Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-07-27
LETTER FROM MANILA.

George Rowbotham of this city has
received an interesting letter from +.
M. Donaho, Wilmington boy, who Is
connected with the Twelfth United
States Infantry, now in the Philippine
Islands. 1t is dated at Manila, May
Goth. The writer says they have had
chance at all Kinds Of duty from guard
to outpost patrol, but at the time of
writing are doing guard duty in the
palace, which is Con. OTIS headquar-
ters. 1t was also Dewey's headquar-
ters, until he left, on the previous Sat-
urday, for America. He was given
great send off. His fleet are all in the
bay, and at Cavite, just across the bay,
can be seen the remains of the Spanish
navy. Some places IN Manila show the
marks of the Yankee pigs roofing.
Speaking of the strongholds of the
insurgents, Mr.. Donaho says: Just
outside OF Manila about eight miles. at
a place called San Pedro Macati, there
were trenches for half mile outside
this place, besides the church which
had stone wall, II feet high and 6
feet through, built out of this soft rock.
Then the church, which is fortified
place; there were about 1900 natives
in that place. Well, there is not enough
left to tell how it happened. / was out
there about week ago. Some of tho
boys had their horses stabbed in the
pews and some more of them were using
the altar to cook in.
The writer adds that at all the towns
where the natives make stand are
large churches as large as Grace
Church.
The firing line is 20 miles long, but
very little is going on. "Once in a
while the patrols run into a bunch of
these black beings but they won't
stand; one man can whip four of them.
They use the Mauser and Remington. !"
Mr.. Donaho adds that the latter is
dangerous, u copper bullet that is pois-
onors, being used. One man was shot
in the. foot and died 1t takes long for
u wound to heal, there don't seem to
be any healing qualities in tho air.
The band plays every evening in a
large square, and Spanish and Ameri-
cans turn out to hear it, 1t is very
much like Gordon Heights, being built
on the bay.
''lhe money used here is Spanish
money. Our money is worth twice as
much. We can get two Spanish dollars
for ono of ours; the same way in all
the countries we came through where
there was silver standard. Spain,
you know. has silver standard; that
is the reason that our money is worth
more. Why, they don't want to take
their money; want our money in pref
erence. You ought,to have seen their
eyes open when we got paid in gold
You know we got two months pay and
were paid in gold. These people did
not know what to make of it. They
all want to go to America. They think
the streets are paved with money"
About the cheapest thing sold there
is tobacco, cigars at three cents that
would cost 10 cents, and about the
dearest is beer at 10 cents glass, 20
cents bottle, or 40 cents quart
| Manila is much like Western city.
| The soldiers wear six shooters in their
| belts. Even some of the women carry
guns. One officers wife carries two
silver mounted all the time and wears
a khaki uniform.
All business is done between and
| o'clock, p. m.
On the day of Mr.. Donaho's writing
| the vessels in the harbor fred saluies
in honor of Queen Victoria's 80th
| birthday.
Manila has electric lights, an ice
plant, street cars that hold about 10,
and when the cars get stuck on a hill
the passengers get out and push The
fare is three cents American money.
The women there wear about yard Of
bright colored stuff around their waist
and small piece of lace around theil
shoulders.
THE Filipino Commission, says
Mr.. Donaho in confusion, lis upstairs.
They are trying to come to terms with
Otis. This is one of their terms: II
have Filipino police IN the city; We
are to have only 5000 soldiers here
Aggie is to govern; they are to have
their own soldiers, to have commissions
in the different places and we pay fol
the whole shooting match. | guess
| not. y