The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-21

Washington soldiers are feasting on
ducks. which they captured from the FIJI
ipsnos In one OF their recent skiEmishes.
having taken 3l00 Of the fat birds pris-
oners. More particulars Of their opera
ticns In the Philippines are contained in
an interesting letter written By DR.. Joseph
c. Thompson, surgeon on the cruiser Bal
timore. TO his parents in Staten Island, n.
T. The doctor is a nephew Of Mrs. Reu-
ben w. Jones, Of Seattle.
Writing from Manila under date OF March
Is, he says: To-day / was With the fore
most skirmish party that took one OF the
insurgent stronghelds. the town OF Pasig.
The Washington state troops. with whom
/ was today, advanced TO the rivers edge.
and my company crossed In native canoes
under fire from shore. and went into the
town. burnt 1t. and then recrossed to join
the main body. and camped for the night
In a small village on the shore OF the lake.
The regiment there took $50 prisoners and
= grea. quantity Of food, including ever
30O0 live ducks. fresh corn. bananass etc.
The distance from Manila TO the lake Is
about thirteen miles. Our men were armed
with Springfield guns. which the natives
call baby cannon
THE suburbs OF Manila are sad 10 ride
through. What were once picturesque ma
tive homes, with their flowers and their
fish nets. and babies strewn promiscuousiy
around. are now heap OF ashes. with only
hungry. homeless cats proving about. At
first there were chickens also. but between
the cats and the soldiers they are now all
gone. 1t Is too bad that We have had TO
fight these people. but the military element
among them has precipitated matters. ana
now thousands are suffering.
THE natives SO far inland had no idea
our troops would ever reach them. and so
abandoned their homes in great haste. as
you can see by entering the few that es-
capped the flames; whereas, those living
near Manila took what they most wanted
with them. and a great deal OF their glass.
chinaware, and In some cases silver. and
even money they buried under the house.
and when they fed. burned the latter over
II. Now. enterprising Cinnamon go around
at night and dig up the stun. bring IT into
town and store 1t, and will have fine
stock to sell when things have quieted
down and household articles are in de-
mand
Sorry as one must be TO fight 50 weak
an enemy as these Filipinos. one can have
naught but praise for our governments
action toward them. We treated them
with great kindness. gave them food and
weapons to use against the Spaniards and
rid their country Of the most tyrannical
rulers that ever existed: and the only re-
s.riction placed upon them was not to
allow armed bodies Of them to enter Ma
Mia. They would send In petitions to be
allowed to march into Manila to attend
high mass but General Otis was obliged to
refuse. The natives have learned much
evil from the Spanish and thar priests
The doctor has been studying the CHI
nese language. and says no has learned
over 1000 characters and LID words. II
can remember these unattached words and
their symbols just as easily as I used to
the name. number and description OF the
thousands OF beetles I had" he writes.
Their construction Ia most curious: when
they want 10 express. do you zee a cow
they say: You II zee a one OK female. do
your 1t Is extremely difncult. as well as
necessary to pronounce well to make your
self understood. The words for sugar. So
ciety, cold. pain. soup and ginger are all
pronounced as II they were spelled tong
but each with a slight difference In innec-
ton. 1t demoralizes your servant to aek
him for pain when all you want is moro
sugar. or to ask a man at sick call II he
IS cold when the thermometer registers
100 above zero"