Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-03-21


Scraps" With Natives = Thinks II VIII be a
Good Place to Make Money.
In letter dated Naiz, Luzon, January
25th, written to his father, Jason Glenn.
ID this city, the young man says, among
other things:
We have moved since wrote you last,
and kept on the move for fourteen days
and some of the nights, too We left
Calbocan about January 4th, rode on
the train to Manila, and then marched
through Manila and about six miles fur
Their to Camp Dewey, the first day.
Camp Dewey consisted of the Fifty
fifth regiment in their pup" tents, ard
a dandy camp it is, too. We remained
there only one day. We broke camp
at four o'clock in the morning and
marched five miles before breakfast 1t
was pretty hard for the first Gay. Some
of the boys were Frustrated by the heat.
We expected to stay at Enas for few
days for we heard that the Insurgents
were in trenches there We saw some
dead Negroes before we got there. They
We're lying in the grass along the road.
We started out early next morning ex
pectlng to bump up against 'Niggers.
but failed to do so. We marched through
Buena Vista and stopped at Qunitana,
which must be about 80 miles from
Manila. The ''Niggers" always leave
their cities when they see the Forty
fifth coming. We were tired enough
when we reached Qunitana, for while 30
miles don't seem far for two days march
ing, yet in going over those 30 miles we
marched more like 40, for we were con-
tinually getting on the wrong trail and
making counter marches. The trails
we followed were just like sheep trails.
We 'hiked" out of Qunitana at nine
o'clock that night and got lost the first
thing. which cauCed us an extra hike"
of about six miles. We crossed three
rivers, one Of them coming way above
our belts, and the other two we crossed
on great huge dams. Some places the
water was swift enough to carry us off
our feet and that would have been as
good as broken neck, for it was thirty
feet down either one of them. Two of
our boys lost their guns and one was
nearly drowned. We slept in plowed
field the rest of the night 1t was one
o'clock when we stopped l don't be-
, iieve l ever slept any sounder although
, the outposts kept banging away fire.
quently. / don't know when we leave
8 here. From this place we make long
3 marches, one battalion at time. The
Third is out now. The Second made a
: three days march last week of seventy
miles and we had hot little scrap"
9 that lasted about four hours, when
I eleven miles from camp The natives
opened fire on us just as we were cross
ing a deep cannon, through which a
deep river flows. Solle of the boys
stood up to their arm-pits in the water
- q
killed, although we killed lots of the
! 'Niggers We are known in Manila
| as the mounted Forty fifth. We certain
r ly have been moving some during the
last twenty days, having travelled sew
eral hundred miles We are living easy
Inow; don't catch duty only once in four
or FIVE days. They are stricter here
than in the States in regard TO orders,
etc. We are quartered in an old Span
ish church and barracks combined
: Most of the churches are made that way
here. This one is fine, too. They had
native funeral here yesterday, which
was worth seeing. The weather ID fine
and it has not rained more than one
little shower since we have been on the
island.
! heard there has been a law passed
} stopping the mastering out of soldiers
, at San Francisco. If this is true hope
they will muster us out at Manila, for
believe there are plenty Of chances tc
. make money here,
Several soldiers have been put in the
guard house for going to sleep while on
2 post. | don't know what their sentence
. will be: anyway wouldn't care to be in
their places. / would rather be ON out
post than interior guard, any time. We
shoot every Niger" on out post that
3 won't halt when challenged Lots Of
! them don't even wait to see whether il
, is Niger or not. They hear something
rustling in the bushes or grass, or see
something move, bang away and ther
yell Halt" As usu1l thing the most
killed are Carrabean's hogs and dogs,
) although niger does catch it some
, times.
We had a pay day-the first one for q
long time-and still have a month and
half due
, This is the first letter | have mailed
since l have been on the island. Couldn
get stamps for love or money.