The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-02


teenth U. S. Infantry, now stationed ct
Jaro, in the Province of 1loilo. he
sends number of pictures which give
a good idea of the Filipinos and one
highly priced by the recipient Inc
letter is as follows:
Jaro, Province Of Iloilo,
June 4, 1899
| Dear Aunt and Family: l write these
few lines in answer to your letter, ana
to let you know that 1 am still in the
land of the living and enjoying the best
of health.
I left San Francisco the 2oth of April
on the transport Morgan City. Arrived
at Honolulu the Sd of May. Honolulu
is lovely place, the second Garden OF
Eden. While there l saw My Honolulu
Lady She is just as represented, a
perfect queen; but if she was lady OF
mine l would insist on her wearing
shoes and a hat. They may be seen
going down the main street of toWr
without either; and l would not allow
her to eat raw fish or poi, which IS
their native food, made from corn anti
a little of everything thrown in. &c
reminds a person of so much plaster,
a Chinaman in the center pounding the
daylights out of it, with a large rock,
while the perspiration rolls down his
back into it.
Left Honolulu the 9th of May, arrlv-
ing at Manila on the ODD. Passed a
live volcano 1900 miles from Honolulu
1t was a lovely sight coming into Man
lila Bay-all the battleships at anchor
from the Turkish cruiser to our own
Oregon; also the Olympia, Dewey s
flagship. Manila is a large place, there
being two cities in one, New Manila
and the walled city, which is old Man
liza, having a wall all around it thirty
feet high and fifteen feet through. No
one is allowed out after Z in the even
ing. There are a great many people
in the cities, mostly women and chill
dren; the men are with the insurgents.
The Spanish transport Leon XIII was
at anchor in Manila Bay, having on
board LOO soldiers going home to
Spain.
| We left Manila the 10Th, arriving at
Iloilo on the evening of the 18th, where
| we camped until the morning of the
l2Ith, when we marched to Jaro, where
we are now stationed. The insurgents
are as thick as grasshoppers around
here, as we are on the firing line We
are not allowed outside our lines, as
they are only 200 yards from our out
posts. When a crowd of US get to-
gether they fire upon us, but very sell
dom hit any one, thanks to their poor
craftsmanship. The night of the I'd
we chased them about two miles south
of here, running through trees and go
Gr1 Jci 70
knees. They do not give us the chance
that we give them, as they hide behind
trees and even climb the trees to shoot
at US. They were camped in a sugar
mill across the river from US. and on
the night of the Doth they burnt the
bridge down, thinking that we could
not get across. At noon of the Both We
were taken across the river on barges,
ldriving them from the sugar mill, kill
ing seven and wounding twice as many,
with only one of our men wounded. We
burned the sugar mill down. They
may be seen any time drilling in the
fields near here. They have a small
town one mile south of us, also one
east of US a short distance, where the
women and children are kept. Their
stronghold is Santa Barbara, said to be
about eight miles from here; no one
knows in what direction, but as soon AS
enough troops are here it will not take
us long to find it. You ought to see
them when we make a charge on them.
1t is better than going to a circus, rum
ming after them, yelling at the top of
our voices; also a brass band in the
rear. Some of them drop their guns
and run as fast as they can. The Both
of May, at the sugar mill, one of them
yelled back at us and said: 1--WE will
give you damned Americans hell be-
fore we are through" Don't you think
they had better begin at once or they
will never get through?
ii There are six different tribes on the
| islands. One tribe here, called Bolo-
men, fight with large knives, somewhat
like large cycle. They bother us a
good deal at night time, when we are
on guard. One of the boys of the First
Tennessee Regiment killed two Monday
night. They We're trying to pass our
lines. I was put on guard thA first
night here on the edge of town at the
cemetery. They bury the natives in
! tombs, built like an oven, and have to
pay S12 year for it. If the money is
not paid they are thrown out. There
| must have been a good many behind in
their rent, as 1 saw a pile of bones
about ten feet high outside the GENE,
terry. Everything went all right until
about II o'clock, when bullet came
whistling by few feet from me, going
through my canteen, which / had filled
| with water and hung a few feet to my
left. l could not see the smoke, as
| they use smokeless powder. 1 COM
menced to think of all / had done in
| my past life. You can bet it makes a
| fellow think of a good many things.
! When they commence to fire we get
behind breast works, as we are not
i allowed to return their fire, only in
case of necessity. Our breastworks are
sacks filled with raw sugar
The time that this place was taken
the natives went away, leaving every
thing behind them. l was not here at
the time, it being the 10Th of February.
The houses are filled with furniture and
all kinds of costly ornaments. We are
allowed to take anything from them
| that we want. We live in the houses.
In my room there is a piano, large
rocking chairs, a bed that a King
would be glad to sleep in, being of pure
walnut We have oil paintings worth
Y hundreds of dollars. The houses are
filled with things; the wardrobes are
filled with clothes. There are thirty
pianos here in the town. We have large
clocks ten feet high.
The largest part of Iloilo is burnt
down, being set on fire by the insur-
gents The houses left are on the banks