The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-06
MANILA IS WAKING UP
Infuse New Life Into
the Sleepy Old Town.
STREETS ARE CROWDED
Business Activity Apparent on Every
Hand-Electric Light and Street
Car Systems in Vogue--The
~ Order of Macabebes

.: q.
Great Falls, March 5.-The following
letter from John B. Ritch of Company
has been received by friends in Lewis.
town. 1t is dated at Manila:
I'VE bade farewell to the sleepy old
town of Cavite-so repIete with mem
cries of days past and lying so serene
Fly dreamy, dull and old-fashoned on
lthe peninsula jutting out into the great
Ebay, destined soon to become the
busiest harbor in this part of the
Orient, as reminder, or rather a WISH
bic testimonial of how the world wagged
$50 years ago-on the 21st day of last
month and crossed the bay to Manila.
Our first and second battalions came
cover two weeks before we did, and were
well acquainted when we got here.
s.After they left us in Cavite we were
ATTACHED to the 18th infantry (regulars)
land got along splendidly with them,
and when one of them comes over here
now he comes around to visit and tell
us that he wishes we'd come back
You will remember the 18th as having
been stationed in Montana some years
ago. A part of it was a old Fort Belk-
-nap, II mistake not
AT one of the gates on the north
side can be seen the rather unusual
~sight of a street car line crossing draw
bridge, for you must know moat
about u feet wide, depth unknown to
me, at one time completely encircled
the walls, and the entrance to every
gate, is over a bridge. l noticed all the
apparatus for raising and lowering
them still remains intact. In the new
city the conditions are different on the
Escolta, the principal business thor
oughfare. is a scene of life which al
most equals our American cities, and
number of the business streets are
quite lively. Electric lights are in use
here, and street cars with the native
sponies as the motive power A Filipino
pony weighs 600 pounds. In the busy
sections two of these diminutive ami
mails are used to each car, while the
number is reduced to one in the less
crowded districts. 1t is awful to see
one of these poor little beasts trudging
along with a street car full of soldiers,
Spaniards, Filipinos and Chinese, ar
ranged with indiscrmination as re-
CARDS nationality, color or seX while
the Filipino driver belabors him I'M
ceasingly with the whip. the meanwhile
blowing his whistle for 'gangway.' ap-
parently without even drawing his
breath.
The whole city is under martial law
Every street is patrolled by soldier po-
the Escolta in conjunction with a part
of the 18th Minnesota regiment and it
sometimes makes them jump to keep
the streets open There are three men
: on duty on each block. You know these
Spanish towns do not reserve much
space for streets, and they are equally
penurious in regard to sidewalks. Since
the Americans have assumed charge an
era of activity and business life has so
suddenly replaced the old way that the
easy transportation of merchandise.
both in and out and I fear that it will
be necessary soon to rebuild the whole
place .on a broader scale as regards the
streets. The merchants say that they
have transacted more business since
Dewey broke into the country than for
the past five years before. And the
willy native, he of the white clothing,
the wooden shoe and the language I'M
speakable; he has in measure caught
on, as It were, that the American is a
good thing to practice the divers
schemes Of trade upon.
There is band, or rather society
of outlaws, In this country surrounding
Manila who are known as Macabebes.
In the past they have occupied their
time and energies in removing Spanish
soldiers from among the realms of the
living. They are experts in the use of
the knife. and ar not towards by any
means. They use the same theories
and tactics with Americans as with the
Spanards, working evidently on the
basis that all soldiers look alike to
them They have made several at
tempts to kill our sentries in out of the
way places. but I am pleased to tell
you, Jack, that in every instance, but
one, there has been man buried after
wards according to the accepted usages
and customs of the misguided Order of
Macabebes. One of them was lucky
and got away. Just four nights ago
they made break in an unfrequented
section not far from our quarters but
Minnesota man with a Springfield
rifle killed one of them the first shot.
He was the only one in sight"