Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-05-06

Parade and Inspection.
Following are some extracts from a
letter from Norman S. Wood. a for
mer Wheeling boy, now serving in
Company B, Twenty-third United
States Infantry, stationed at Jolo. on
the Island of Jolo, in the Philippines,
and which was written on April 18th to
Frank w. Thurlow, of the South Side,
who served with Mr.. Wood in the Sec
ond West Virginia regiment during the
late Spanish-American war:
"You say all the comrades send re-
CARDS and good luck when on the firing
line" l am certainly very thankful
for both, but we have no firing line"
here, much to our regret. The dogs
will not fight. The Sultan gets $3.50
Mexican 1925 American) a month to
keep the peace, which we could easily
maintain. He lives at a town called
NAHUM, II miles from here, and he
OCCdSlOudlly FlSltS JOtO, "uCA w Lay .
to turn out and present arms to him,
and l consider 1t disgrace. He has
three wives and many slaves, and most
every Moro rich enough has both
Then, the natives are Mohammedans,
so our flag waves over an island where
polygamy and slavery are allowed, and
where most of the people do not believe
in God.
"You have no doubt read Of Jolo and
it's strange people, as / will try to tell
you something of soldier life here. A,
NJ, | and K are on the island of Cebu;
B, C, G, r and l. are occupying the
walled city of Jolo Capital of the Sulu
archipelago; D Company is on the ISL
and of Syassi, 80 miles from here, and
H Company is on the island of Bongas,
120 miles. e Company IS occupying
the three blockhouses just outside the
wall We spent October and part OF
November in them. B Company has
the roomiest quarters in town, church
building, with great yard all around
full of banana and tropical trees. The
sun comes up here at 6 o'clock the year
round, so we have first call at 5:45,
reville 5:55, assembly 500 a. m. Then
we have ten minutes of Butts manual,
las we fall in under arms). Recall at
6:10, mess call 6:15. Then we drill
from to and we drill, too-no rails
ing of hands or talking, or shutfilng OF
feet. But it is all easier, as the officers
know their business. We have line
captain and first lieutenant, and the
best first sergeant in the garrison. l
thing our Top" Sergeant knows more
of the tactics than any officer In the
Second did. Then we have guard
mount at o'clock. and sometimes the
orderly buckers draw straws to see who
is the cleanest. Then we have nothing
more to do all day, as we have no old
guard fatigue, unless one is room or
derby or kitchen police, which one gets
once in two months. AT 4:30 we have
supper, and then parade. Our uniform
for guard mount, parade and inspection
is blue shirt, black pants, tan shoes
and campaign hat. l have been going
on guard regularly once every eight
days, and we have fifteen posts. Some
of these (as those along the top of the
wall) are put on only at night, and
these unlucky sentries have to chase
prisoners" in day time, much work be-
ing done in this manner. However a
great many Moro street sweepers and
scavengers are employed at so cents
a day, Mexican. The guard house is
large, roomy building, with each re-
lief sleeping separately so that one is
not disturbed till time to go ON post.
We load our pieces and fill magazine
when going on post, and empty them
on coming off. Taps goes at and call
to quarters at 1918, after which time
sentries challenge on the inside, but
No. does not advance any one. Along
the wall, the sentries challenge after
dark, and have orders to fire on any
one seen in the moat. Our battalion
has taken many marches into the sur
rounding country, north, south and
west, and, to guard against ambush,
we always have advance party, right
and left flankers, reserve, support and
rear guard We generally take only
canteen, but one day we took rations,
and we always have 100 rounds OF am
munition in our belt. s{su
I'VE have had only two calls to arms
since / have been here, and both of
those were false alarms, and our life
here is such an idle one that l am
afraid all will have on my discharge
will be Capture of Zamboanga."
"Jolo is such a clean, cool, shady
place that 1t seems like dream when
one goes out on the long stone pier in
the evening and gazes shoreward at the
snow white wall, with the white build
ing and enormously tall palm trees
showing over the top. Some of these
trees are 80 feet high. with no limbs
and only a bunch OF leaves on top.
Saturn looks so large to the southwark
that one might mistake her for a sig
nal light on one of the ships lying at
anchor, although she is never visible in
the United States. The calm surface
of the sea is only disturbed by gentle
swells, and it is lit up by phosphor-
essence until in some places it seems
TO be on fire. u 1
I'VE have good rations, and on April
l all saloons here will be closed and a
post canteen established. Beer is 40
cents Mexican a bottle"