The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-05-26
FROM LEWIS coFFIELD.

In the field north of Malolos, p. |.
April IL, 1899.
Dear folks at home:-W When a fe How
ia supposed to he dead" he is sup
posed to keep STILL but 1 think will
write you few lines nevertheless. |
We got our mail Sunday and learn
ed that Chastain and myself were
said to have been killed. l hunted
Doc up and asked him If he was alive. |
He said he believed he was pretty
much alive, so 1t was all a mistake
you see. l got your letter dated Mar.
/. and was swfully glad mamma did
MT believe such senseless rumOr, as
| have often thought she might. |
don't see how In the thunder such
rumors get started. Some people
must have very little to do. l hope
they enjoy themselves. Don't be-
lieve anything you hear. TaAe the
official reports always, and don't be-
lieve everything you see there, for
there is always mistakes made in the
first reports. Our lncky star has
never faded, and with the exceptions
of Rum bley and McGrew the lola
boys have been through it all and
are as good as new. McGrew and
, Rumbley are still in the hospital with
their wounds but are getting along
fine.
| suppose you know as much, if not
more, about the movements of our
! forces i'm this Malolos campaign than
? do, so l will not try to give you q
1 full description. We left the trenches
in front of Malabon on the night OF
the 9th of March and marched to
e. the La Iona church, three miles to
= the right, took our position in the
: Flying Brigade and on the morning
= of the 25th at daylight orders came to
3 advance, and from that time until we
d marched into the Filipino capital on
T March 81 we had about all the fight
Q we could use up. The insurgents had
entertainments to fall back into al
j the way to Malolos, so we had the
1 fun of running them out of one hole
o into another like rabbits. Our ad.
@ vance was over marsh lands, rice
n fields, through jungles where you
d couldn't see fifty yards ahead, and
q you may know how tired we were OF
4 it when we reached MalOlos. We
k have lost two men killed and two
e wounded in Company since leaving
n the Caloocan trenches, Keeney anc
y Hatfield, two Pittsburg, Kansas boys
l. were killed while we were charging
e the niggers' entertainments at river
on the 9th inst. After one days res
| in Malolos we were marched Ou
It north of the town and took our posi-
o ton on the firing line again and hav,
n been in camp at this place since Apri
d End.
o We claim quite record for tn,
10 regiment as stayers, from the fac
o that we have never been Off the firing
V line but the one day since the nigh
It of February when our troubles be
gan. The first four weeks we wer
b, out was crippled up with rheuma
lie tism some, but haven't felt twing
o. of it since so guess l am all RICH
re on that score now. l was overcom
is with the heat once while on tn
III march and thought for awhile | wa
I'd going to croak, but l got over 1t in
10 day and feel none the worse for
" now. AT present l feel as well as
OF ever did in my life and have no CON
RS plant to make.
to believe that the volunteers hav
u had about all the fighting they car
ut for and would all be glad to get ont