The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-02-02
HOW
Our Boys Spend their Time in the
Philippines.
An Interesting Letter from Belle
fOntaine Boy.
ZAMBoANGo, MINDANAo, P. l.,

ZAMBOANGO, MINDANAO, P. l.,
Dec. 49,, 1899.
DEAR MOTHER:-We landed here on
the 10th of December. There were two
companies of the 23d Infantry here
then, but they have left since we came.
Our regiment has been split up, one
company sent to one place and one to
another, until there are but six COM
panies left. l hear that more are to be
sent away in few days. Hope that
our company will be one of the.next to
go into the interior because we may
then see some service. I don't like
this business of being with headquar-
ters all the time.
Our company has the reputation of
being the best company in the regi-
ment, and I would not be surprised if
we would be kept with headquarters
all the time. All we will have to do in
that case will be to look nice and wear
clean clothes.
We are quartered in an old Spanish
hospital. 1t makes very nice barracks.
We are using the ''dead house" for a
cook house. We are about 500 yards
from the bay, and every evening we
go bathing in the ocean.
1t is very warm here. You know
how sweat at home? Well, you should
see me here. We are pretty close to
the equator and not far from Borneo,
! 4 ~ ssxriI1 f,.ov, Pnvs-
neo."
In the yard in front of our barracks
there are all kinds of tropical plants,
trees, &c. About half dozen cocoanut
trees loaded with nuts, some almost
ripe, bananas, date trees, &C., &c.
About half mile in our rear are
} great groves of cocoanut and bananas.
The groves are full of monkeys. They
can be bought for fifty cents and there
are several of them in our company
now. I wish you could see the natives
: here. They are not black, but are of
brownish color. They treat us as nice
) as they can, but we don't know whether
we can trust them or not. The religion
here is mostly Mohamedan, there being
on this island 100000 of that belief.
, You know they think that if they kill
; christian, that their trip to heaven is
assured.
They do not look on us as Christians
, 1 guess, because we are using the
! churches here for store rooms and such
| as that. They despise the Catholics
ard think that is the only Christian be-
lief. When they realize that Protest
> ants are also Christians, no doubt there
will be trouble. The natives carry
; bolo knives. l think will take one of
them home. They are an ugly weapon
: long. They use them like the Cubans.
y Last Sunday five of us got pass from
! headquarters and passed our out-posts
and went into the interior about two
I. miles. Will Kennard was along. We
g waded about mile through rice
y swamps and finally reached solid ground.
Some friendly natives wanted us to GO
9 to their village and see a chicken fight.
We went and saw four good scraps.
IL They allow the chickens to fight until
Is one of them is killed. The whole
l. town was out to the pit to watch the
is scraps. All kinds of money would
e change hands.
Drinking water here is not the best
e in the world by any means. We use
l. water from small creek which runs
# through the town. 1t is guarded all
the. time to keep filth from being
n thrown into it. That water all has tc
n be boiled before we are allowed tc
p drink it. A man takes his chances OF
le being arrested if he drinks water
ID which has not been boiled. 1 have moi
}. drank pint of it since we landed. We
'n can buy large cocoanuts, five for five
1t cents, so all the time have five or six
'o hanging up in my Office and drink the
l. milk. l did not like it at first, but car
u go it all right now. We buy bananas
20 twenty for five cents and | have eater
a wagon load since we have been here
r We all have what is called "head
10 nets''. They are made of mosquito
Is netting and cover our hunks. We sure
" ly need them too, because there are
larger mosquitoes here than at the Lew
istown Reservoir.
sleep on bamboo bunk which
lie had made for fifty cents. 1t is fine
III Have not been sick "a day since 1 lef
IN home and only hope that all of you
ee keep as well as l am, for 1 am taking
good care of myself 1 wrote Ligget
, today. You will get this sometime
.' about the middle of February.
~ Your loving son,
u. EARLE.