Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-25
ELIZA ARCHARD CONNER.

MP looking Malays with greasy black
heads. The men are clad in spotless
white shirt and trousers, the shirt being
in every case outside the trousers. The
women wear bright red skirts and loose
light colored waists.
We have been fond of writing home
to our friends that SO far as actual
fighting and danger go there is no more
sign of war in Manila than in Oshkosh
Soldiers abound, but otherwise Manila
il as safe and sleepy as mosshack
country village There is and has been
ever since the 4th of February constant
skirmishing, occasionally fighting more
serious, ont along the lines. But that is
seven miles away.
On Palm sunday morning we had,
however, grimmer reminder than
usual that war was not far away The
day before a decided advance had been
made by the Americans against the
Fiipinos at Malabon. Hidden behind in
their bamboo jungle and protected by
their intrenchments. the MALAY Mig
gers" had killed some 80 Of our men
and wounded 200 We saw some Of
them at the hospital where nurse and
doctor were dressing their wounds. Two
Of them belonged to the Fourth United
States cavalry. one CT them had been
struck in the cheek by fragment Of
bullet, only half an inch below his eye,
yet the eye had been spared clear ana
untouched.
"You'll he all right in day or two.
said the surgeon. You won need to
come to me again.
Seven of my company We're wound
ed in 90 minutes, said the young fell
low. "Our first sergeant is dead by this
time. I'm going back to the front to-
morrow.
The other Fourth cavalryman was an
Irishman, with merry twinkle in his
blue eye 1t was an odd sort of wound
he had. A Mauser bullet had plowed
straight through the soft flesh under his
chin, going in one side and ont the 9TH
er, making "A smooth tunnel.
"And it could have killed three men
after it went through me, if they had
been in the line of it," he told us. He
described the part of the battle that he
saw.
eve dismounted and left our horses
behind us when we went against the
Filipinos in the bamboo thicl,et. It's SO
close "a dog couldn crawl through where
we had to advance The rebels hide in
this brush, and You never can tell where
they are or when they are going to fire
on you. We didn know there was one
in mile of us, when, ping we got it
in our faces. | had this hole bored
through my chin quicker than you could
think, and that wasn't enough, but a
little brute of a Filipino horse kicked
me in the face and gave me black eye
| I'll be even with 'em yet, -
The surgeon examined his wound. 1t
was doing well, The chief danger in his
case appeared to he lest he should dis
figure himself by dropping his food
upon the spotless bandaging that cover
ed his chin. The doctor cautioned him
duly on this point and dismissed him.
"Ill be back at en- the last of this
week - were the parting words of the
lrishman.
But there were others who would
never be "back at them" Some of the
bravest men and officers had died Of
their wounds on the way to hospital.
In one corner apart surgeon and nurse
confer in low tones over a man who has
received gunshot wound below the
knee. The worst symptoms have super.
vened, and the poor lads leg must be
amputated below the knee to save his
life, His fighting days are over. Let US
hope that his fellow countrymen who
staid at home and criticised the conduct
of this war from its safe shelter will
not snarl and say brutal things when
he asks pension in place Of the leg he
left in the Philippines,
Our house is situated on the edge of
the bay in the Ermita district on the
side Of Manila opposite where the
fighting is. Particular quiet seemed TO
reign on the morning of Palm Sunday
A few miles out upon the bay we saw,