The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-03-03

Letter from Sergt. W1nkler written
before the recent outbreak while doing
guard duty:
GUARD HOUSE, MANILA, Jan. o, 80.
1t is now 10 p. m. and | am on duty
till 3 a. m. just put prisoner in the
guard house for being drunk There is
| considerable excitement around here
tonight, as they are expecting trouble
with the natives. Our regiment was
called out this morning and held in
readiness for an attack, but it didn't
come off. was over to our company
quarters while ago and they were is
suing the boys 100 extra rounds of
ammunition so got mine, but | don't
expect to have to use it, The trouble
is that Aguinaldo has refused to accept
the proclamation of President Mckinley
and has issued counter one declaring
that they will accept nothing but
absolute independence. | think it is a
bluff and if we get out and show them
that we mean business they will come
to terms, but just as long as we are easy
with them, that long we will have
trouble with them. OF course they
may mean business. In that case, l
think we will have serious trouble, as
it is will be regular whacking
fight with things slightly in their favor,
as they know every trail in the country,
and troops can't move here except in
small bodies, but we will get them in
the long run, for when they use up
their present supply of ammunition
they will be unable to get any more.
but the thing isn't going to be pic aic.
as some of the boys think. If they are
going to start hope they will wait
until morning as | will get off guard
then and can go with the company
Of courge there will be plenty of fight
ing here in the city, but am net stuck
on street fighting, Our artillery went out
to the front this morning, and MINI.
and Tenn. regiments are under arms
also. Well, will write a little more.
| have to write between times just
sent out the second relief awhile ago,
then the MINI. patrol brought in the
description of man who belongs to the
Penn regiment, that they want to have
arrested; had to send that around to all
the posts, then | have to make the
rounds every two hours and that is
about two mile walk. / just heard
that Aguinaldo had issued another
proclamation, but don't know what it
contains.
One of the MINI. patrol was killed a
few nights ago by native whom he went
to arrest. The native stuck knife in
him, but he got the native with bullet
the neck. The only way to
get these fellows is to kill them and |
take them afterwards The mosquitoes
are awful, can hardly write. Don't |
expect you are bothered much at
present with them.
The natives had a big parade here
tonight to celebrate little Christmas, as |
they call it, or more properly speaking |
it is the celebration of Black Christ, |
which is to show that the black people |
have a Christ as well as the white.
Thete were about 10000 people in it,
all carrying wax candles. 1t was very
pretty. The first of the procession was
four men carrying sort of pedestal on
which was the Virgin Mary, surrounded
BY over 100 candles in fancy candle
sticks. The next was Christ on a
.hrone also surrounded by lights. Then
zane Black Christ also on a
hrone, and carrying a big cross. 1t
vas preceded by string band and a
OF of priests singing, and followed by
wo hundred men dressed in black
hen came one hundred young ladies
rom the converts, representing
Virgins. There were some as pretty
ooking girls among them as ever cav,
Ind their costumes were beautiful,
nothing gaudy or cheap about them.
They were followed by a brass band of
twenty-five pieces, in elaborate uni
orms. Take it all together it was as
inc parade as ever saw. They have
mother parade next month, and then
IN Easter the most magnificent one
If all. don't know whether
We will remain here long enough to
ZEE them or not. They are great
people for parades and feasts. They
ave feast-day about every week.
am feeling we'll; no one in the COM
ANY is very sick. There are two
asses of smallpox in the regiment,
here have been ten cases and one
leath in the 1st battalion of the Kansas
egiment. We still get all kinds of re-
'orts about going home, but won't