West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1899-10-19
Army Life In Porto Rico.
An ola Preston County Hoy writes
or His Experience In the Wearing
Of the Dluo.
Las MARUIAs, pOWro RICO.
~ lnth lSNn

write anything OF Importance. nm
not accustomed To writing for news.
papers, but will do the best can. I'm
the hrst place will begin with saying
that | will beFlAd to- pen few lines
Tor InE AR1Us every week IL could.
Probably YOU would not stop -
thing how many West Virginia soldiers
there are in the service. There ar1
Eve in Company &C" Eleventh Infantry
and meet some in the Fifth q. :.
Cavalry, not including other troops,
companies or detachments OF the g.
=. Army.
l will explain to TRe ARGUS how
| reading matters are conducted in Com.
pany G, Eleventh Infantry. We have
company library aud all reading ma
terial that is received in the line of
ne wspapor. magaaiucs or books 40 on
the library table. Our work here is
not professionally hard, You might
wonder why there are soldiers in
every little town on thus island. They
do the distributing Of the ratious that
are donated to the sufferers OF the big
| storm OF August the sth, and then after
the soldiers and the American peoplc
do this the natives will stab n soldier
when they get "A chance. About tho
middle OF last month native killed
one of Company C's corporals. The
reason for doing so, the corporal WAS
on guard tho day previous to his death
and was sent out with IA patrol to
patrol the town and run on to this
rascal and another native who were
Just in the act OF fighting. The cor
porai separated them and on the fol-
lowing evening the corporal went out
in the town.
At dark member of the company
came running in tho barracks and gave
/ the alarm that Corporal Perry had been
stabbed by native. Tho guard was
quickly called out. | was on guard at
she time myself don't think 1t was
more than three minutes from the
Anne We got the alarm till We reached
the place where the stabu bed soldier
lay with the hast drop OF life blood
bleeding away. SO you Gee the reason
the soldier was killed.
would be glad to receive the county
papers and also the State papers even
If they would bc little late, they
f~would interest us. This is one way to
make old things new.
We are eighteen miles northeast
OF our old post in II little town known
rs Las Marrias Well will tell YOU
how we got here. IL is about twelve
miles up hill and seyen down the
other side OF the hill We were sent
here owing TO the road being SO bad
that the cavalry could not got forage
over the roads for troop horses. The
cavalry has been doing this outpost
duty We were notified ON the last OF
August that we were going To be sent
10 do outpost duty at this post Every
body seemed willing for the change
so on the 4th OF the month we turned
field supplies ready for the trip and on
thc morning Of the 10Th rolled up a
SUIT Of clothes In our blankets and
what other material 40 had to bring
and left tho Post about nine O'clock
for this place Our captain being sick,
second lieutenant Of the Fifth
Cavalry was detailed in charge OF the
company and he give US IA Ave mile
3 walk over for the first heat. This
being all the way up hill. some OF the
boys began to fng aud drop out by the
road side. After things got more
moderate and we rested oftensr we
made half way till about one o'clock.
then We stopped for dinner and the
wagons that had brought 300 pounds
Of ratOns had TO be be unladened and
a detachment left of for "A post. some
Z places the mud was knce-decp. tho
roads had gotten so bad from good
hard rain the boys were allowed TO
, divide up in squads just about as we
pleased and we made IL about five
o'clock There we got supper and
relieved detachment OF Troop H.,
Fifth Cavalry
On Che following morning the re-
mainder Of the cavalry was divided
into two attachments and one squad
went nine miles further on 20 "A DO, {
by the name Of San Sabasta. They
got there by wading a river. don't
, know whether you call this soldering
or not. The only nice thing we can
say is that we have "a barracks 10 stay
in even IL they arc not as good as a
cheap stable
, In another case private In the
Fifth Cavalry got "a littls too much
OF the cane juice and was out in the
town and got little noisy. The
police undertook 90 arrest him and the
soldier ran from the police and fell
down in gutter and could not get out.
The cop saw ne bad him at his
mercy and he dubbed the soldier TIL
lac was laid uU several DAYS In the
hospital and cause the soldier to get
cOurtmartial trial. The military
courts have not given tire soldiers just
the right deal, as they think il they
should show the boys any mercy that
they might do something rash, such as
enforce lynch law and 10 has been
feared in Tire murder OF Corporal Perry
l