Is red white and blue, with three
stars and the rising sun on il. They
are iiEhiing for Il just cause and are
not going 10 give UP right away"
THINK THEY ARE RISGHT."
Orfnon Ashon, with the Sou II Da-
Sota boys. writes his father at How
ard: Il fee! sorry for these poor devils.
They think that they ale right"
ALMOST BROKE OUR HEARTS,"
Private SandersOn writes the Fland-
reau iierald, in Il letter published in
June:
THE South Dakota Regiment was on
firing line all the time from the first
iiSht We mad until we reached MaloloS.
about ten battles. and we had our old
SprnSields. while there was n lot OF
regulars behind us with modern rifles
IL looked kind of ridiculous and more
So because there are II 600 [rags boxed
IN III Wall city. but Of course we must
either keep our mouths shut or else say
that our government and army officials
are the Wiscst and most just men that
ever lived. But must say word about
the country here before ! close Most of
MS boys carried the idea that the coun-
try around Manila was as good as any
in the island. and that the people in
| and around the city were the most in
tenigcn, and civilized Of the Fiipinos.
our trip. however. convinced us that
everything was the opposite. The fur
Their we got away from Manila the nicer
the country was and better cultivated.
everything looking more civilized. We
seldom went through Il house without
finding MOI or less reading matter
! there. which tends TO prove that n
I good share OF them con read. 4 great
many of the farm houses are surround
ed with nice gardens fun of vegetables
and bananas and other fruit there
! There was plenty OF rice wherever we
went. I do not believe that there is n
people anywhere living IN a tropical
/ climtac who are more intelligent and
industrious than tho l''lp'nos. and t.
I almost breaks our hearts that we have
10 fight them.
"ENTERED FOR a BETTER PUR-
POSE"
Il Was over and had 4 chat with some
| Nebraska lads last night. Lots Of them
say they Will not go another step if
they are ordered 10 Advance They en-
listed FOR Il better purpose than TO be
used as numbering tools They also
agreed on the point that if every com
lnissloned officers pay had been only a
| little above the Drivates there would
I never have been n shot fired on these
islands They also thought that 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 100. 600 innocent men. women
and children fleeing like n lot of sacred
rabbits in front of us. When ! came
! up | saw several gray haired men and
women wounded. ! suppose they were
unable To keep up with the rest, there
/ fore got within range OF our bullets.
/ The Filipino homes were looted and lots
| Of them burned There was an order
issued against ii once, but never saw
/ 1t enforced"
THE WAR FOR CHRISTIANITY.
Private Charles Il. Bates writes the
/ Marshall Minn) Leader as follows:
There is perhaps in this world no
sadder Sight than a desecrated church,
| and here the sight is before our eyes.
! The affairs are overturned, the images
| Of the saints shattered and scattered.
/ and every particle of value stripped
from the sacred ediiice. AS we came in
/ sailor was beheading John the Bap>
/ fist with handsaw, while another
tried To separate the head of 4 cherub
from group of the holy family. Be-
| sides these shattered figures of the
! saints there was nothing in the church.
| Even the confessionals had been strip
! ped of their carvings. The very paving
had been torn from the floor beneath
and searched for hidden treasures"
AN ANTI-EXPANSION
| Dick Mills writes from Manila in a
letter published last week in the
| Howard Democrat:
! II hope they will let us go home
/ when they (the reguiars) get here, as
/ they said they intended to do. but
hardly think Ven leave here for some
time, as the United States seems bent
| on holding the islands i'm spite of all
| the Kicking the natives do.
II suppose you know by this time
that am an anti-eXpansonist."
MANY SICK.
Major Howard writes. in a letter
published last week in the Aberdeen
| News. that only four hundred men fit
| for duty are left for the regiment
! Captain Englesby writes the Water
| town Kampeskian of last week that
only ten men are left in Company II fit
| for duty. The correspondent OF Elan
| dreau~H erald, writing from the trenches
! at Calumpit, in a letter published last
week, says only eighteen men are left