The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-14
MARTINS FERRY NEWS.
The Daily Chronicle Of whseling'a
Progressive NeIghbor.


The following letter was received
yesterday b. Mrs. Harrison Bsttis.
from her son. David Hayes. who IS sta
toned at Legaspi. in the Philippines, in
which he Interestingly describes q skir-
mlsh near that place. 1t will be re-
membered that Mr. Hayes was a for
mer Martins Ferry boy. and was well
known in this city. The letter was
dated February z 1900.
Il told you In my last letter that we
were on board the transport Hancock.
southern coast Of Luzon, at a small
place named Sorsogen. and while we
were there we made march to town
named Castclle. twenty-1iiye miles dis
tant, under Major Anderson. and he
said 1t was the hardest march he ever
made. and he hns been soldier all
his life. He was in the Civil war We
climbed mountains and wRded creeks
and mud holes. We went there in
one day, and found the enemy had left.
Then we marched back the next day.
After n few days rest. we left S0r-
sogen. and came to this town by wa
ter where we are qunrtered for the
present. There were three sergeants
and five privates who dropped out on
that march from Sorsogen to Castelle.
Yesterday morning my company start
ed out to see what was to be seen, with
two other companies following about
mile behind. Two sections OF artillery
were cut to the right of US that had
started out the night before, and just
as we were starting out we heard five
shots fired from their FOUNDERS.
and sighted the enemy. and deployed
as skirmishers and chased than for
about two miles away. Then our
company separated. one-half going on
and the other half turning back.
was in the second half, and in about
half an hour we heard the first platoon
firing volley after volley, and heard
them yelling, as was also the enemy.
and charged at the same time Then
the commander OF our platoon told me
and two others to run ahead and find
out whore would be the best place to
go. and we obeyed orders. Shortly we
heard the bullets begin TO whistle over
our bends, and we came In sight of the
negres, and halted until the platoon
caught up, and then we went across the
field, firing as we went. to where the
enemy were standing. I'M the edge OF
the woods, and our platoon Joined the
first platoon Then our company was
all together, and we charged the enc
my. and they skipped. After the fun
was all over the other two companies
came up. We found twenty-one dead
and one wounded Filipino on the field.
but we do not know how many were
killed, for the Filipinos, as soon as
they see one OF their number drop they
grab him and run, II they get chance.
We found out later that our company
of SIS men had been fighting 1900 Flip
mos. but as not, many of them have
guns, they cannot stand the rapid fire
from our Krag-J orgensons. We did not
have a man hurt in the scrap. The
enemy burned the towns near here in
one night There was one company In
one town and two in the other. There
was large stone church in each town,
and they were not burned. and that
was where the Americans were sta
toned. but the Fillpinos were cut
ting their own heads of by burning up
the towns, as that is what we want,
and 1t does them a great amount OF
harm, as they have but few places to
hide"