Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-04-07
In THE yREN CHI Es.
J. t, spaulding, of Co. X. First California
Volunteers, Writes his Brother
of the PhilipDlne War.

j. T, spaulding, of Co. X. First California
Volunteers, Writes his Brother
of the Philippine War.
j. Y. Spaulding, one of the Soldiers !
Home comrades, received q letter last
week from his brother, who is one of
the brave volunteers doing duty in the
Philippines, which Mr.. Spaulding very |
kindly permits the STAR to print. He
says:
Sunday, February 10, 1899, San Pedro,
Macati-Or rather in the trenches on
the firing line. one mile from town.
Well, we are having u little sport now.
The insurgents set the ball to rolling
the night of the 9TH and we were called
out and marched to the outposts, and
Gen. King took Co. X. for his body
guard. So we were in thickest of the
fight at Santa Ana Gen. King drew a
heavy fire wherever he went as they
knew him to be u general by his horse
andbody guard. One place we crossed a
long bridge in column of fours and
the sound of bullets reminded one of
the proverbial hailstorm of bullets,
and all that saved us was their poor
craftsmanship. After we were off the
bridge looked back expecting to see
it strewn with dead and wounded, but
not man was hit. CThey are giving it
to them again about "a mile on our left.)
! We were ordered to lie down and fire
few rounds into bananagrove. My file
leader was killed just as we we're rising
from the ground. He was the life of
the company and is greatly missed. He
is the only man in K. who has been hit
so far. We went to tie front and
there was gap in the lin, and our
captain got leave to fill it so we rushed
the insurgents back aud our Co. and
H., of Washington. drove them from
the convent, an immense stone build
ing, and captured two Krupp guns.
We took 10 prisoners and killed % or
30 that were left on tho field, among
them two cptains and two or three
other officers. This point was import
ant, as it commanded the river and the
main road. We staid here one day and
then moved up the river to this place.
They attack us every night and their
sharpshooters (?) try to pick us Off i'll
daytime, but we have only lost a few
men SO far-5 killed and 26 wounded
in the regiment. We have been ordered
to intrench ourselves and await the ar
rival of troops from the states before
advancing further as our line is al
ready l5 miles long and we have no
more than men enough to hold what
we have already got. They are collect
ing Il large army in numbers but not
effectiveness. They made quite a de-
tcrmined rush this morning about
-suurise, yelling "ging wa! Americana
Soldado! ging wal" They took this
from the American police in Manila
5 singing out ''gangway," when the Fill
: pinos would block the narrow streets
with their carts. But in an hour or
! two they concluded that it would cost
: too much to make gangway through
= our lines and fell back up the river
= with the gun boat, Mucho Loco. which
II Dewey captured from the Spainards
# following them up and dealing them
with rations from her machine guns
y They have found that we don't follow
l. them so it makes them bold. 1 can
8 hear scattering shots all the time and
h aud now and then quite skirmish
: but as it has been kept up for two
t weeks we have become used to it, and
n pay no more attention to it than to the
Q song of the mosquitoes, unless they get
IS too near our part of the works.
r. Monday, 2oth-They kept up scat
J. tering fire all night and at a. m. they
= made heavy attack on San Pedro
b Macati, which lasted for 30 minutes
# 1t is estimated that they fred 10000
l. shots, and none of our boys were hit
y and only one wounded yesterday
l. They shoot too high. We can hear the
q Mauser bullets go over our line mile
70 away from the place of firing. We are
IT intrenched II rice fields that have been
70 idle for two years on account of the in.
r. surrection, but 1 was out with scout
a ing party few miles outside our lines
and it is in high state of cultivation
The land is leveled and checked. II
would cost about 800 per acre in the
ID states to put it in like condition
Y, There are country churches that mus
t. have cost at least $4,000, and the peo
\. pie who build them live in bambo,
n. huts. They are religious fanatics.
am in excellent health. We have ha.
4. no rain to speak of for month an,
the ground is hard and dry.
Your brother,
j. T. sPAuLD1NG.
Is Z: Not one child dies where ten forme,