The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-18
FROM MANILA.
First Letters From Topeka Sol
diers in the Philippines.
An Interesting Account of the
Country and Natives.
EVERYONE HOMESICK.
Guards Have Orders to Shoot
on Slightest PrOVOcatiOn.
Spaniards and Natives Want to
Enlist With Americans.

one mothers heart in Topeka 1t
brought the first letters from the sol
diers of the Twentieth Kansas volun-
teers since they have reached Manila
Among the letters was one from Char
les Ramsey, son OF Street Commissioner
Ramsey, from which the following ex-
tracts are taken:
Manila, Philippine Islands, United
States of America, Dec. 13, 1851 for
got to wish you a merry Christmas and
happy New Year for they seem a long
way off for it is so warm here. 1t is
warmer here than we have ever had it
at home though the mornings are cool
between three and seven o'clock. 1t is
so warm that the soldiers are not allow
ed to do any work between ten ana
three O'Clock, excepting the guards The
kind of guard duty we do is the same as
a policeman except that we have orders
to shoot on the least provocation. Since
we have been here the members of our
regiment have knocked over about a
dozen with the butt ends of our guns
that is the natives. They are the dirt
lest people in the world. Just think of
it; here is a city with 100000 people and
no sewerage and the town is on a dead
level.
DEWEY FIRED FIRST SHOT.
If 1 had a camera I could get some
fine pictures as the ruins OF the forts
are still here: Did you know that
bardment of the fort He is an excel
lent shot and so are all our gunners,
for 1 can see that they can hit a mark
a good deal better than a man can
with rifle. They dislodged the guns
at the fort one after another, never
throwing away a shot.
We do not have any drilling to amount
to anything. 1t takes all the men to do
guard work and fatigue duty and such
things as that. 1 have had charge Of
a fatigue gang ever since have been
here expect to go on guard duty in
a few days and it is very hard on a. cor
poral. We have to post our relief and
then go around and pick up what the
men have arrested 1 saw corporal
after making the rounds come in with
ten prisoners, most of them Cinnamon
and one was an insurgent. You know
that our lines are within a half mile of
the insurgent camp and we may have
trouble with them yet.
AGUINALDO LIKES AMERICANS
Aguinaldo likes the Americans and
thinks they ought to keep Manila and
the surroundings but not all of the is
lands-only what we have won from
the Spaniards. I think if the officers
will use a little discretion we will not
have trouble with him as he and all his
men like the Americans as they call the
soldiers His soldiers and the Spanish
soldiers would like to enlist in our army.
They think we have a lot of money.
An enlisted man gets 1920 in their
money. We have our laundry done for
twelve and half cents a month. You
can hire a native for three American
dollars a month These natives are
clean about their persons-cleaner than
white man. They take bath all over
every day but keep their dogs. chickens.
monkeys and horses in the same room
with them. They don't wear many
clothes.
I was down to the slaughter house
last night-they eat horses that are
too old to work, and dogs. We have to
keep our chickens penned up as there
are none but game chickens here. The
beasts of burden are men and the water
buffalo. 1 have seen a man carry 200
to 400 pounds on his back and the buff
faloes are yoked to a two wheeled cart
and with a string through their noses
they are driven.
TOUGHEST PART OF TOWN
We live in the toughest part of the
town. There is a large cigarette fac
tory close by and the boys go down
to see them make them and they always
give US a handful of cigarettes. They
are good deal better than five cent
cigars we get at home and the cigars
are simply fine and we can get the best
for three centS-they would cost 25 cents
at home. No one smokes a pipe or
makes his own cigarettes here. We get
90 cigarettes for nickel
Our transport is the only one that
ever landed without some sickness on
board. Every man was able to put his
knapsack on and march to the bar
racks. John Johnston, E. Davis and
Bob Maxwell and all the other boys are
well.
COULD MAKE A FORTUNE
If had discharge and 800 could
make fortune here by starting a res
taurant. There is not a good one in
town and the soldiers would spend all
their money with an American if he
would start one. We do not know who
is going to be captain of our company
but Lieutenant Frank is very kind to
the boys and he won every mans re-
spect on the ship. He took more in
terest in us than any other officer. I
have met lots of Topeka boys in the
other regiments here. The soldiers that
are here now are very homesick. There
are no white women here except a few
officers wives.
CHARLES B. RAMSEY,
Corporal Co. A, goth Kansas Volunteers,