The Portland daily press., 1899-09-15
FIXING THE .NIcGERs..
A Bsr IFarbor Boy. Description OF a
Recent Manila Engagement.


A. l.. Stafford, the well known livery
man, has received very interesting let
ter from Manila from Thomas q leason, a
Maine boy who was formerly In Air.
Stafford's employ In Bar Harbor and ia
now In the PHILIPPINES as member VI
the slst u. s Infantry. That tie life Of
soldier In the philippines IL not one
continual round Of pleasure may Re gath
cred from the following extracts from
MIR. Gleason's letter:
II suppose you heard had Joined the
army / can tell you lind it much
harder work than driving teams and
often wish | WAS back IN Bar Harbor.
tut take Il all In all think it will do
me lots OF z rod " ! live through it. This
is no country for . white man 10 live In.
although have not been slcg yet myself,
but Iois of he troops are sick It is very
hot here and ~ makes IL very hard on the
troops marching. We are only just in
from march OF ssven days. Durina
o. veral skirmlsbes and captured 1000
prisoners. June Is is day I viii never
forget as long as live. On that date
Co. THAT is my company and Co.
started out rs q scouting party We had
not gone more than three miles when we
ran into the enemy.
1--WE fought until all our ammupnition
ives gone. They has Us pretty well sur
roundd and we had to retreat to the
each, the enemy Eafter us and pouring
the lead into us from oil sidss. II the
marines from the warsf ips In the bay had
net come to our rescue there would nos
have BEEN one OF us left to tell the tnle.
We lest two men killed AMI 10 wounded
1t was REGULAR death trap and old sol.
diers say they cant't see what ten. Law
ton was thinking about when he started
into such place with only two com-
panies. We had to cross two rivexs in
small boats 50 small that only three could
cros at q time. There was Jungle
only about 300 yards from us and that
was where the niggers were
You can bet we did not wait for the
boats when we wero retseatioR. We all
jumped In ana swan for ths shore, the
bullets whistling over our heads the
while. You may read In the papers In
the United States that these niggers can't
fight and that they run from the Amsri.
caus, but don't you telieye It. They are
good lighters. Ard another thing-it is
said they have not got any arms or am
munition. They have got plenty of both,
In fact their rifles are better than ours
We uss the krag- -Jorgensen and thsy
have the Meuser. the fame rifle the Span
iarcs used in the late war.
A -FOUR HOURS BATTLE.
81 have told you how the niggers drove
us, now will tell you how the Ameri-
cans fixed them after we got reinforce
msnts. After the marines landed we held
them at the beach until the troops from
town arrived, when we didn't do q thing
70 the niggeya We drove them back to
their trenches and then drove them rom
their trenches out OF the town altogether
We did not do 1t as easily or as quickly
as writ 1t, but they went all the same
We were fighting from u o'clock until
LEO, besides the time our two companies
were lighting before that.
1.-The Americans lost about 20 klllau
and 80 wounded and the niggers lost 300
killed and don't know how may wound
ed as they carried of the most Of ths In
jursd
81 shall never forget the sight of that
battlefield as long as live. There We're
dead natives lying about everywhere, and
In the trenches they were piled one ON
top Of another, some with their heads
blown OF and Others blown all TO pieces
They say that was the most important
battle yet fought. The place Was well
fortified and was tine headquarters OF the
Fiiipincs. We captured five large guns,
200 prisoners and lots OF ammunition. 1t
is said the Spaniards were never able TO
take the town and that one time they lost
500 men ting.
"Ne are In camp now, but l don't
know how soon We will have to start out
again. Gen. Lawton personally praised
both Co.'s II, and for their bravery in
that fight and two days later q telegram
from Pres MCKINLEY, complimenting all
those who took part In the battle, was
read to tina troops"