CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1899-03-02


that don't help in gathering news of
the country, because we have to stay
at or in the near vicinity of the post.
Our outpost is on the Gale Balic
Balic and about a block from the
Balic Balic cemetery. This place was
once held by the Spanish as a block
ade, hut abandoned after our boys
came into Manila. l have visited this
cemetery, also one in Old Manila, and
they are quite sight. The bodies
are all buried in stone vaults, which
the relatives pay rent for. The day
they cease paying rent the body is
taken out and dumped in a pit that is
made in the wall that surrounds the
grounds. It's CHASTITY sight at best
to see the great pile of human bones
in these pits.
Manila is what one would call an
historical place, l guess. There are
buildings here that look as if they
had been built before Christ was born,
and everything is nearly as much out
of date rs the buildings. One might
stay in the city lifetime and then
not know all the different business
houses, unless he made it a special
study. The houses of them
have barred windows and big heavy
doors, which, if you should open,
would, nine times out of ten, lead you
into courtyard surrounded on all
sides by buildings. One building may
be a dwelling, while another may be a
department store on very small
scale.
There are a number of beautiful
buildings here, most, if not all, Catho-
lie churches. The steel (steaD church
known as San Sebastian, is the work
of master mechanic 1t Is built
something after the style Of our
Baptist church, but about twioe the
size, and built Of solid steel. The
window castings and some of the in
terror work is the only wood used.
The floor is tile around the outside
a border, really while the center is
of mahogany and a white " ood, which
| do not know the name of. The cost
| do not know exactly, but must have
been enormous, and the money was
received mostly through the taxation
of the people.
One of the queer and funny things is
caribou, or water buffalo. can best
describe the animal by saying that it
is the same that Wallace's circus
brought to Canon under the name of
the terrible maneating bovalupus.r ?
Here they are used as an OK or horse
is in the States, and a quieter, more
docile animal you hardly ever find.
The people here-the nativesare
too. dirty and slovenly to compare with
anything l have ever seen. The men
60 around with a cotton shirt and q
pair of knee pants made out of some
thin cloth, while the women go with
SO much of their bodies exposed that
it would shock you for me to even
describe it. You will see woman
on the street with child astride her
hip and large basket filled with
something she has purchased or full
of fruit for market. Then again you
will see others covered with leper
sores and smallpox scars; and then
some wonder why we want to go
home. When person gets to think
ing and sounds the matter to the
bottom, and finds that these people
are in way responsible for the war,
one loses considerable of his fire and
patriotism. l know one thing, and
that is that when Uncle Sam calls for
more volunteers he ever does to
go to foreign country and fight, he'll
find that good many will be missing.
Manila is dirty city. Canals are
full Of all kinds of corruption and are
all over the city, and the people are
in the habit of committing nuisances
anywhere and at any time. But am
happy to say that am well and i'm
proving in health daily.
Goodbye and God bless you.