The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1899-02-24
FROM THE PHILIPPINES.

/ ~ " imam Nlul NV dy VI 4)lS Ouhuy yg
a few weeks ago from his son, Leon
Caraway, first lieutenant of Com
pany /, First Tennessee Regiment
The letter was written Christmas
Eve at Camp Hughes, Manila, p.
l., and is both interesting and in
structive
We are here, and all well. We
are encamped on the main thor
oughfare of ManiIa-the Luneta.
This is a city Of 100000 people, al
most as large as San Francisco, but
not quite SO imposing, The Lune-
ia IS the fashionable driveway of
Manila. 1t is the principal street,
and we are encamped on the side
of it, and can see all the "aristoc-
racy" of the place.
We have an elegant site for the
camp. Long years ago, we are told,
when Butcher" Weyler was gov
ernor-general Of these islands, he
started to build a palace on this
spot, and he first made a foundation
of solid stone, and this foundation
was brought up to the level of the
ground. We placed our tents on
this solid substance, and it affords
an ideal camp ground.
Huge square blocks of concrete
abount 9x6x5 are all around us, and
nodoubt Weyler sunk an enormous
amount of money in putting in the
foundation. Ofcourse it was dead
loss, as it is entirely abandoned.
Wehave the street Luneta on one
side of us and the Pacific Ocean on
the other, so you see all the refuse
and garbage of the camp is dumped
into the sea and is carried away by
the outgoing tide. The boys bathe
in salt water, and as it is only 80 or
60 yards from the west of the camp,
it is easy of access and there is no
excuse for not keeping clean. We
have to take all kinds of precautions
against disease here. The climate
is as hot as blazes-even more so
than in Tennessee in the summer.
Fhis is Christmas Eve here, and it
is the hottest day l ever saw. For
that reason.I l can hardly realize that
tits Christmas. Heretofore | have
been accustomed to cold weather at
Christmas time.
All the boys are enjoying them
selves, as the Steamer Saint Paul
brought may Of them Christmas
boxes filled with good things and
mail from home. "The Christmas
Bells are Ringing and We are Ten
Thousand Miles from Home" is
their song.
The city is full Of Spanish sol
diers and officers They are under
arrest, however, and confined to GER
tain limits. There are insurgents by
the hundred also. Aguinaldo sent
General Otis word last week that
he was going to eat dinner Christ
mas day in Manila. General Otis
sent him word back that if he eat
Christmas dinner in Manila she
would eat supper in hell" Agui-
naldo meant that he and his army
would march into Manila and take
Christmas dinner. l don't guess
he will. His headquarters are 30
miles from here, but his outposts
are within 200 yards of ours. I
went within bis lines last week, and
saw and talked with his sentinels.
They all claim to be friends of the
Americans, but [ would trust them
about as far as I could throw bull
by the tail. / don't think there is
any doubt of our having trouble,
but can't say when it will be.
When the fighting does begin
somebody is going to get hurt, as
Aguinaldo is well fortified and the
insurgents fight like devils. There
is a large army Of them, too. No
one doubts, however, the result Of
the war when it begins. We will
whip him good and hard, but it is
going to cost the life of many of our
brave boys. Aguinaldo is deficient
and insolent, yet he is shrewd and
brave.
The people of the islands the
natives are very diminutive race
of people, much smaller than the
American; still, they dojobs of work
that would tax the strength Of our
people. They don't wear shoes, and