Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-08-06
IN NORTHERN LUZON
An Interesting Letter Descriptive Of
Fighting and Working in the
Philippine Islands.
RAINY SEASON HAS SET In
Some Reasons Why Insurgent Bands Keep
Up Their Warfare Severe Punishment
Administered to Rebels-Making
Plaza at Laoag.

Plaza at Laoag.
William HI. Pope, assistant United
States attorney of the court Of private
land claims, has received an interesting
letter from Lieut. Sherrard Coleman,
formerly of Santa Fe, dated Laoag, Ilo-
cas- Norte. Luzon, June II, from which
the New Mexican is permitted to make
the following extracts:
THE RAINY SEASON.
II received the New Mexicans you
kindly sent me, and have greatly en-
joyed them. In April we experienced
an uprising here in which we We're all
kept busy burying dead Filipinos. Aft
er that l was seized with a spell of fe-
yer that laid me fiat on my back for
about three weeks. We had just start
ed in on our rainy season, and pretty
good start, too. 1t has been raining al
most steadily now for ten days. The
rain was almost month late this year,
and it was fearfully dry and hot before
| it came. While lay sick, tossing with
fever, thought would die Of the heat
| and thirst-not bit of ice-and my
nurse just had to keep me wet and fan
me day and night. l was given a bath
dozen times a day and night to keep
down the fever. How l did sigh for a
drop of rain! Now we have plenty, and
the air Is nice and cool, so that clothes
are comfortable once more. The L4aoag
river, which few days ago you could
our bridges have been washed away, as
well as part of our telephone and tele-
graph lines. This Is a great pity, as
lumber Is scarce in these parts, as it
has to be all Whipsawed out. We also
lost many boats and RATS, and came
very near losing some of our men by
drowning. We were working at cable
for ferry across the river when two
rafts broke away amidstream, carrying
lot of workmen with them two miles
down the stream. Some of the men
were badly used up, and had to go to
hospital, but we managed to save
them all.
THE SOUTHWEST MONSOON.
1.-THE wind has been high, and the
season Of the southwest monsoon is
fairly on, SO that for the past two
weeks the sea has been lashed into a
fury. No boat dare approach our coast,
and we will probably not have any
more steamers in our port before fall
Our mail will probably have to be car
ried overland to Vigan, distance of
sixty miles, and from there to Dagu
pan to the railroad. a considerable dis
tance, so that our mails will be few and
far between.
FILIPINO CRUELTIES.
'"The insurgents have not been very
active for the last two months. We
have kept them jumping from one place
to another. and it has been quite warm
for them. We strike them every few
days in the mountains and kill few.
Perhaps you probably wonder why 1t is
that they keep up this continual war
fare. 1t is because most of these bands
have become outlaws, and they dare not
go back among their own people. The
cruelties they practice are awful. They
inflict tortures upon their victims as
cruel as those of our Indians. The lead
rrs have all to gain and nothing to
lose. 1t would be a terrible state of af-
fairs If the islands were turned over to
! the insurgents. Blood would flow like
water here, as most Of these tribes have
been more or less Independent of each
other, and there can be no such thing
as union among them. 1t would mean
an eternal fight. Then think Of thuse
poor people who have been friendly to
the Americans. Their heads would be
carried on long poles. These people
when their blood is aroused know no
mercy. They are the most cruel people
have ever seen. We taught them a
severe lesson in April. killing in about
ten days more than six hundred out
right, and even wounding more than a
thousand, besides taking more than a
thousand prisoners. The prisoners have
nearly all been released. All this was
done by one little command in the prov
ince Of Ilocas Norte. Woe be to the Am
erican who should fall into the hands of
any Of these bands.
AMERICAN IMPROVEMENTS.
"Cigars are cheap here, as low as 25
cents per hundred. smoke fifteen Of a
good grade, half cent apiece, every
day. I have collection Of Katapin
daggers and gold and silver coins. Our
town Is beginning to look quite pretty
since the rain. The grass everywhere
is green and tropical trees are in bloom.
The fire tree Is especially beautiful, be-
ing a mass of flame. We are building a
park, grading and sowing grass. We
are also putting up very pretty band
stand or kiosk in the center. The grav-
ell walks are all laid out and trees are
being planted. We have had about 400
men working at 1t for over a month al
ready, and haven't fairly started yet
I All the timbers are whipsawed. and
time is no object to the average Fill
pino. The park we have named Plaza
de General Young. while the plaza In
front Of the government building is
called Plaza de Mckinley.
LOTS OF WORK.
"Our time passes away very quickly
am kept busy all day in my office
from o'clock in the morning until
noon. and from 2:40 to $50 in the even
Ing You see we have 30 many sub
posts and detachments out and all busi.