The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-08-18
A SOLDIERS TALK
Capt. Watson. of the Twenti-
eth Talks Like a Man
and a Fighter-Tells
A NEW FUNSTON STORY
Under a Topeka Date-Line
the Kan, City Star Prints
the Following:

Captain w. j. Watson of the
Twentieth Kansas arrived in Topeka
this morning and left this afternoon
for his home in Pittsburg. Captain
Watson carries Filipino bullet in
his breast, having been wounded
during the advance Of the American
army in May.
Captain Watson was accompanied
by his father, who met him at San
Francisco He came from Manila on
the hospital ship Relief spending
forty-siX days in passage. He will
return to San Francisco to be muster
ed out with the regiment.
"rhe boys are anxious TO come
home, said Captain Watson today.
"They have had steady seige Of
lighting in that tropical climate and
at the time the regiment was taken
Off the firing line many OF the men
were sick and unfit for duty. We
heard in Manila that the people of
our home state were proud of the
deeds of the egiment, but we thought
it was Just the eflervescence of the
Kansas people finding Il vent. When
/ reached Yokohama | found the
Eastern papers and then | realized
what a wonderful record the boys
have made. The natives are fighters.
Just ae long as one of them has gun
and ammunition he will stand and
shoot, but when ammunition gives
out he runs"
Discussing General Funston, Cap.
tain Watson said: Talking one day
to General Macarthur before he was
promoted, Colonel Funston said to
MIN: Give me the Twentieth Kansas
and the Third artillery and 1 will go
down on that southern island and
make a Methodist preacher out OF
that Zulu chief in twenty-tOur hours
"This island is the southern island
in the archipelago and Is inhabited
by class of natives who think 1t is
their Christian duty to eat white peo-
Pile. This is the class of people Funs-
ton wanted to civilizs with the TWen-
tieth and the famous fighting Third
artillery"
AS to the sentiment OF the soldiers
concerning expansion, Captain Wat
son said: "There are many OF the
men In the ranks Of the army who
are opposed to the way 1t is carried
on. 1t is due to the feeling which
often arises in military affairs. The
su Dor dinates feel it their duty to OPP
pose things which their superiors and
officers are in favor of. | do not be-
lieve the men will stick to this idea
when they realize the exact conditions
under which we were laboring,"
Captain Watson was asked as to
the truth of the rumOr that Filipino
soldiers taken prisoners had been shot
under orders of the colonel Of the
regiment. He said: ~ heard that
report myself, but there is nothing in
it so far as | have been informed. |
was on the extreme left of the line
during the advance at the time the
prisoners were said to have been
shot. | did not see during the time
/ was there single prisoner treated
other than fairly. When we captured
prisoner we would take possession
of his arms and turn him loose, We
could not spare the men to leave be-
hind and guard them. ! heard that
prisoners were shot, but | have
never seen or received any evidence
of such action on the part of our
soldiers. am confident that the
story Is a myth"