Iron County register., 1899-05-18
Charles w. Smith OF Battery X,
Third United States Artillery. writes

Charles w. smith oil battery II,
Third United States Artillery, writes
TO his parents in Terre Haute:
There were about l5 Spanish prison
ers digging graves a few days ago.
Tennessee boys, who were guarding
them. made them dig hole. then shot
all the prisoners and threw them in u
hole. covering them up. When they
came back and we're asked by the COM
manding officer where their prisoners
were they said they had planted every
one of them and said they would like
to have about so more to do the same
thing with. There has been nothing
said or done to the boys yet for it.
The Thirteenth Minnesota men are
doing provost guard duty over the city
and they don't do thing but shoot
every once in while. Then they call
a cart. throw the dead natives in 1t,
haul them off, throw them in hole
and cover them up.
The Manila correspondent of the New
York San makes this statement:
Occasionally a Filipino would fall
forward apparently dead, wait until he
was fairly under the heels OF the
Americans, and then foolishly rise and
attempt to gain safety. TO shoot a
man at six-foot range with SPRING
field rifle is hard thing to do, but or
ders were to let no insurgent live. and
off would 60 the whole side of his head,
or he would fall with a wound in his
abdomen large enough to drop a pota-
to through.
The Spokane Re0ieso of March 2S
prints letter from Washington vol
unteer. q part of which is as follows:
We burned hundreds of houses and
looted hundreds more. Some of the
boys made good hauls of jewelry and
clothing. Nearly every man has at
least two suits of clothing and our
quarters are furnished in Style, fine
beds with silken draperies, mirrors,
chairs, rockers. cushions, pianos, hang
ing lamps, rugs, pictures, etc. We
have horses and carriages and bull
carts galore and enough furniture and
other plunder to load a steamer.
The Burlington HdCkeye publishes a
letter from an Iowa volunteer who says:
We marched about seven miles
through the sand and went into camp
for the night in little bamboo village.
The people had deserted the houses
aud left everything they had, and the
soldiers made short work of the whole
thing. They looted every house and
found almost everything, from pair
of wooden shoes up to piano, and
they carried everything or destroyed 1t.
did not get anything OF much account.
The other companies had got ahead OF
US. Talk of the natives plundering
the towns, don't think they are In it
with the Fiftieth Iowa.
The Massachusetts, Republican con-
tains letter from Capt. Albert Otis,
who says Of his exploits of plunder:
l have six horses and three carriages
in my yard, and enough small plunder
for family of six. The house | had
at Santa Ana had five pianos. Icouldn't
take them, so ! put big grand piano
out of second-story window. You
can guess its finish.
In the New York Evening Post a sol
dier describes the slaughter of the
Filipinos thus:
The scene reminded me OF shooting
jack rabbits Ia Utah, only the rabbits
sometimes got away, but the insurgents
did not.
Harpers' Weekly. once hide-bound
partisan journal, says:
1t is estimated that we have already
killed more (Filipinos) than the Span
iards murdered in their more than $50
years OF misrule.
The time Is coming when the demo-
gogues, the land-grabbers, murderers,
army jobbers and contractors, the de-
famers OF the Declaration and villifiers
OF the Constitution will be given an
opportunity to defend their course in
the Philippines. The people are be-
coming aroused against The insidious
and criminal policy OF imperialism as
the truth becomes known. When the
whole truth Is known there will be
storm OF indignation sweep over the
entire country. Already we can hear
rumors which like distant peals of
muttering thunder give warning Of the
approaching storm. When the storm
breaks it will sweep the demogogues.
the grabbers and jobbers from the
places OF authority as by the vengeance
OF God. Then shall the God-given
rights OF the Filipinos be man granted
and we shall return again to our OBJ
servance OF the declaration and the
constitution and the principles OF JUS
tice and humanity.
CLAUD d. HALL.
St. Louis, May 10.
MANY old soldiers now feel the effects