Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1899-12-08
IN THE TRENCHES.
The goth Regiment has Six
Miles of Trenches to Hold.

Rainy Season Makes it Interesting
500 Men able for Duty ont OF 1920 In
One Regiment Tropical Fever Ex-
perience- Otis Commended-Dis
sion Of the Philippines IN
teresting Letter From Mestrezat.
PAsAY. p. /. Nov 5, '99-I suppose
Jack Frost has made you visit by
this time. While 1t is pretty warm
here it is not as hot as il was in
Morgantown in July, and it probably
never gets that hot la these islands.
We wear heavy flannel shirt all the
time. While it does not always feel
comfortable it is great protector of
health The best friend the soldier
has is the abdominal bandage OF fam
mel. This must never be taken of ex-
cept when bathing. Yesterday morn
ing we had ninety-nine men on the
sick report, all with minor COM
plants. In the band we have no sick
ness whatever. The companies are
having it pretty hard as they are hold
ing six miles OF trenches and the rainy
season Is not over YET.
My old regiment the 21st Infantry
came here with 1920 men, now have
500 able for duty. The 18th regiment
has been very unfortunate having
shot two of their own men dead for
failing to halt when ordered to do so.
One of our men, did the same thing
the other night and Was shot through
the shoulder.
| must show you how the tropical
fever they have here will knock man
off his feet. | took it when several
days out of Manila. 1t started in
with chill and then a fever that last
ed four days. On the second day
every wheel in the ship turned into
flend and screeched "Well grind the
life out of him!n On the third day I
thought it would be a glorious thing
to be put in a box and thrown over
board and / hoped they would forget
to put any weight in and I would float
off on an endless cruise, just as a band
leader did some time ago. On the
fourth day got thirsty for the first
time and drank quart of ice water
at one time. | went TO sleep then
and when / awoke my mind had clear
eel up, the fever was gone and | felt
good all over, but SO weak / could
not walk
When we reached Manila | knew /
would be sent to the general hospital
if | did not look sharp, so when we
landed | got behind an old boiler till
I saw the troops leave and the ambu-
lances disperse. / then left my retreat
and got Filipino boy to haul me the
four and half miles to camp, on
cart drawn by water buffalo. While
this was the slowest ride that can be
imagined it was just what / needed.
The driver could speak Filipino and
Spanish and enough American to
make me understand anything he
wished to explain. Reaching camp
the leader of the 4th calvary band
took me IN charge and gave me his
room and bed while he fixed up place
for himself on the porch. had heard
Of hospi tality before but not just Of
that kind. In four days / was able
to join my regiment but never can l
forget the great kindness l received
from that band while was with them.
In thelconduct of this campaign Gen.
Otis has shown himself not only
great soldier but christian gentle
men as well, a combination of good
qualities that does not always 60 to-
gether. He has avoided all possible
blood shed, and to-day every time al
American soldier shows his head above
the trenches he is promptly shot at by
the Filipinos while the festive Filipino
can walk on the top of his trench,
throw up his hat and yell and shout
all he pseases, but it is against orders
to fire at him unless he leaves his
trench and starts toward the American
line.
The Filipinos are civilized, chris
tian people who have been deluded by
few shrewd crafty men who are
making plenty of money out of the
war. Kipling calls them half devil,
half child. The trouble is they are
all child, kind hearted and generous
to a fault, They have never shown
themselves as much devil as Kipling
did when he pronounced that two
column curse on the American peo-
pie. They will make good citizens
but are too child like to ever govern
themselves. They dress In excellent
taste and their clothing always looks
like it was Just out OF the laundry
The women all dress so they can show
their arms and shoulders and they are
certainly worth looking at, being
beautifully formed. They never make
any indecent exposure Of their persons
Most of the letters written to the