The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-19
SOLDIER LETTERS.
Brave Men Who Have Done Their
Share of Fighting.

Share of Fighting.
San Fernando, P. l., June 8, 1885,
Dear Sister Gertie:
I guess that you think that it has been
long time since have written to you.
But from the rumors and newspaper
talk we have been expecting to go into
Manila every day for the past month,
and we expected to be on our way home
by this time. So have neglected writ
ing. do not think that we will start
home for three months now. We are all
getting pretty tired of this foolishness
and wish that it would cease or that the
newspapers would stop talking home to
would not mind it so much if we
knew for certain just what we were go
ing to do, and when we were going to
start, but they keep US guessing all the
time I think that they must have
changed their minds about the volun-
teers as they let us do all the work We
have taken town after town and the
regulars came along fifteen or twenty
miles behind us as a support. They
were always giving US the old story that
as soon as the regulars came We would
get a chance to rest a little, but notice
that we are no nearer home now than
we. were before they came. we have
never had any regulars with US and We
always get through in some way. They
don't like to part with their desplSed
volunteers now. We have to take a Ill
tie trip here occasionally and chase the
niggers out of their trenches. We did
the incest job the other day that has
happened yet. The n1ggerS had come up
close to our outpost at night ana ma
themselves in q big trench. About day
light they opened a terrible fire on our
outpost. About two hours later General
Funston and Major Bell took the Kan
sas and Montana regiments out and
f1anked them. The MOntanaS got on one
side of their trench and the kansanS
on the other. Major Bell took part OF
Co. A, our company, and started up the
trench. The niggers were busy shoot
ing straight ahead, it was raining very
hard, too, so they did not see US until
we were within ten or twelve feet of
them. Then there was a panic. 1t was
lust like shooting rats, when they are
all in a trap. There were any amount
of dead left in the trenches and a great
many wounded, and company A, did the
most damage to them as we were in the
hottest of the fight. 1t did not seem to
discourage them in the least as them
came up in the same trench again this
morning about 4 o'clock and opened the
ball again. They started it off with a
cannon and then you should have heard
the Mausers They fired six or seven
cannon and about a thousand rounds
with their MauSerS and then lett. our
men just laid low and did not return the
fire and [ guess that is what scared
them a they probably thought that we
were gong TO 90 our little ACT again III
flanking them. They used explosive
shells in their cannon and we saw one
burst in the air. The natives come
among US in the day time and sell US
eggs, bananas and mangoes and go back
and fight US at night. They call them
selves AIaccabebes, but we have turned
up some of their trousers and found the
insurgent uniform on under their outer
clothing. One of them was scared al
most to death, when we discovered his
uniform under his native garb but we
patted him on the back and told him to
be sure to get back in time for roll call.
The train gets out of here once day
and we flock over to the depot like a lot
of farmers in a country town to see it.
When we want to make each other mad
we sit around and talk about what We
would like to have to eat. / would give
my next two months wages to get to sit
down to one of your dinners now. The
next time that Uncle Sam has war with
a foreign nation, I think that I'll stay
at home and tell my friends to join the
army and have a good time, since
have been initiated. Tell Jeanette and
Mary that I will write to them soon.
Will close for this time and tell you all
the news in my next. With love to ALL
ARTHUR w LONG.