The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-10
It IS ALWAYS SUMNER
The Hottest Christmas the Boys
Ever Had.
QUEER WAYS OF NATIVES
Most Of Them Want to Become Ameri-
can Cltizsns-A Fig Leaf Is the
Acme OF Style - Outpost
Duty Is No Snap.

Mrs. c. G. Terrell of No. 521 West
Park is in receipt of a letter from her
brother, stationed in Manila. He
writes about his Christmas and how he
enjoyed the turkey sent to him by his
sister He thought ait first that he
would share it with some of his COM
rades and then it occurred to him that
maybe turkey would be a bad diet for
soldiers and he just ate it all himself.
He says it was the hottest Christmas
weather he ever experienced, land
that's no lie.
1T e always summer here" he con-
tlnued, land the sun was shining as hot
on Christmas day as it does in Butte
in July. On Christmas day I went to
the band concert and in the evening
took walk out to the insurgents line"
He predicted that there would be no
trouble with the natives, saying that
"all the natives treat us very nicely.
They want to become Americans. These
natives are very mixed race of people,
being composition of Chinese, Japs,
Malays, Indians and Spanish. They are
very apt class of people, quick to
learn. However, some Of the lower
classes do not want to learn anything.
Everything they do is just the opposite
OF our way. I was on guard one day
last week up at the Bridge Of Spain.
This is very busy part of the city
and had time with some of them.
They all want to go in different direc-
tons and ways while crossing the bridge
and the first thing they know they get
into blockade. Then the guards have
to jump in and straighten them out and
head them in the right course. When
passing one another they try to go to
the left instead Of the right and will
try to pass on another right on the
bridge. They don't seem to catch onto
the system in vogue among whites in
such emergencies.
Their clothing is decidedly abbre-
Waited All some of them wear is a fig
leaf, and the women don't seem to be
ashamed to parade the streets with
nothing on but a very thin, gauzy short
skirt.
Il have tried to get some relics from
the boats Dewey sank, but they are
guarded constantly and we are not al
lowed to go near them at all. / will
try ito bring home some relics. have
a piece of a Spanish flag that was cap
tured by the troops when they took
Manila. 1t was given to me by one of
the California soldiers.
I did outpost duty for the first time
last week. 1t is very dangerous duty
to be four or five miles from the regi-
ment. 1t is no snap.
4 don't know how long 1t will be be-
fore we are mustered out / wish they
would hurry up The officers are treat
ing us better than they did and we get
much better rations. Most all of the
boys got Christmas boxes, but got
more in mine than any of the others
did. If had thought that turkey was
good for common soldiers l would have
given them some, but I was afraid it
would make them sick" The writer
concludes with a kindly reference to all
of his friends and predicts that the
county of Silver Bow went democratic.
William Hart of South Butte also
received letter written by a friend
just after Christmas. He said:
Il received your letter the day before
Christmas and was glad to hear that
you were enjoying good health. I did
not have very nice time Christmas.
/ was on guard duty, outpost duty. We
had to take "a hours rations with us,
so you know what kind of dinner I
had. Our outpost is about 800 yards
from the insurgents. One has to keep on
the alert, but this makes the time pass
more quickly than doing duty around
the quarters. There was trouble be-
tween the insurgents and our outpost
on the night of the 23d. Our regiment
was called to arms in the middle of the
night. 1t would have surprised you to
see how quickly we rolled out and got
into readiness There was no excite
ment. You would have thought that it
was an every-night occurrence. There
was some tall old swearing when it
turned out to be no trouble at all.
This was the hottest Christmas that
ever saw. It was 80 degrees above
zero in the shade. I have become accus-
toned to the heat and it doesn't affect
me as it seems to the other boys. Our
company is one of the healthiest in the
island.
There was a fire here last night 1t
was a picnic to see the fire department
at work. They are all natives and their
antics reminded me of the pictures we
used to see of the Darktown brigade
who would have thought a year
ago that would spend my next Christ
mas in Manila, but then there are Won
derful changes in a year. They boys
are anxious to have a scrap or go back