The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1899-02-24

~ CNA bUp'"Aiioh AS"A hAAG 0Rth t0At
and have a Spanish teacher. 1t
cost us two dollars (dos pesos) per
month, three lessons a week.
You ought to see the horses here,
too. They are very small-about
the size of a Shetland pony, and yet
they carry the fattest men on the
island without any trouble. The
carriages (carametas) are also very
small, just large enough for two
Americans to ride in comfortably,
but four Filipinos can get in them
without any trouble, and one of the
little ponies will just fly with it.
The staff officers are all mounted on
these ponies, and they are a sight
TO behold. You can hire one of
these rigs and use it all day and it
will cost you un peso-5O cents
American money.
These natives had TO work six
months to get money enough to pay
their taxes before the Americans
got hold Of them. Weyler came
here a pauper and w. away null
ti-millionaire. The natives greeted
us with "Americancs mucha bona"
{ Americans much good) "Espani-
olas mucha mala" (Spaniards much
bad).
So far as | can see we are not 60
ing to have much trouble with sick
ness-that is if the men will respect
the sanitary directions laid down
for them. All companies have pub
lished orders in this regard, and
any man caught violating them will
be punished severely. All our wa
ter is boiled and allowed to cool
before drinking This, yon see,
kills all the disease germs. This
water is also filtered after boiling.
There is a case or two of typhoid
fever in our regiment, caused di-
rectly by drinking this water un-
boiled. Some men, you know, pay
no attention to anything you tell
them which is for their good, and
it was just this way with these two
men, who are now at the verge of
their grave. They were heard to
say that they didn't have to drink
boiled water. They wish now that
they had. The health of the Amer
ican troops now is very good.
[ heard to-day that we-that is,
the first and third battallions-will
be sent to Iloilo within few days.
The second battalion will be sent
to Cavite, and have received orders
to hold themselves in readiness.
IloiIo is 800 miles south of here on
the island of Panay. We will just
about be out of the world then sure
enough.
Well, I haven't time to write any
more now. By the time you get
this a month or more will have
passed away, and we can't tell what
will happen during that time. We
may have q scrap, and we may not.
| think we will, but can't say when
it will be. When it comes, how
ever, you can rest assured Of the
fact that the First Tennessee will
do her part in as brave and patri-
otto manner as she can, and / can
say that every man is little anxi-
Gus for a scrap now since they have
been sent SO far away from home.
There will be no hanging back when
the bugle sounds "To arms!"
At present the First Tennessee
is guarding the penitentiary, which
has 5000 natives and 70 Americans
imprisoned. One company a day
is the required strength for the
guard. Company l goes on next
Tuesday.
Good-by. If we fight, you may
never see your "red head" again; if
we don't, | think we will soon be at
home safe and sound. Give my
love to mama and to all other rela-
tives, and my word of greeting to
all good friends who may enquire
after me. And tell Virgil Morris
"howdy," and that I am getting on
all O. K. Will write again soon.
Vow, 4rrl, x,oyr coz,