Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1900-07-03
Writes From The Far Away
Philippine Islands.
Now Stationed On An Island 500
Miles South OF Ma
niIa.

| May 0, lJOO.-ll - now y. I'D dhu
have Just finished another letter
and will now start one % you but
can not finish tonight a~ I want to
write you long letter 1t won't
leave for three days. a. the gum
boat Helena" leaves then for Ma
nila. We left Manila for this island
on the transport ''Indiana.F We
had on board one battalion of the
10Th, companies A. b. c. and ID.
We made our first stop at Batsu-
gus and put off some rations for the
18th, who are stationed at that
place; next we stopped at Boac on,
Maranduqua Island, where we left
Company A. Well when we came
in sight of Boac we sent in front of
us the Helena and another small
guu-boat, which wers with us and
they cleared their decks for action.
if the 'Niggers" fired on us while
we were landing in small boats in
shallow water, but the ''Niggers"
understood what a gunboat was.
and although we could see lots of
soldiers with field glasses they
scattered to the mountains and we
landed and didn / Gre gun. We,
that is Co. d., started on Is mile
march to another town and the
whole distance was through a coco
nut grove and we came on the town
and it was deserted. TheF had
heard we overcoming, so we ',took ,
another town and didn't fire a gun.
Such soldering don't suit Co. D
So cleft for the island of MasbaAe
and here we landed after being out
from Manila 10 days. We got hese
at daylight and ate breakfast on
ship, and then commenced to land.
This town seemed to have been a
town of 1000 or 1900 people, but
when we got in town there was
only one man, and he was dead.
We left the ship in small boats, as
the water is shallow and the India
ma and Helena could get no nearer
than 500 yards to the beach. Co.
d. was in the lead and the boats
were tugged by d small steam
launch, which pulled seven boats;
our Col. (Hardin) told the Capt,
of the Helena as we left if the Mig
gers fired on us to let them have a
broadside. We could see the Mig
gers in trench 200 yards long and
some we're in an old fort situated on
a steep hill, not over 50 yards from
the beach. We made for the beach
right where the fort is, and when
we got within 100 yards oi the beach
the Nlggers fired volley at us ano
how the water did splash around
our boats, but they didn't touch a
man. They can't shoot. We'll
when they fred you ought to have
seen the Helena. 1t was sight
will never forget. She was covered
with smoke from her guns, she shot
scrapnel and everything a cannon
could shoot and that old fort looked
like country road and a cyclone
Dirt, rocks, etc. filled the air; abou
this time we were Jumping out 0
the small boats in water waist deep
and formed a skirmish line anC
made for the fort The gunboa
had stopped and you couldn't hea
anything but our "Krags" " and tn
Niggers Mausers and Remingtons
we ran them one and a half or tw
miles but could not catch then
They went to a town four mile
away. I will stop for tonight a
the men are making so much tus
;. caused by my .,ing how to spe
: "Krag, wish youcould hear son
: of them spellit Good night,wlllh hnis
e later
n May 9th 9:3o a. m. Good NOR
II ing t. you. I have just come 9
h drill ofone-halfhour and am gettir
y cooled off so viii finish telling yC
Of this place. Well next mornlr
- after our scraps, our LIST. Ller
a took a Sergeant and 30 men al
Il went on a small gunboat (Ball
more) and we went to the city TO
n miles, where the niggers had lie
e (Masbate,) and when we came
le sight they Aew 20 their trench
.l C.II .,i,rcac ,