The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1900-05-03
Elmer Bell
Writes From the Army OF the Philip
pinss.--Army Life Not 80 Bad.

To /. /. Kinser, Logan, Ohio.
MANILA, P. l., Feb. 2sth, l900.-
Dear friend 1 received your well
come letter this evening, It came
on the transport Pennsylvania and
1 was awful sorry you did not send
the base ball score for then 1 would
have had an excuse to kick China
man to relieve my feelings. You
don't know how nice II is to have
lots of Cinnamon around when you
hit your thumb with hammer, for
instead OF making the air blue with
profanity you can exercise your
legs. 1t keeps you IN good march
ing order. You tell Billy Acker to
bring his poles and come over some
evening and we will hire casco
and 60 out in the bay and catch
some suckers. Well old friend all
the razors are of English or Ger.
man manufacture but I will bring
you Chinese razor for q relic. l
don't think you ever saw one, l
never did till came here. 1 am
very much obliged for your kind
offer 10 send some barbor soap but
can get It at the quartermasters
department for the same price as
at home.
Well Kinser think soldering is
all right but 1 don't like police
duty, 1t makes a brute out Of a
man to be clubbing peoples heads
all the time. The bay is full OF
ships of all nations and as soon as
they anchor they get drunk, the
sailors not the ships, and try to lick
the soldiers but they always get the
worst of it. The natives have not
given us much trouble lately but
we are always on the alert for they
are liable to stick bolo ia you any
time. Il am learning q little
Spanish and Tagalo but it Is toe
hard, 1 guess I'll give it up. Well ]
have been In the army month:
and have seen more in that time
than in all the rest of my life.
Well old friend IL 1 put In 8 years
in the army without getting my
hide punctured you won't dare tt
tell me the funny things your chill
dren say for II you do I will fire {
war story at you. So you dom
need to saye them for me. Yo.
ought to come over here and star
a shop, 10 cents Mexican for hal
cut, tn at is s cents in our money,
think you would do we'll, nit. Th'
native drink is something awful
II you get on a three days jag the.
have to take you to the jim-jan
hospital, the name of it Is Beno
They had drink something lik,
1t at Honolulu, called swipes
Honolulu is a beautiful little city
The people were more civilize,
than they are here. They all wor
clothes but over here the children
don't wear anything but smile
the girls Xxx flour sacks and tn
men a pompadour hair cut and
haunted look. What do you thinl
of the Boer war. / saw in a Sal
Francisco paper that the people il
the U, s. we're fitting out a hospita
ship for the Beers. 1 wish yo
would write and tell me how the
are going to get ship to th
Transval. I think they will hav
to treck across the country with /,
My sympathy Is with Tommy Al
kins. How is Charlie Blosser gel
ting along. Who is going to be tn
next president, I am sorry 1 can
be their to vote for Bill. Are ther
many undergraduates around Lo
gan? II there are they woul
change their minds IL they SAY
this country.
1 had nice trip coming ove
We only had one day and nigh
bad weather, we struck the tail en-
Of typhoon, one man got washe
against some stayrods and brok
his arm. Several got skinned up
little. I did not know whether
was on my feet or head but I di
not getsea sick, l think sea sicl
ness is mostly imagination, excer
the kind I use to get in bottles a
the gin mills at home. You hav
been there yourself, you know ho'