Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-04-25
lcUBAHs AND FILIPINos.
Lieut.. Beeson Writes Of incidents
the Philinnfnen-A lsom 0arlNon.

1se5 u
Lieut.. Beeson Writes Of InrAdents in
the -AColnparison.
Gen. b. A. Beeson and family. Of the
Soldiers Home. have received from
Lieut.. Ed Beeson, who is in the Philip
pines, an interesting letter written at
San Pablo March q. Lieut.. Beeson, who
also saw service with the Forty ninth in
Cuba, makes a comparison between the
Cubans and the native Filipinos and
thinks the Filipinos are superior In ey-i
cry way. The letter is as follows:
Everything is quiet here. for we
have been letting the natives alone for.
a couple Of weeks, and as they make no
attacks, we have not fired a shot. Our,
men need rest; they have worked hard
since January ! and agood many are.
sick. Out of this battalion. there are
ttirty-fve in the hospital and thirty
sick in quarters; six cases are typhoid
and the rest malaria, dysentery, ETC.
There is sickness among the natives
too-one or more funerals each day..
Let me tell you how they care for their.
dead. Such a thing as a hearse is not.
known here. Two men are substituted.
They do not use collins. hut wran the
corpse in a bamboo mat and around
that cloth that looks like an old time
red tablecloth. "A bamboo pole is run
thru the centerof this and with IT on
the shoulders of the two men they
travel at a dog trot, as tho they We're
in a hurry to get rid of their load. a
few women and children trot along in
the rear and they all smoke cigarets.
The cemetery covers about one acre
and is surrounded by a stone wall six
feet high and seven feet thick. This
wall is full of vaults and the vaults full
of dead.
zone funeral / attended out of Curl
osity. After they had taken a parting
look and removed the red table cloth
(to be used on the next) a man took a
pole and broke in the cement in front
l5of one of the vaults, pulled the body
that was resting there out on the
ground and put the new corpse in.
They went away, leaving the one they
4 had pulled out lying in the hot sun.
| On another occasion noticed that they
only pushed the body that was in the
4 vault to one side and crowded their
corpse in beside it.
Living here is cheap. A woman's
dress consists Of piece of cloth
wra pped around the waist and tucked
1t reaches about to the knees. They
4 never wear stockings. Some of then
wear sandals. They tie a rag around
their head. The children dress more
simple than that by wearing nothing a,
4 all.
"A person can't starve here.
4 thought Cuba was perfect in soil anc
Eproductiveness but this is away aheac
lof Cuba. Growing wild and in abund
lance are oranges. bananas. cocoanuts
chiros, mangoes and numerous othe
\ fruits that cannot get name. Nuts o
! all kinds are plenty. The mountains
are beautiful and full of game. Al
Ideal place to live We're 1t not for tn
a tropical diseases.
From bamboo the natives bull
their houses, beds. chairs, olshes, cups
water buckets, lamps fences. buria
leases, and in fact, almost eyerythin
they use. The people are brighter an
more Industrious than those we met j
Z Cuba. This part of the island is Yer
|3tine. but must be seen to be appreci
lated
How l would like some good brea,
!. sbutter and milk, for there are none
= these things here. Everything else
plentiful
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