The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-28
BURNING THE HUTS
Claude Rogers Tells How
Americans Treat FiIipinos.
BATS AS BIG AS DUCKS
Fly Over American Army in
Great Clouds.


Dear folks at home: I have Areceived
! four letters from you without answering
any. But I have a good excuse. We
have been out on two expeditions of late
The first was to strengthen the garrison
at Bakor and hunting insurgents near
there. Bakor IS a town southwest OF
here about thirteen miles In the district
OF Cavite. We started about p m with
two companies L and E. in two cascoes.
The bay was very rought and some Of the
boys got very sick before we got across.
We made a landing at Bakor about p.
N. We were CHARTERED in the church
over night The church had been used as
a fertilization for the insurgents. 1t was
4 just riddled with shot. The largest part
Of the roof had been blown of. They
had an old smooth-bore gun with about
three foot Of the muzzle blown off, which
they had left It rained all night and. in
1.-THE morning we looked like drowned
rats At daybreak we moved down the
froad to some bamboo huts which we
Y made use of for our quarters for a time
The next day we started at p. m. on a
4 accommodating tour. We went about one
mile east and four south Of Bakor, but
didn't find any insurgents. Companies
! L and I Of the Fourteenth were with Us.
| The place was called San MIGUEL. and it
! had only big church with wall around
! It. We sent two companies of the Fourth
I Infantry with one piece of artillery,
from linus On the way back they got
into a fight. but We got hack without
firing a gun. The mud was terrible. You
rant imagine how bad it was. Our lieu
tenant got stuck and we had hard work
10 pub him out. We got back to BallOr
about u o'clock all tired out. I was all
covered with mud and had no clothes to
change. We lived on corn beef and hard
tack and had but very little Of that. 1
was put on outpost picket the same
night I viii try to tell you little Of
outpost duty. The post is from 50 TO 200
yards from the main picket line, and IS
composed Of from two to twelve men. It
is generally paced in such a position that
the enemy can't see you, and you have
Agood chance Of seeing them. You have
10 sit low or lie down. You can't strike
light or talk We had twelve men that
night one on duty while the others
slept l was stationed on the side of a
rice field at the end Of a ridge. The in
surgents were supposed to be at the other
end. The field was full of water and the
mosquitoes were so thick that we
couldn't see the moon. Oyeu not quite
so bad as that. but bad enough) But no
insurgents showed up, so we found moth
ing 10 fight except those Mosquitoes. The
next day, Sunday, we had a quiet day
with no duties to perform The natives
went to church in the morning and had
cock fights IN the afternoon The spurs
they used on the chickens are as sharp
as razors. They are sharpened like a
knife blade. turned up. One chicken
and sometimes both are killed in a. fight
Monday we drilled in the morning and
rested the rest Of the day. Tuesday we
waded about one-fourth of a mile out in
the bay to our cascoes, which we boarded
for Manila. reaching there at $50 p. m,
hungry. dirty and tired We were all
glad to get hack. We think that the war
Is not far from the END now. The in
surgents are throwing their arms away
and returning to their homes. The south
part Of the island will soon be subdued,
and no large bands Of insurgents are In
any other part. There win always be
some fighting going on, for there are
small bands Of robbers in the mountains
that will worry the government as long as
they can, and it viii require lots OF time
and men 10 dislodge them.
''AIy next trip was a. more pleasant
one. I guess Rube told you OF my go
ing. But 1 will tell it to You as I have
written in my diary. Saturday the Sth
OF December. We left Manila on the
steamer AIoctan for Sublg Bay, loaded
with supplies and ammunition for the
garrison there. About y o'clock we
steamed past Corrigedor Island in the
same path that Dewey Travelled IN on
that famous morning of May 1st but no
guns were turned on us. We reached
Subig Bay al n m. Sunday The Ore
gon, Baltimore aud two other small gun
boats are doing blockade duty there We
steamed mp the bay TO a place called
Olongapo (Which was used by the Span
iards Tor a navy yard and arsenaD. Here
we tbok on q load of men and horses of
the Thirty-second volunteer. The gun
boats Nodinore and Quardoqui took two
companies of the Third infantry ana came
with us. We moevd up the bay towards
Subig City. The insurgents started 70
NUN as soon as they saw Us. The troops
loaded and fired few volleys, but 10 one
was hart We unloadad the horses BY
fAlRll4- illal1 GNtltHltI4 ana ltLllN& them
swim ashore. Lieutenant Smith gave Us
permission to so ashore for three hours.
We visited the trenches and gathered a
few relies. I got pair OF antlers. or
horns. Of the native deer In the evening
millions of bats flew over us as big as
ducks. There are a great many species !
Of bats here; some of them are very cur
iots. Some say that we can ma the
blood-suckiuE vampire here. but I can't
say that ] ever saw one Of them here
We started hack for Olangspo on Monday
the nth, and General Grant came on
board. he looks just like the pictures Of /
aais father. The scouts are climbing the
hills trying 10 find a trail over them u
Su5ig. We can watch their progress BY /
the fires They are burning the native
hats as fast as they come TO them. To-
day I went on board the oregon. helping
10 carry some sick soldiers. She is
grand ship. one any nation could be
proud e. II was a great pleasure for [
M to visit her. What history she with /
Others. has made in the past two years /
What a glorious country We have. DO 1
you think t1at YOU. away hack in sunny 4
Kara. fully realize how Zig we aree
7 s,1,-, zs--,