Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-06-01
FROM MANILA.
LIEUT.. F. H. ALBRIGHT, FORMER
LY MASTERING OFFICER OF N.
D. VOLUNTEERS, WRITES FROM
N

UT ~.
D. VOLUNTEERS, WRITES FROM
MANILA.
Grand Forks, May 24.-Lieut. F. H.
Albright, formerly stationed here and
mastering officer of the North Dakota
volunteers when in camp at Fargo.
writes from the Philippines to friends
IN this city, from Santa Cruz, Fam
bales. He says:
1t is ~ hours run by boat north up
the west coast of Luzon from Manila.
We are right on the sea shore and this
is n of the interior ports for coast
wise trade. l got here Dec. 30 with
my company. Another company was
here at that time but now my COM
pany alone is here. The other Off
GERS are a second lieutenant and a con-
tract doctor. 1t is quite a pretty little
place. The mountains are inland
about eight miles. North of here
some five miles is a large river. It is
tlde water for about some eight miles
from the sea. South of here some eight
miles is another river similar to the
frst and between these rivers and the
mountains is the district of Santa
Cruz, which the troops here are ex-
pected to look after. We have or
ganized a sort of civil government
which is working we'll and would work
better If these people were not such
rank towards. Around in this dis
trict are eight settlements called BAR
rios" In the organization of the civil
municipal government this town has
a "presidente" or mayor who was
elected by the people of the district.
Then there were elected by each bar
RIO a chief OF "cabeza' of barrie. The
cabeza of this town is vice p%residente.
The %presidente, vice presidente and
cazezts form the council for the con-
duct of municipal business. The in
surgents had these people pretty we'll
"Diuffed' and it was hard to get men
willing to be cabezas. They were
afraid of being knitted some dark night
by the few robbers and thieves who
still manage to keep going, calling
themselves insurgents. The people
were made to elect somebody and the
unfortunate chosen could not resign.
The cabezas elected were forced to at
tend the council. 1t seemed queer to
me and had an element of humor but
l came here to set up the civil govern
ment and it had to go" and that was
all there was to it. We are all right
now and the caheZas have gotten over
their first fear and timidity. l find
them very adept at paper work and
legal forms. The other day l had a
case of an assault of a native by an
other. The presidente drew up a very
complete and good record of the pre-
liminary investigation with afidavits
and other evidence. This was the
indictment and would have one with
the guilty party before the provost
court but a compromise was satisfac-
torily effected. They have some queer
ideas sometimes that are very humor-
ous. For instance, the p%residente
was about to send around the sheriff
to collect from the small stores a tax
levied by the council for the town
fund. He asked me for a permit for
the sheriff to carry a revolver. l
asked him what need there was and he
replied Isl no pagan (if they don't
pay and went through the motion of
presenting a revolver at a mans head.
Of course he did not expect the store
keeper to be shot dead but though it
might be a good bluff" to work. The
salaries voted by the council are as fol-
AS4 L1OuCll " LIE sheriff, SO,
two policemen each, So; expenses and
stationery, 50; total, SOP. This means
S14.5O in gold or in our money.
have had a census made by the cab
ezas which is now nearly completed.
There are some 1900 souls in this dis
trict. 1t is not unpleasant living
here. We are rather isolated and
only get mail about once a month, but
have a good house to live in and the
country is full of chickens and eggs.
We also get fine fish. There is a reg
ular sales commissary here which sup
plies all our needs. The men are
quartered in the convent which is of
stone and has a galvanized iron roof
SO they are we'll fixed for the rainy
season that begins about the middle
OF May. March and April are the
hot months, but l have not found it
as disagreeable as Texas was last June
and July,