The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1899-03-24

An Interesting Letter Describing the Pc,

uIiarities Of the Country
Mr. Otto Smith, who formerly lived
in GOOdiand with his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. o. 81. Smith. has written an in
teresting letter from Manila describing
the peculiarities Of the country aud
the inhabitants to his parents IN Des
MOlness Ia He Is a member Of com
Pany H. EIfty-FIrst Iowa The letter is
as follows
Dec Is, 1S9S--Manila : city Of over $4,000
population at present. They have ~ arc and
l.s5A IncandesCent lights. The street cars are
run By three small ponies that 60 Ike the wind
An immense water works Is situated II the city
without II they would be entirely without
unless they would use river water. The dwell
lngs and stores are all stone The residences
built b the 5panIards have iron gratings at all
I the windows, 70 prevent thieves from entering.
/ coal sheds are beneath Some of the houses are
furnished lovely and have some Of the finest
Ear1s- ! am trying % get q certain picture OF
/ the Battle Of the Maine, painted by a Spaniard,
who Is an artist of no little reputation. he has
painted I'VE and Ar. jim Connolly, OF First Cali
1 fOrnla- has promised Of them as he Is
prQpFle-or OF ILeIn al ana Is one OF my trends
4 lhOusAl i na4 seen some me clurcless out
| must say that never saw such beautiful ones
/ as IN Manila They are al Catholics aud some
OF the dates on these churches are 100 90 loO+,
lo5J. and they are very large buildings One IS
| called the steel Church" 1t Is ali steel and
i the sreepl6s and immense bells hanging IN the
/ belfreys are covered with flowers and moss
i There are large openings IN front and as a rule
/ three passageways to the interior of the church.
/ You enter into an immense room with carvings
4 that you can stand and gaze at for hours and
| paintings also. Some Of the largest churches
possess pipe organs, the finest have ever seen.
I by the way, there are no liner piano players as
I rigbt here Most a IN the houses have one The
| South Dakota Barracks have three good ones-)
/ There Is something IN the churches that make
i you respect them and the people you see kneel-
ing at the affairs, and the solemn chant which Is
/ very musical Every body raves over these hne
! The city Of Manila is divided by the Pasig
! river, a stream about so yards IN width and
about > feet deep, making 1t impossible for
| large steamers like this one to enter, but all
| small vessels enter easily. From the river are
/ drainage canals all over the city. On side
Of this river Is New Manila and on the other old
/ old city. 1t has hotels, saloons and many cafes
/ and nne stores. The stores handle mostly lndIa
/ ana j apaneSe goods. was N one Wnlcl nau a
pair of vases for $50 piece They were elegant
/ Also a writing desk for So Old Manila IS sur
rounded by a wall ABOUT ~ teet hlgn, out before
you get 70 the wall there Is mOat with about
~ feet Of water IN It, which surrounds the wall.
/ II Is about > feet wide and wherever there Is
! large arch there Is draw-bTIdge ike the old
/ ancient times. The walls are still good, but
| covered with ivy and the mOat Is full of lilies
/ The walls are about ~ feet high and 10 feet
4 through mean 10 feet wide, but the wall Itself
| is oTIT about 3 feet thick 1T is divided OF into
dungeons inside. little hole on top for arr. The
top of the walls quite level II the Spanlards
/ had gained the victory and made the Americans
prisoners, that Is the kind of place they would
/ have put them In and starved them TO death
/ Inside the wall are several large churches, some
| of these churches the 1000 Spanish prisoners
/ are placed. They have ample freedom and live
| as good do and are fed by our government.
/ About sJJO LETT night before last on a french
/ steamer for Spain. There are lots of Spanish
! people IN the old city anu some VINO useu 20
| posses wealth and GOOD homes anu are no"
/ without anything. There are two large palaces
IN the city alsO5 one Is being used for the Amer
! lean headquarters 1nere are lovely urlsg rom
| this palace. On Sunday night you would think
\ you were on Lake Front Chlcago5 It IS very gay
| and lively. There are concerts at the LaeJJa on
( the PasIg, Monday and tuesday, ednesuay
/ and Saturday nights By different bands The
1 Colorado band IS SAID 70 DC the pest ney pave
| not heard our band yet. Frank Dickey plays
/ snare drum IN the Colorado band and ranks as
| corporal. The reason saw all these Things Is
/ because Col. Lopez gave permission to go ashore
/ Sunday he hired launch to make trips at
/ Z a. m and 9 a. IN. 70 p and 10 D i went
place IN the evening 1t cost Us ID cents apiece
/ round rim and we an enjoyed II. had a letter
to give TO a Spanish lady from sister OF hers IN
| Alameda. Cal. Sonora CalvO, 50 delivered
| fbat ire I fornd her in the Old CITY. She was
! about 60 years old but had certainly been hand
| some when young at least she has three hand
| some dark-eyed daughters but they speak no
/ English I made myself understood. and soon
/ she read the letter While they were busily en-
! gagged In reading the letter took In the room.
i 1t only required glance few plush chairs,
a bed few paintings and some sort OF a coucl at
/ the window, a guitar and piano and some hne
| ing the letter the old lady few at me. thought
/ I was q EOuer. but no she caught my hands and
! shook them with great cordlality yes lnleedr
/ bore the lmprInts OF t1at cOnIOulled ZIP lOF
] some time. When she finished making me un-
] unr=Eauu i winch she most surely
/ did, her oeautltul daughters apPIodGueu. 4
/ arose with deep bow and one OF them extend
ed the tips Of her dainty and veil-sha ped fingers
/ the Others followed likewise / was then tolu 70
/ be seated. 1 thanked her and bowed and took
/ my seat. By this time was very much amused
/ and wondered what next, when 10 and behold /.
] Filipino came IN bearing a trayvylth a glass OF
| water and glass Of the most delicious Muscatel
/ wine III was fine. I arose and drank to their
| health and peace with their country They next
| brought me a lunch and cigars. left there
/ about noon, but before LETT the sonora ana
#rnr-
/ help Of my Spanish book. She had been very
/ wealthy. and showed me from her window their
/ old home. Is a palace as were mott OF these
/ houses. She said the insurgents entered their
! home and plundered everything they had they
/ barely escaped with their lives They are a very
/ proud set and are hard 70 get acqualnte1 WIN.
| Everyone of the boys tell me am lucky, for they
/ have been here tIve months and cannot set 70
/ speak 70 them her sister must nave given me
/ a great send-Off. as they were extremely cordial
/ If we go ashore here snail cal there OFTEN, 50
/ can learn Spanish. as they speak II coEEect5y-
/ Well. I left them about noon and went TO the
/ Tennessee camp They have good place. 1
/ went 20 Company and they an kne" me 50
/ had a good dinner, and then bid them adieu.
Had some letters to give to the First California
/ boys, 50 I went there and TO Company n
| Met two fellows. one whose sister had met In
l San Francisco. They took me all over the city.
i We got a victoria lat their expense. OF course,
| as I am brOke), and rode to some OF the most
/ viCIsIy- --5sItio-1aI We mad q ssbuIly5- time
| We also attended a Utah artillery boy s funeral
/ The California band played and the cemetery
went TO, I VIII try 70 tell you Of VIII hrst
]
eter, and II Is as round can be- 1t has a large
l wall ten feet high, about twelve feet VIDE and
| an inner wall, same height and width these are
vaults One coffin sits on the other with Just
/ a stone slab division of about one inch thick
They re three feet deep, all around the walls
both Of them IN fact. There are several thouS-
and here. The inscription Is put on the place
l of marble or glass that covers the opening
where the coffin has been putin Now under the
l old Spanish rule these places occupied BY the
I dead had 70 be kept cleaned and a certain rent
/ had to be paid monthly In default OF paying
this rent. the body Is taken up and cast into the
bone pit. This Is at the extreme opposite Of the
l entrance. 1t Is twelve feet deep now. Lord
| knows how deep It has been You can see hun
| dreds Of human skulls and bones and halr, IN
fact il was the most horrible sight ever saw or
/ ever want TO see. I did not spend much time
I there. The American soldiers are buried
| in the center OF the inner circle which
is a nice grassy lawn They are buried
according to own ways. beneath
sod. We left there and took drive down
along the PasiR. thence 20 the First California
| barracks aud we had a fine supper nled up
anyway. 1 forgot, We had tomatoes, too We
again stepped into the victoria and drove on TO
see the city at night. 1t was hue sight as
you ever could imagine The Spanish ladies
and gentlemen Of wealth. the Filipino with ms
morber fvife) and babies IN carettas and VIC
r0raE frrurr across little BRIDGES and down the