Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1899-03-24

mained out Sunday and Sunday night
II had charge of the guard at the min
but had no trouble. All this. time We
could hear the terrible firing and especi.
ally of the gun boats. saw the Monitor
Manadnock fire number of shots. was
on top or d house. Fires were thick and
one or two churches were burned by
bursting shells. The third battalion Is
now in the fight. Co ''K" killed some
natives and captured some prisoners.
Co. I'D" also captured lot of natives
but our Co. IN" will stay in quarters to
guard them A lot of the natives have
been captured and some hard looking
ones. One with long hair to his hips,
with bow S feet long, and tin shield
was captured.
''All the boys are crazy to fight. Span
iards are very much pleased and glad
that they surrendered. We have the ma
tives driven way back and no telling how
many have been killed. In some places
they were literally slaughtered especially
by the gun boats. To give you some idea
of the amount of shooting saw onetrain
of bull carts with $50, 900 rounds of shells
for the volunteers, and there has been a
lot OF artillery firing.
cit is our dnty to guard the old town or
walled city. Ifthere is an outbreak there
we will have a hot time. The Tennessee
boys did great work, in fact all the
soldiers did, and such a licking as the
natives got will never be forgotten by
them. OF course some of our brave boys
have bit the dust, but this is the fortune
of war. They supposed that we would
fight like the Spaniards; fire few dozen
shots in the air and retire but We followed
them up and gave them volley after
volley with telling effect. Men were sent
and well they did it. Cards were given
the owners and cards tackled. on the rig.
Yesterday owners were trying to get
hem hack. Some of the rigs were brok-
en-. others the horses were driven to
death, but the government pays them
for all damage and also we'll for the use OF
their property. The firing line is now
about ten miles out one way and 15 miles
the other.
The water buffalo have come in very
handy in moving heavy stnff. They
only go abont mile an honr. Its is
very curious the way they feed them "A
limited supply of green grass is fed them.:
also rice soaked III water until it is very
soft and mushy, then the animal is held
with its head up by means of a ring in
his nose. A bamboo stick about q
foot long and three inches through, with
one.end plugged is filled and the buffalo
is forced 10 swallow it.. This is operated
several times each morning and evening.
Some of the boys left our companies and
went to the firing line. They were fined
IS each and six davs in the guard house.
/. Pap Hayseed'' has a light attack o
smallpox. but is notvery sick. sasssaes q. s4.
the boys captured a deer. 1t is very
much like the deer at home only with
shorter legs. There are some wild flow
flowers and some blooming trees, one in
particular that when it blooms it sheds
all the leaves and is full of bright red
flowers.'
Arthur Henkle's company had q little
experience under fire which Arthur de-
scribed rather quaintly in letter to his
mother. He SAYS: 81 haven't had my
clothes off since the fighting began yes
terday morning. Our company was sent
out within quarter of mile of the
sighting line, to hold bridge close to
one of the hospitals. There we're some
sharp shooters up the river 900 or 700
yards and when we got out in plain
view they would take crack at US.
You would laugh to see the way we
would try to dodge the bullets. Some OF
the South Dakota men got up on top of
the churches and had the pleasure of
seeing three Filipinos shot. It was
laughable to see them when bullet hit
them. They would double up as if
something hurt them. It was a fine
sight to see .Dewev's ships throw shells
into the insurgent lines. We could see
the ambulences hauling them in by the
dozens, some with arms orslegs shot off,
or shot in the body. / saw one woman
with small baby. She was shot
through the hips and there was blood. all
over the baby. do not know whether
it wes shot or not. The Third Battalion
went out to the firing line today That
isythe one Elwood Clark and John Berry
are in.'' The letter was completed Feb
ruary 9Th and furnishes further particu-
lars: 1.-THE battle is still on. Some OF
rs boys were sent out by the prison to
hold block house. I was there from
noon yesterday until noon today. tell
YOU we are tired set OF boys. We have
been on the jump for four days and
nights, with very little sleep. Last
night the gangI was with stold lS ducks
and 81 chickens. You can bet they
were fine. An old native came to our
officer and told him some one had stolen
his chickens. The officer said he knew
nothing about it, and he had already
eaten some of them. Agninuldo says he
will fight us to a finish. The boys are
all glad of this, as We will get home
much quicker. Jim Blackburn is in
the hospital with the fever. Sam Starr
is laid up with a bad arm as the. result
of vaccination" ra JHgtas:a
A CRIMINAL WARRANT. =