The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-11
FLOYD E. WHITES LETTER
Oklahoma City Boy in the Philippines
Sends Home a Good story

sends Home GOOD story
Guthrie, o. T., Feb i0.---Flovd E. White,
a graduate of the Oklaho 4 city high
school who is now e duty as a private
soldier in the Philippines, is writing a
highly interesting series of letters des-
cribing his experiences in that far eastern
country In his latest letter to E. E.
Brown, Private White says:
"Our regiment is strung out from east
TO west for forty miles in six different
| towns, the third battalion being stationed
ii Daugupan. The railroad is completed
and now running two trains daily each
way, one for the natives and one for the
government That is a good friendly move
toward the natives The engines and cars
have peculiarities of their own and the
engines are each named after some gen.
eral here From their construction the
American tramp might find some difficulty
in procuring his old convenient and famil-
lar places.
''Things are rather quiet in this vicinity
but on the south line the pot is boiling
There are some forty guns in The next
town four miles west and a few insur-
rectos, and a detachment of us made a
reconnaissance around a few days ago,
capturing a captain and a private. The
guns had disappeared. Ladrones are com
hitting many depredations in the town
and these guns belong to them, but the
presidente is supposed to be a side part
ner and uses his efforts to shield them.
Many of Aggie's ''ex-vets" are located IN
Dagupan, but are keeping quiet, and well
they may, too.
1.-THE natives are not much on sports
and amusements at present cock fighting
being about all. The stock is not first
water, but the fun up their feathers and
fight anyway. Two are matched and the
betting begins, and as soon as enough
money is up the referee sets them at 1t in
the middle of the street. Each cock has
razor like steel gaff on one foot and
after one or two slashes one begins to say
his prayers with his remaining three
gasps. Some are actually curt in two.
Bets are then paid and another match is
effected.
Nearly every town on the island has
some sort of a band and Dagupan has a
good one. They serenaded the officers on
Xmas eve with some fine music Without
notes they do all their playing and are
par excellence, Just natural born musici-
ans.
"A good one is told on the captain of
K Co. Third infantry, stationed down the
railroad. It seems that the captain was
desirious of obtaining the key to Co
storehouse and told the quartermaster
sergeant to tell the "hombre" to procure
same Immediately, but the quartermaster
sergeant replied that he could not make
the natives understand him and could
not talk TO them. The captain turned
around and emphatically exclaimed, Wei.
I can and approaching the 'hombre' said.
'Hombre you sabe Espanol?' In a mild
voice he replied 81 Senior Well. hombre.'
then gong through the motions OF I'M
locking a door with his hands. 'you-oh-
sabe vamos agui get key to Co. K store
house. said the captain rather perplex-
edly. No entiende.' same the quiet ans
wer Well shouted the captain. C.
d it, I thought you didn't understand
our language
Before we left the states we heard
how cheap tobacco was here and how
many cigarettes one could buy for one
cent. I should think so. such as they
are. The boys gladly pay ten cents per
package Of ten American than get forty
OF the native goods. The natives are
learning 10 chew plug tobacco. and It IS
not an uncommon thing 10 be stopped by
one who wishes 70 bum a chew. The
way they ask FOR II Is by placing their
forehngeT In their mouth and biting &.
Everybody and everything IS rapidly
becoming American IN manner and dress.
Il Is very l5UEhable sometimes % see
how they try to dress the dusky ones in
American style. They must wear shoss
even though they are big enough for
two pairs OF feet. and from actfons they
might be walking on eggs. Somehow OF
other the stocking won't stay Up. and /
there's trouble ali around
"A few prospectors ara coming in toxin I
preparing % go into the mountains near /
b.. There IS gold somewhere close and 4
may be a great deal. but II a gold fever 4
breaks out here ard in the UniteA states 4
somebody Is going - Be loser ard visa /
versa many VIII become rich. All who
are thinking u e should figure closoly 4
and remember the suuu ls hot ~ present. 4
Il is dangerous 70 g Far from t-oops. 4
a. The bolo men ard Iadrones viii trr
their izck On you.
The rice harvest g or n faH bias.
and az but he lazy ores are cutting Il
ard tfreshiag * by hand Sincerely.
FLOYD z WHITE,
GO L. 18th In"
THINGS ONE WANTS TO KNOW |