The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-05-26
LETTER FROM MANILA.

written nome by Thomas Clagett, Esq,
son of Mr. Thomas Clagett, of "Keokuk"
| who is private with the Idaho Y OlunteerS
in the Philippine Islands.
IN CAMP, NEAR SAN PET Ro MACATI.
March It'll, 1899.
wrote YOU about three weeks ago and
would have written you again ere this if l
had had the opportunity. 1t was a day or
two after writing that we were ordered out
here-about six miles from Manila proper
and four from its suburbs. We are in the
trenches, and l enjoy it more than | do
being confined to quarters waiting for
something to turn up and doing steady
duty guarding. Our lines are now thirty
two miles or more long and are pretty
thin in places, but at such places the coun-
try is open ahead for from 600 yards to
anywhere, so that there would be practi-
cally a slaughter of the natives if they
made an advance. We exchange few
shots with the natives every day, and
sometimes they send bullets over pretty
thickly, but so far only one man has been
hit. Lamb, of whom l wrote you as
shooting the native who tried to pot me
at Paco Church, was lying under bank
in what was apparently a perfectly safe
place when bullet struck the limb of a
tree glanced from that to another and was
detected by that one so that it came down
almost vertically and wounded him in the
leg. The wound is not serious, but will
probably get him his discharge, as it will
be a long time before he will be able to do
any marching.
This morning, while eating our break
fast, the natives opened their usual morn
ing fusilade, and the bullets commenced
flying over our heads pretty fast, with an
occasional low one Two of the men, one
Of whom is Il Norwegian who enlisted
yesterday, were eating, using one of the
coffee boilers for table, and, as it has Il
flat lid, it answered first rate for the pur-
pose, suddenly there was a crash and both
boys jumped, Mauser ball had come
down, struck the boiler lid of heavy sheet
iron and, knocking hole in it. had
glanced and gone through McDonald's
cup. A moment after the Norwegian
started to curse the cooks because he found
a bullet in his mush, and nearly broke his
grinders on it. The bullet had been de-
Elected twice and describing nearly circle
had fallen into his mush.
MARCH 10TH-I was called away at this
point by talk of flag of truce shown by
the natives. They were advancing their
flag and waving it for quite IA while, and
finally we sent one out to meet them. AS
our flag came up they retired, and finally
our men came in. After dinner the ma
tives, two of them, advanced with flag
that appeared to be white, but that some
claimed to be Philippine flag. We again
sent ont a party with white flag to meet
them, bat when the parties were four or
five hundred yards apart fire was opened
flag party of two men were the first to fire,
but at any rate we opened up and bat
terry, which had been masked up to that
time, sent several shrapnel shells into
them. They probably paid dearly for the
act This is the first act of treachery on
| the part of the natives that have known
of personally. am of the opinion that
| there were two factions, one of which was
| willing to come to terms while the Others
were not, at that time When the flag
came out the first time it was compelled
to come in, and that the second act was
! done by the ones WHO wanted to keep up
the fight for the purpose of putting stop
| to truce flags in the future. The effect
| will be bad as the men are apt to give no
| quarter for while.
l do not think much of the American
soldier as civilizing agent, and most par
ticular with an alien people. Between
the acts of the buliies the drunkards and
| the black guards that wear the uniform
and particularly among the volunteers,
there has been enough done to warrant
considerable hate and distrust without
going above the grade of the enlisted man
As to the natives | still hold to my origi.
nal opinion, and in this fighting they have
shown bravery that would be heroic if
displayed by lot of Armenians or some
other people fighting against an unpopular
people If they are treacherous then we
had better take Lexington and Concord
out of our histories. Still they, with 107
languages, are not a homogeneous people,
and, though this war be a cruel one, it
saves massacres among themselves later
on. Well, to morrow we may make an
advance, and, if so, you will hear of it
next day, if not l will go to town and get
on clean clothes and have good bath fol
the first time in over three weeks. Through
the foreign press you may hear of thing s
that you would wish had been otherwise
When you do so you can rely on one thing
and flat is that never harmed defense
less man for fear of his becoming al
armed one.
Contrary to expectation we did not at
tack the natives to day. Though we ma,
tomorrow; we may, for we were to Go S,
within 4s hours Well, can see neithe
honor or glory in this present business.
certainly see 10 profit for us "bucl
swatties," and the question of profit to tn
natives is problcmatical
The troops for our support have com
up from Manila, so that perhaps we vii
scrap tomorrow. If we don't | will IT,
and get to town 10 morrow and mail this
Well, | hope this war will soon be ovel
If there was a principle involved | think
would like the fighting part of warfare
That book of funny stories that was sen
me was swiped by some enterprising sol
dier, but had read most of it beforellan'
though, we'll fellow has to growl some
My health is splendid, and if wasn't s.
dirty | w0uld be in IA batter humDr
has started raining, the first time sine
this war started. The natives usually Xix
such nights for their Citing, 50 We will
have to keep bright look out on outpos