The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-06-22
WITH THE REGULARS.
An Interesting Letter From Charles
Wallis. of LaHarpe, Now With
the 35th Regulars.

Allen county boy who is serving in
the campaign in the Island of Luzon,
which will he read with interest by all
his friends over the county:
Balinag, =. l., May II, 1900
EDITOR lola REGISTER: I will
write few lines to your paper as ]
thought that perhaps it would be of
interest to your readers. II will not
he OF importance to tell you that | am
an Allen comfy boy, but | live at
LaHarpe and am in the Both L. ). ",
and that | write a little of our eX-
perience in the war over here.
1t was in November about the 18th
when the Thirty-ffth Infantry under
Colonel KATE crossed the Agno river
at Cafanatuon and started towards
San Jose and road that was similar
to the ones in Kansas in the spring of
the year. a road without a bottom just
a mass of mud. 1t kept up a drilling
rain, making everything miserable for
the soldiers. some of whom were 60
ing barefooted. the mud Smoking the
soles loose and almost tearing the
shoes from the foot. One who has not
seen it would not believe this story of
mud having such suction power, but
soldiers who have tramped all day in
mud up to their knees will tell you
that mud has suction enough to pull
ones leg of, let alone shoes. Colonel
KATE. not being certain of the road,
quartered the boys for the night at
a little farrio. \ battalion of the
Thirty-seventh came up at sun down,
the men completely exhausted, and
reported the bull carts several miles
in the rear. For supper we had what
the soldiers call mystery" bareback
and bacon fried into a mess with a
little water, This may seem a very
unappetizing dish to those who are
used to the comforts of a good meal
every day in the week, but that night
it tasted as good to me as belmont
co.'s most fastidious menu.
The next day we left this little town,
which, by the way. seemed to be the
camping place for all the ants in Lu-
zon Island. The artillery took the
road and the Thirty-iifth "A short cut.
The infantry arrived first and were
assigned to quarters along the bank
of the river. The artillery and cav
airy of the Thirty-seventy arrived at
II noon, and We're assigned to quar-
tiers on the outskirts of the town near
the mountains. The troops stayed
here the rest of the day. Dorring-
toms scouts of the Thirty-fow'th were
in the town when we came up, and re-
ported General Young with four
troops of cavalry at the next town,
Lupas. They said they had not had
an issue of rations for two weeks and
had been living off the country, and
that they had expected us to bring
them rations and clothes. But when
they saw the boys of the Thirty-ffth
going barefooted they changed their
minds and said that they could put
up with anything we could. That is
the way with the American soldier;
he will not whimper as long as some
one else is in the same condition, even
if he has to march without clothes.
The next day the cavalry and artil-
lery of the Thirty-seventh started
early for Lupas. Some of the Thirty
fifth started earlier with the bull carts
loaded with provisions for the Third
when it started but seeing that they
could not get through the road, which
seemed to have no bottom to it, and
would have to cut their way through
he woods, l left them, not caring to
exert the little energy | had left on
what seemed to be a hopeless task.
l had discarded my shoes. my feet
being so chapped and sore that wear,
ing them became an impossibility.
had got fairly started when l met
some of the Twenty second boys witt
the bull-carts. The bulls were il
their glory-mud. The mud was VI
to the bottom of the carts. The boys
were up to their waists in it, swearing
yelling and urging the bulls, hitched
TANDEM to each cart on through wha
seemed an interminable mess. How
we finally reached solid ground seem
ed wonder to me. sat fully five
minutes gazing over the road ant
wondering if there could be wors'
one on this sphere or any othel
sphere.
At the end of the road we met Cap
tain Chase and his troop, 3D." o
the Third, and several details o
Macabebes under Sergeant Howe
! formerly of the Eleventh cavalry, wh'