The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1899-02-01

| 11hbtle Win the luSurRentbs f
MANILA, PHIL. ISLANDS, Oct. 1S, '98. II
baye been threatening to write a let
ter to you describing the natives and
other things of interest. Twrite this 50
it will reach you on Thanksgiving day;
see how close will hitit. am feeling
very we'll, although many Of the boys are
coming down with the fever and our
sick list is growing daily.
This is one Of the most lonesome days
we have had here. 1t has rained hard
for the last two days and Is still raining,
and the days seem 60 long when you
cannot get outside the barracks and stir
up little excitement We have formed
a Soldiers Baseball League. Each OF
the following has a team: 23rd o. s..
Inf; 1st Utah Battery; 1st California
volunteers; the Idaho volunteers; the
North Dakatah; the Astory Battery, Of
New York, and last but not least, the
glorious old 14th has one, and have won
two games out Of the three games played.
The league will play series Of games
for silver cup to be presented by the
officers of the Astor battery.
As to the natives here, they are Just
about the color Of mulattO, and they
live in houses built Of bamboo poles and
covered with leaves Of the banana trees
and palm trees. We call their houses
"shacks." They live mostly on rice and
raw fish. Almost every house has small
stand in front of it which is generally
run by the pPettiest girl or senorita in
the house, which the Spainards tell US is
to attract the attention of the American
boys in blue.
There is only one thing that you can
trust them with and that is their re-
ligion, which is Catholic, and is taught
them by the Spanish priest. II you give
them a washing, the next day you are
liable to see native come in with your
clothes on and ask for ''washie." They
are becoming somewhat shy Of this
: lately, for il we catch a native with q
. soldiers clothes on we strip him then
. and there, When we first came here w
: had i hard time convincing them shS|
] one American dollar is worth two 0l
their old Spanish dollars, Tor dobies as
II we call them.) can take an American
= dollar and buy five cigars which woult
d cost 25 cents in the U. s., and receive Ii
!. change $1.95 in Spanish money, so you
y see a mans pOcket-bOOk would continue
to expand the more he would expend.
F. We have not heard anything of Agui
d naldO for week or two, but last weel
10 an English boat was captured by one O
l. our brave Admiral Dewey's feet, trying
n to unload arms to the insurgents, bu
81 they failed in the attempt.
D. 0yesl want to describe one Of thei
y churches, Of which there are grea
many, and they resemble forti6catiOn
n more than they do churches. They ar
v about three times as large as the MethO
dist church in Wellington, and are bull
ID of solid stone, with the coat Of arms 0
Spain cut In the cOrnOr stone. But tn
IS belfry is the most wonderful part Of tn
t. structure. There are six sides to 1t and il
to each side there is bell, and when the
ring them all at once, you never heard
"a dozen fire bells that would make NOR
le noise.
la will explain a little about Cavitt
which Is about five miles away
4 seemed twenty-five miles away the da
9, we marched over here in the rain. CAY
ite is the place that all the great nation
G. want to hold for cOaling station. 1t
of smaller place than Manila, but has
III better harbOr, that Of Manila bein
ed very shallow. We have about eightee
miles Of coast to guard, and it is prett
We sight to 60 down to the beach and see
line Of blue coats as far as you can SCI
= but it isn't so much fun when you al
!. one Of them yourself and have a stOrl
r coming off the old China sea; but 20
q have to stay there just the same. II
= Spanish prisoners, about IA, 600 in nun
= ber, are confined within the old walls {
q Manila. There are two Manilas her
a Old Manila and New Manila. Old Manil
q b4ing inside Of the fortified walls an
8 New Manila outside Of them.
q Here follows diagram Of the stu,
9 tion, which is very cleyerly draw
q Under date Of Oct. 22nd, the letter col
a tinues:
q Hostilities have once more commence
s. The insurgents were ordered out Of IL
q trenches yesterday and we're given unit
8 noon today to get out, but at 2 O'cloC
8 this morning they have not made
q move. The troops here have been SOL
81 down to the trenches, 1t seems that Il
q insurgents do not intend to move, an
a they are liable to make a warm receptiC
q for us as there are about 25, 900 Of them
q the trenches and AguinaldO has plen1