Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1899-04-29
FROM The pa1LipPINEs.


From Private Hansen.
The following is CONDENSED from
a couple of letters from Private
Hansen, of Co. X, now stationed at
Jaro, P. /. One letter is dated
March I'd and the other March 15:
Well, Co. X, has been under fire,
and stood the work we'll. We left
Cavita last Christmas night and did
not get off the transport ARIZONA
until Feb. 11th. 1t il a "a hour run
from Manila to Iloilo, SO we laid in
Iloilo bay for nearly two months.
You can imagine what it is to live
in the hold of steamer in this
climate crowded in with 1900 men.
We got two meals a day, salmon
and rice at 3 in the morning and
rice and salmon at 8 in the after
noon, with "fresh meat" about once
week. On Feb. 18th the Boston
and Petrol opened upon the Filipino
fort at Iloiio, and in two hours there
was not much fort left. We landed
as quickly as possible, but it was
u O'Clock before the battalion got on
shore, and by that time the city
was on fire in twenty places, set by
the Filipinos. We caught few of
them and had a funeral next day.
We slept that night in church big
enough to hold the whole regiment.
Iloilo was a place of about 10000
people, but you can shoot cannon
down the streets now and not hit
anybody. The people have moved
to the cocoanut groves for their
health. The city is much finer built
than Manila. The Insurgent army
vacated to Jaro, about five miles
from Iloilo, when we came in, and
we went to look them up next day
The LIST and I'd batallions of the 18th
advanced across a bridge about
noon, and then the fan began. We
advanced to within 1000 yards of
their breastworks and then laid
down in a rice field and turned the
artillery loose Then we made IA
rush and fired few volleys and 1t
was all over. This was the first fire
K Co. had been under and there was
some lively ducking when the first
shots whistled over our heads, and
| was one of the principal duckers;
Int don't mind it now to have
Mauser whistle over my head so
long as it is far enough above. Our
headquarters are in an old Spanish
college. Two batallions are here at
Jaro and one at IloiIo doing provost
guard. One battalion goes on duty
at II time, So we get one night duty
and one night off. The Filipinos
are pretty well bluffed on this is
land, but Co. K can whip the whole
bunch if it comes to pinch. We
have 1900 men The Filipino
strength is estimated to be from 500
to 5000 armed with Remingtons,
Mausers and shOtguns. The whole
tribe is armed with knives about A
feet long. One young fellow we
caught had a % rife. This island
seems to he much healthier than
Luzon, and the climate agrees with
us all right. Only one man from
Co. K has been sent to the hospital.
On the night of March LIST we had
a hot little fight. The Filipinos had
an idea they wanted to come over
the bridge on the Malo road, held
by Co. E, and it took six companies
Of the 18th four hours to persuade
them that they didn't. 1t was the
warmest scrap we have had OH the
island, and the Insurgents stood
until Co.'S. l and K we're within 200
yards of them, then few volleys
routed them. Everything has been
quiet since There is very little
sickness in our regiment, but some
in the Tennessee regiment, but that
is the difference between the regu-
lars aud volunteers. We are made
to take care of ourselves and are
courtlnartialed for drinking any
thing but boiled water. Eight Of
our companies are quartered in an
did Spanish building and we are
finely fixed. Co. K has piano and
all kind of swell furniture; a big