The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-10-24
nna.Half the Army SICK.

Thu Washington, d. O.. Star says.
A well. known Washington man VINO
IA an officer In the Philippines writing
N a friend here. tells of the outlook
thare. The letter was written at Ma
Mia and Ia dated September ., lo9S
It Is % follows;
.,This city is old; looks older tnah
any oity In Cuba. Everything Is so
damp that mold covers the outslue
waIls Of the houses and the old city
wall Tropical plants Of all kinds are
found here in great numbers. There
a a beautiful drive along the Day.
lined with cocoanut and palm trees
There IA also band stand situated on
the driveway where band plays every
evening when 1t doesn't rain which Is
not often. Crowds are to be seen on the
drive when the weather is good. and by
December 1, the dry season will set 10
when. I ann told, it is beautiful Tor a
few months.
'sThere is good deal OF lighting
going on now in g small wsy-that Is
a few men and officers killed dsily'
Yesterday q lieutenant Of the l|tn
Infsntry was killed q few miles from
Manila. Eighteen men were crowned
trying to cross over river on 'ai'
These men / brought out. which makes
fourteen men killed that came over
with me. Aguinaldo has 1900 men
concentrated about forty miles up the
railroad track, many Of whom Will De
killed or wounded. The rebels are well
armed. and as rule fight from trenches
or In ambush. They are improving IN
their marksmanship.
1.-The country now is hOoded. There
Ia continuous rain, and 1t make II
hard to get around but the rebels are
.ctiva all the same. | think a great
mistake Ia made in treating oil who
come into our lines as friends as they
only wait for chance to kill our men
and stir mp strife in our rear We nave
too many Of them and they should al
be driven out and kept out until Agui'
naldo and his forces lay down their arms
That ia the opinion Of all the ofhcers
with whom I have conversed with
privately. though they don't ana can
not make it public
ONE HALF THE ARMY SICK.
"This island is fertile and rich. II
properly handled, but is prisst-ridoen
70 an extent not imagined by the gen
sral public Of America. Much time
must be taken to improve the conditions
existing here, even after peace is made
and msny troops will be required TO
keep the people in control and learn
them true civilization. as the average
American understands It,
"The hospitals are full OF people SUI
fering from malarisl fever and typhoid
fever. How can il be otherwise when
man have to be exposed to rain, and
sleep in water day aud night as they
do at the front? One-hslf OF the army
here Is sick, and the same conditions
win exist with the new troops.
1.-THE city is under martial law and
no one is allowed out after S O'Clock p
m. either soldiers or citizens. All
places Of business are. closed and guards
patrol the streets. at every corner. Of-
fcers fin uniform only are allowed out.
They are challenged at every street cor
ner and made to show why they are
ont. This is necessary, as there are
$50 600 natives in the city. all Of whom
are In sympathy with the insurgents
These people don't fear death and think
II they die fighting they go straight TO
paradise.
HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT CRITICISED
.sThere is one thing to be criticised.
That is the Hospital department 1t
IL badly managed. l saw three
wounded men lay on a launch at the
city front from ~ m. till 3 p M
waiting for an ambulance TO take them
to o hospital An ambulance was tel
ephoned for several times, and it only
had q mile to come. This is fact
know personally. My heart ached for
those poor men there without stten'
tion. / should have liked to have had
the power to make the responsible
parties suffer for their neglect 1t
was simply neglect, pure and simple
and there is no reason why such
thing, should be allowed. 1t was
nothing more than inattention TO
duty.
give miles of the railroad is full
Of rebel scouts. They are in our front
and between San Fernando in small
lands Five men were attacked TO-
day; about three miles from here one
was killed, one wounded and one
was captured, which was worse than
death. for they kill and mutilate cap
tured and wounded men worse than
Indians"