Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1899-05-05
FROM The PHILIPPINES.
AN Their LIE TIER FROM FAUNCR
WHO WhITES OF THE MANY
INTERB STING oLEShS IN THE
ISLANDS
Manila. L. |. March 18th 1899.
Mrs G.. t. FAUNCE,

Dear mother:-Your welcome letter
of Jan. 2Sth reached me all right yes
terday morning, out AT Pasig City in
! the "a terror
IL had quite chase To find me AS our
brigade has been constantly on the
move chasing niggers Tor the past ten
days. We (the 2Oth) came back 10
Manila late last night and will be do.
| ing garrison duty tor IA week or two.
! We are all mad about IL III we would
much rather go after the nIggers. We
left here ten days ago and weut south
about miles To San Pedro Macarti,
where the end OF the n.Iug line comes
| down to the bay, staid Il ere one night
then the next mOrnlnS he tun began.
With the whole brigade formed in IA
double line OF skirmishcrS covering "A
territory OF nearly three miles 10 length
W. moved over our uAu trenches jn,O
the forbidden ground driving every
thing, niggcrs, water butfiiu chickens,
| ducks and almost al thu birds before us.
The Philippines had all kinds 81
trenches, forts, block houses aud hills
To hold, but they couldn't do IA thing.
but anyhow they went when few
shells broke over them and Us after
them. they retrealod over uearl, ID
mites OF ground III three day, Finally
the last stand they made was at Pasig
City on Pasig Island in Pa,ig river
| CHATS all OF the Pasigs), but only held
1t one night and halt OF one day. At
al h..Il lin
by the artillery one battalion of the
goth Companies a. Ii |. and NJ
went across the river in caScon boats
| and charged the city aud had il all TO
ourselves. Co. | never lost 4 man or
| nd one wounded, sc vt,'ntttr behind
Tie line cit er Tho 10Th lost l",S than
10 men killed Out riglu. bur have not
found Que hOw many va, wounded.
DO not think lhcre were more than 80
or 40 though All htt wrr" wounded
or Killed were hit accidentlN Tor don't
think the nigger> could nit mtu Al
Ten PAGES The man they shoot direct
y at is perfectly safe, tut those that
are ] or mile behind are IN danger Of
stray bullets.
We passed through and burned sever
al villages and cities II would not be
safe TO leave them Stand Is most of
them are regular pestholes 10 white
people. In the native villages the
houses are made with brmbop frame
set up from wv To four feet from the
ground instead of board, or shingle the
sides and roofs are covered with palm
leaves from the cocoa and banana trees
TN at distance village looks ike n
buuch of straw stacks in the states
Their furniture. that is The poorer class.
Is almost too scarce to ne called furn-
ture at all, furniture for Il Hhoie house
might consist OF AN old Spanish tire pot
tor couking, a bunch Ut mtttiug for
''eepinG, few gourd aud cocoanut
shells i'l dishes aud M, be- sort Of
bamboo table and "a few stools
| think | will mar Philippine
maiden a. | could furnish house very
cheap. the wealthy class have very fine
furniture OF mahogany, ebony and BAN
boo. Their houses are built more of
lattice work, or kind Of cement All
Of the houses both rich and poor are
very cool and comfortable. But if YOU
want To see the finest there is on the
island You must 90 10 the priests house
pT la the churches, thee as far rs |
h"v" seen, everything is of the best to
he had in the Philippine Isiand, OF
course as The lnSurgent armies retreat
hey carry all they can with them still
sometimes they nave 10 leave in double
time then we cen yet good idea Of
how hey 1--we
| have several uiGke's - relics which
got at Pasig, bH' don't know we'her
will be able tO take care ~ al for
three years or nol Or course could
not get anything hrg as troops on
forced marches don't want 10 carry
much but equipme lis.
We got all kind, Dt eAting while out
in the country, not so murh from Uncle
>. but the country where we was
ihto ugh was alive with chickens. ducks
then there are lois of cocolnuls, bana-
mas and tropical fruits The mos; trouble
was water and chewing tobacco. we
could get lots Of smoking but no plug
chewing tobacco. It is not made here
at all, all that we get is shipped from
bht HhhN'S 81 VIC lldNt ~ tIlIN our sup
ply from here in our rolls When we
get out to the front it is worth % cents
instead Of 10 cents plug.
Our regimental mascot is boy
about y years old, but he had the mis-.
fortune to get shot in the leg so we are
W thOut one now. You see he was with
the hospital corps behind the troops so
he was in nprn ia srpr iba,,
folks be sure and write often and long
letters, everybody write, it don't cost
any more. You must remember it takes
long time for letter to reach me and
some may be lost II we should be IN the
interior so keep them coming all the
time. You can see how long yours of
Jan. 2Sth was in reaching me, just
got ii yesterday March Il, st. Patrick's
day.
/ xyil hox -, al g.. A. a. 49,.