Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-08-30
SMITH MAY BE SENT
THE PHILIPPINES.

tor ARGUS, Rock Island: 1t is thought
Senator Butler, of North Carolina,
will soon be man without a party,
but that is nothing-Tve been a man
without paper for several days. l
mean a paper from home with the
news on the outside pages. When at
home l read THE ARGUS and knew
what was going on, but since left
| have not seen the paper. l am lost
and cannot find the way back until
THE ARGUS reaches me. Send your
paper to Fort Smelling and there will
be Joy in the camp of the Rock Island
bows.
l enlisted at Davenport, Iowa, Aug.
2, and arrived here Aug. 5. All around
Fort Smelling are hills and bluffs, with
| rich farms and beautiful groves upon
| them. Standing in the barracks and
| looking eastward and southwark one
gazes upon panorama that is charm
| ing to behold, especially around the
Indian village of Mendoza, just across
the Minnesota river from the fort =.
Here these Indians, years age, dug a
large cave in the sand blutf, and in
| this underground home they made
their abode. The cave consists of a
=
| feet back into the hill, and seven large
rooms. Many people coming to Fort
Smelling visit this cave.
There are l 900 soldiers here now.
| More recruits are arriving daily. The
ma jority of the late arrivals are from
Indiana, Ohio, Colorado and Tenncs-
see. About Sept. l eight companies
of tbs Sth infantry. which is stationed
here, will leave for San Francisco to
EN- bark either for China or the Phil
ipPines. Each company has 126 men.
Most of the boys are anxious to go to
the front. / want to 60 to China. but
it looks now as if my hopes would not
be realized, as indications are we will
be put of at Manila.
Every evening after retreat, from
300 to 500 soldiers can be seen start
ing for St. Paul, Minnehaha park or
Minneapolis to enjoy themselves till
IL o'clock, by which hour they must
return unless they have a pass.
want to tell you of an incident
that took place at our fort the other
day. Growing weary of the oppres-
sive heat of my tent | strolled out in
the open and sat beneath an oak tree
and commenced whiting. In a short
time my thoughts wandered back to
my Rock Island home. where l was
born and raised and where are still
my schoolmates and friends
Thoughts of leaving home and the
vision of a slender form that hung
to my arm at parting, with her loving
eyes looking into mine, her long
brown hair hanging down her back
and waved by the gentle sum-
mer breeze, brought tears to my
eyes, and the knife dropped from
my hand. l began wiping my eyes
when some one touched me on the
shoulder. | looked up and there
standing beside me were two fellow
soldiers. One asked me the cause of
my tears. Inviting the boys to sit
down, one on either side of me,
started to tell my story, and it was |
not five minutes before both were |
weeping. The cook then came and |
sat beside me, and before my MARIA
tive was half finished all four were in
tears. Two of the boys had marched |
against the Spanish guns at Santiago
and had seen the dead upon the bat
tlefield. heard the heartrending cries
of fallen comrades without yield
ing to their emotions, but now the
fountain of tears had been opened
and could not be closed.
Some of the readers might think it
was what l told the boys that caused
them to weep. That would be a mis-
take. We were simply peeling onions
for supper. And l tell you they were
nice ones. Onions, potatoes, cab
bage, etc.. are looking well in this
section. The farmers finished put
ting up their hay last week and l am
told the wheat is all cut around here.
CHARLES L. SMITH,
Co. c. Sth infantry, Fort Smelling,
MINI.