The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1899-07-21
A MANILA LETTER.
Brave Oregon Boy Who Has Been q
Conspicuous Target for Filipino


Bullets.
Hon. X. /. Hibbard Of this county re-
cecived following letter from Manila, of
date May 10Th, from his nephew
Walter Perkins in the Washington reg
iment:
WALTER PERIN,s LETTER.
Your very kind letter has been received
and must beg your pardon attempting to
write my reply with led pencil.
The heat down here is terrible just
now, May being generally the warmest
month in the year.
Our regiment has beenconstantly on the
line since the commencement Of hostil-
tiles and the hardships they have under
gone have been terrible, being blistered
by the rays OF tropical sun during the
day and after being drenched TO the skin
by rain, while lying in the trenches at
night, are nothing pleasant, | assure
| you.
The hospitals are filed with sick,
many being overcome by the heat.
The authorities are doing all they
can i'm their power 10 prevent any news
as 20 the condition OF things over here
from reaching the states, for fear the
people would demand the return of the
volunteers. All those reports now cur
in the states about the volunteers want
ing 10 re-inlist are purposly misleading.
Not one half OF one percent could be in
duced TO remain here for five times the
$500, bounty the government has offered.
The volunteers have been doing all
the active fighting, while the regulars
have invariably been held in reserve, or
for interior guard. Now these men, who
often against their honest convictions
Of what is right, have fought with cour-
ageous zeal for their country, never excell-
ed in the annals of American warfare say
that the war with Spain, for which they
left their homes and the civil walks OF
! life is now over and their contract with
the United States now terminates.
There has been no general engagement
with the enemy since the big battle on
January, 5th., though we have had nu-
merous skermishes with them. Since
they have discovered they could not
force the American lines, they have re-
sorted TO gurrilla warfare, their favortite
tactics being 10 venture down out OF the
mountains at night and attack our out
posts, returning at day break. In one
OF these skirmishes, near the fist OF
Of April we had captain killed, one OF
the most popular officers in the regi-
ment. Up to date my company has
lost five men killed and four wounded.
Though my work has been such as
10 spare me from many OF the hardships
of the campaign, | have often been a
conspicous target for sharpshCoters at
both long and short range, while gallop.
ing across the country with dispatches
! recall one instance In particular when
an enteTprising insurget made me wish
sincerely that / was only about foot
high, and II there is anything in this
world that can make fellow feel like
as II he was as long as a barn is To hear
the ping" ola Mauser bullet that con
yeys the compliments of some hidden
gee gee" in a bamboo thicket | have
never quite gotten over the tempta-
tiOn TO duck my head when those leaden
Christmas present come very near that
part of my anatomy.
My experience has been that "A man
Is generally more nervous when he is
fired on from long range by a hidden
foe than at any other time, this is es-
pecially true, II the man has good reason
to believe that he has been particularly
singled out for target During a spir-
tied engagement ZONE is generally borne
along on the tide OF enthusiasm and ex-
element, that consciousness OF danger
rarely exists.
long for my return 90 the states and
20 civil life, for, although this exper-
fence has beeu OF inestimable value %
me, in many ways, one never realizes how
dear are the ties OF country until they
have been separated from its shores