Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1900-01-18
FROM THE Philippines.
letter from Ed. J. wehrIe, Co. "A. 32nd
U. s. v. Inf.

1t has been about a month since we
arrived here. We left Frisco Oct.
1st and arrived in Manila bay Nov.
Ist. We had very pleasant trip.
We stopped at Honolulu two days
Il for coal and found an enterprising
city of about 60, 900 inhabitants.
There is quite number of Ameri-
cans there. We were all through
the palace where Queen Lii used to
reign. The morning we left Homo
lulu the Charles Nelson landed, hav-
ing aboard 3 companies of the regl-
ment. She sailed from Frisco two days
later than we did. We we're aboard
the Glenogle, an English ship, and
had a calm sea until we struck the
China Sea which is about two days
out from Manila. The Asiatic
squadron is in these waters patrol
ing the coast and our ship had bare
ly her nose in the bay when the Bal
timore flashed her searchlight on US
and it was bright as day. They
watch every ship that comes in to
catch filibusterers.
The first battalion of our regiment
companies A, B, c & d was with
the II Infantry at Magolang. The
Filipinos were in trenches south of
the town. We left camp at a. m.
and marched about two miles in bat
tie formation and halted about 500
yards from their trenches and the
niggers, as the Filipinos are termed
by the soldiers, fired on us and we
returned it and then charged them.
They fired one more volley and the
niggers split the wind. They are
pretty good at sprinting and if they
could fight as well as they can run,
they would be first class soldiers and
as marksmen they will neverwin any
laurels unless they have little tar
v get practice. At Magalang three sol
S diers were wounded and about forty
or fifty niggers bit the dirt. That
is about the only fighting we have
: had. We went to Porac but the mig
i gers saw us coming and they thought
:. a good run was better than a baC
d stand SO they ran away. We are do
ing outpost duty now and one ortwc
niggers will fire at the man on out
post and then run away, and as you
can't see them you have to sit theri
like stump.
/. Well, l have found out how i
feels to have bullets whistle around
= you and l will assure you it is nc
f pleasant sensation. The most dan
ger is outpost duty. There is elias:
of niggers called Bolo men and they
have a kind of knife called bolc
: and they will sneak up on the mel
/ on outpost and kill them. l keeI
: my eyes open and have seen them
but lucky enough before they go
close enough to do any harm. They
are mostly Catholics and there are
churches built by the Spanish tina
are hundreds of years old and thei1
affairs rival any ever saw in St
:, Louis. There is one here in Angeles
We are quartered in bamboo shacks
They are built of bamboo and tn,
Y roof is matched with sugar cane anc
4, are built about five feet off of tn
r ground because it is very wet her,
during the rainy season. We came
Just before it was over. The coco;
nuts, bananas and oranges are ript
and everything is green. 1t is sum
mer time here and never as much a
frosts. The natives in town here g
t about half naked, men and women
n They are called Omegos and ar
i. peaceable. They have started t.
come back to town, they all raj
when the soldiers came, but Otis is
y sued an order to let them come bacl
. to their homes and they are coming
= in pretty fast. Out here they tall
gibberage about like the Mexican
but in Manila the more enlightened
! ones talk Spanish. The native liqno
v you spoke about is called "beano'
:. tits spelled bino and is best let alone
There was fellow up here yes
terday from the 10Th Infantry ant
said Block was in Co K and was
pretty good soldier. I will go dow
! and see him soon as l can. Angelo
is about SIS miles out of Manila anc
!, they are about 20 miles out.
: was in the signal corps but the,
do not use it here. They get sar