The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1899-11-17
AN INTERESTING LETTER
FROM The PHILIPPINES
Earl Bennett Tells ofhls Trials
In the Orient In a Letter to
His Kentucky Friends.
Ee Describes n charge On n band Of
Outlaws nBd Pictures ~ In such
way That the Reader
Thinks he ~ In Real
Battle.
Hesdquart.is I'D Battalion 9th U s.
Infantry, La Csrlota. P. l., Sept.

I4th. 1899
Mr.. l.. ID. Bennett,
Beda, KY.
Kind Uncle:-I received your most
welcome letter several days ago, but
could not answer until now by reason
Of being 50 busy. / haven't seen OF
heard from Dick since July Ist, when
the regiment was split up. He is
still in Co. c and belongs to the Ist
Battalion. They went ashore at Tloilo,
Isle of Pansy. and the 2d Battalion
started here the next day. I don't
know what they are doing there. this
much though, II they have had as
much to do there, as we have had
here. they have seen the elephant
right
We left San Antonio. Tex, May
I8th. arriving at Frisco" CAL, the
a2d. We pulled out from there that
night at 9 O'Clock, and stood away for
7 days to the west. On the morning
OF the zoth. we sighted Honolulu,
Hawaii Island. We pulled in there
aud laid over for two days. Honolulu
Is one Of the most beautiful towns
ever saw. While lying in the harbor
saw a shark fully 8 feet long.
On June Ist we left Honolulu and
stood away again for the Orient. 1t
seemed to most Of us as though we
were leaving the world. but we didn't
shed any tears. On the night OF June
18th we entered Manila -harbor. The
U. S. batlleship Baltimore turned its
searehlieht full in our faces and sized
US up properly. Finding who We were
they permitted us to come to anchor.
We staid at Manila a week, during
which time ! was ashore twice. On
leaving there we proceeded to Iloilo,
where we put ashore the Ist Battalion.
Proceeding on to Bacolod, Isle de Ne.
gros. Headquarters K and NJ were
put ashore and the I'D and sd Battal>
ions split up and assigned to different
stations on Negros Island.
On July I'D at 6 p. IN. headquarters
Of I'D Battalion. with Co. H and 2o
men Of Co. K, embarked from the
Sherman on two schooners, towed by
a tug to proceed to Ponto Vidro In
good weather 1t takes about SO hours
to make the distance, but owing to
bad weather it took us 8 days. The
whole crew was composed OF Filipinos
and a native captain, who they called
"Admiral," commanded the tug.
To begin with there were as many
soldiers crowded ON as the schooners
could carry and no provision had been
made for shelter in case of rain, it
being thought that we would be able
to reach our destination the next day
We were not out OF sight of the Sher
man, though, when the wind began
to blow and soon developed one Of the
hardest storms / ever experienced.
Thunder rumbled throughout the
lonely isles, Lightning almost blinded
us and rain came down In sheets. In
the midst OF all this the schooner
pitched and rolled so that we could
hardly keep our feet, and we parted
our hawser. Our native sailors,
though, be 1t said to their credit. are
as bold as seamen Of any nationality,
and soon made us fast again, and Ad-
miral Moses proceeded on his way.
Scarcely had we started sgain when
the sharp crack of a Jorgsen rifle and
the cry OF imam overheard" reused