The record-union., 1899-12-24
FROM THE ISLAND OF JOLO.
rILIPINoS WHO DO NOT KNOW
AGUINALDO.
Interesting Letter From q Soldier
Who il With the Troops
In J01o.

Mrs. Mary Buchard of sos N street
lately received the following interest
ing letter from her nephew, Richard
Morse, a member Of Company B, Tween
ty-third Infantry, who has been on
duty on the island of Jolo, in the Phil
ippines:
Dear Aunt and Family: write these
few lines to let you know that am still
In existence and enjoying the best OF
health l expect you think it strange In
me not writing before, but then l sup
pose you know how a soldiers life is,
especially over here-one place one day,
and God only knows where the next.
Shortly after I wrote my last letter
We received orders to leave for Cebu,
but when about one mile from Jaro the
call to arms sounded. We left our
blankets by the roadside, returning to
Jaro on the double quick and finding
everything excitement, the natives hav-
ing attacked the outposts, killing one
Of the boys Of the First Tennessee Vol
unteers. About thirty crossed the lines,
getting into the city, where they COM
menced to make themselves at home.
My company was sent out in detach-
ments Of four, but did not go far De-
fore we ran across four natives coming
down a small street, giving them lead
at lively rate and dropping three, the
other running into a house near by.
We started after him and he ran up
stairs. We started up, when all of a
sudden water commenced to fall upon
us at a lively rate. Looking up crowd
OF native women could be seen at the
top. When their water supply gave out
they dropped all kinds of furniture
upon us. When near the top one could
be seen holding a picture of Christ in
front Of US, thinking we would not
come up if they did so. We put them
all in one room, one Of the boys stand
ing guard at the door. We found the
little yellow man under a bed and took
him to the guard house and then re-
Joined our company. Starting toward
Santa Barbara we came upon trenches
filled with natives. Sometimes they
would stay in the trenches until we
would get within POO yards of them.
They can waste more ammunition than
they can carry, wounding nothing more
serious than bamboos. We could hear
their officers calling upon them to halt
and return our fire. You might as well
try to stop a cyclone as one of them
are good at, and that is running They
can beat a race horse. I counted thirty
six dead and wounded in three trenches.
We kept after them until dark, when
we started back for Jaro. While going
through the brush we ran across any
number of deep holes. I fell into one
with about a dozen others, cutting my
head. But it was demonstrated years
ago by Jonah and the whale that good
men could not be kept down, SO we
were taken out more dead than alive.
The holes are made by the insurgents,
being about twelve feet deep, with
sharp bamboo poles sticking about two
feet out of the ground and covered at
the top with brush. The ones we fell
into were old ones, the bamboo being
most all rotted away. After reaching
Jaro had four stitches put in my head.
eating good supper and then going to
bed. You have no idea how a fellow
can sleep after running the little yell
low men across rice fields and through
brush with murderous intent.
We left three days later for Iloilo, 60
ing aboard the transport Cherucha,
leaving the same day for Cebu, which
city is on the island of Cebu, being
about $50 miles southwest of Iloilo. We
arrived the next day, finding every
thing quiet. The city of Cebu is a large
place, there being about twenty thous-
and natives living in the city. The hos
tile element were living on the oppo-
site side of the river. They were not
causing any trouble at the time was
there, but I hear they are having
trouble there at present. The natives
in the city seemed to be very friendly.
/ think Cebu a very pretty place, al
though it is not very healthy. While
there we were living in the fort.
We left one week later on the trans
port Alfonso XIII. for Jolo, where am
at present stationed. AT the time we
left for this place excitement ran high,
and we were all guessing what kind of
a place it was, as we had heard so much
of it. We were not left long in doubt,
for as soon as the boat dropped anchor
we were brought ashore, finding the
place to be perfect Paradise The
Sixty-ninth Spanish Infantry were sta
toned here at the time we arrived.
They were happy we had come to re-
lieve them. They were stationed here
two years and received but So pay in
that time.
Natives came to town from all parts
of the island, for the long-looked-for
and much talked-of Americans had ar
rived. We were subjected to all kinds
of criticism. The natives would stand
in small groups, looking at us and jab-
bering away at a lively rate. The next
day there was a. celebration. when the
town was turned over to us. While the
Spanish flag was being taken down the
Spanish soldiers looked sad. From
where I was one could be seen crying
like child. But when Old Glory COM
menced to climb the pole you would
think an insane asylum had broken
loose. There were 800 of us, but We
made as much noise as so many thous-
and. The Spanish soldiers looked at
US thinking We had gone mad. They
left the next day for Spain.
Jolo is a town comprising about fifty
acres, surrounded by loop-holed wall