Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-20
OTTUMWABOY FOUND
Wade Trimble is in the Philippine
Islands.
He DISAPPEARED THREE YEARS AGO.
Has Been Heard From But Twice In
That Length of Tlme-Is 4 Mem.
Der OF tho Thirty. Fourth
Regiment, U. 8. v.

Mr.. and Mrs. II. NJ. Trimble, of Fair
view, are in receipt of a letter under
date of January &c, from their son
Wade, who is now in the Philippines,
a member of Company i, Thirty-fourth
United States Volunteers. Wade left
Ottumwa about three years ago ex-
pecting to be gone but two or three
days, but his parents did not hear
from him for two years, when they re-
ceiyed a letter from him stating that
he was in Minnesota working on the
railroad. The communication receiv-
ed from him a few days ago is the first
they have had since the Minnesota let
ter, and is the discrimination the pa
rents have had that the young man
is in the Philippines undergoing the
h2rdships incident to the life of a sol
dier. The letter was written at San
Jose and tells of the young mans n
listment, subsequent arrival at Mani
la and his opinion of his captain. Al
ter referring to personal matters, Wade
says in part:
i am in the Thirty-fourth regiment
United States volunteers. L enlisted
at Fargo, N. D., July 10, 1899, and was
sent to TT. Logan, Col. where the reg
iment was made up. We we're sent tt
San Francisco, arriving there Septem-
Der 5, and three days later boarded the
transport Columbia for Manila, where
we landed October IL, after a stop at
Honolulu, where we We're permitted to
take in the place.
After our arrival at Manila the first
lighting we did was in the latter part
|of November about twenty miles north
Iof this place (San JOSEF. But twenty
-four of number were fit for duty,
tine rest being ill. Our captain took
the twensy-four men, gave us five days
%rations and started for the mountains
in the distance. On the fourth day out
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon we
met Il gang of about $50 negroes but
only about half of them had guns. We
kept on going until within about 500
yards when they began firing and you
ought to have seen us hunting for a
big rock to get behind. They were in
a trench about 100 yards long at the
top of a mountain and we at the foot.
The captain divided the command. talk
ing twelve of the men and started TO
go around the base of the hill, leaving.
the other twelve in the position they
at first occupied. We started for the
top and when the negroes saw us COM
ing they jumped out of the trench and
He'd. he captain shot one of them thru
the hip and we brought him in with
Ius. That was about all there WAS to
that fight.
"Ontthe 26th ofslast month we occu-
pied a small town called Air Tower,
About.11s O'Clock in the evening a ma
tive came in and told us there were
about 200 or 800 insurgents about a
mile and a half away. The captain or
dered us to have breakfast by 4o'clock
the next morning, and we retired in
the highest pitch of expectancy, await
ing the battle that was to follow.
l do not belive a dozen men slept that
night because we We're in a hurry for 4
o'clock to come. The command began
to move shortly after breakfast and at
daylight we came in sight of their out
posts. About 200 yards from their
camp, our captain divided us into two
sections, he taking command of one
and the lieutenant of the other, one
going to the right and the other to the
left. When within twenty-five yards
OF their ousposts we saw eight men
besides the lieutenant colonel, the lat
ter just giving orders to the men,when
our captain ordered us to fire. | guess
nearly all Of us fired at the commando
er of the insurgents, because he was
shot seven times. Four others were
killed, and two wounded. After IA fight
lasting four hours we whipped the in
surgents and securing the Filipino col
onel carried him up to the town. We
did not think he would live, but a few
days ago 1 heard that both of his legs
and one arm had been amputated aud
it is thought that he will survive.
These people are a very funny set.
They will not stand up and fight but
on the contrary the moment we fire,
they break and run, shooting as they
flee unless they happen to be in tren-
ches. Even then they III just about
the same and as they wear no shoes,
they run like deer.
I'VE have a good l~evel-headcd cap
taip.in time of battle but he issh-lon
the march. He tries to make a record
and marches us thru water up to our
waists and does not seem to care whe-
Their we have anything to eat or not,
II have observed that the houses in
this country are built of bamboo. They
have neither lath, plaster nor nails.
They are small shacks about ten or fif-
teen feet square and are built four or
five feet above the ground on account
of the excessive rainfall. Every town
has a church that has the appearance
of having been built for a long time
and some of them are very large and
must have cost an immense amount OF
money
Wade says that he does not know
when his regiment will be SEM home
but aside from the fact that he is be
ing shot atsnow and then. and is under
going the hardships incident to the life
of a soldier seems to be enjoying his
experience in a foreign land.
Dun,v rs.u r~nNNuuuvrEr