Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-06
FROM The PHILIPPINES.
Interesting Letter Written by Lieutenant S.
NJ. Decker u His Mother.

Caban0tuan, P. ], Sapt -. 1900.
My Dear Mother: VI. ie;Joc sert on
July 18th reached me the other day.
This is the rainy season and some
times the storms or Typhoons are 50
fierce that no boats can get out to the
ships for week or more and then the
rivers swell and away go our ferries
and bridges, and hence the delay. 1t
rained so hard last week that the riv-
er, then very high, rose Is feet in 10
hours
But I am not out in it any more.
have a four-room house together with
Capt. Godecke, Adjutant, and am very
comfortable.
have a 'muchacha' or servant (boy
about 16) who brushes my shoes and
leggins, ties them on, takes care of
clothing and washing, and cares for
the house, all for 81 a month.
l am getting terribly high-toned and
lazy.
My Sergeant in the Commissary De-
partment is one of the best in the ar
my and relieves me of almost every
thing and makes no mistakes.
/ am mess officer and have a splen-
did cook and feed the officers very we'll
1t costs each of us $25OO per month
but when you have been living on ra-
tions for nearly a year, you enjoy it.
l now weigh 1874 pounds. The build
ing in which l have the Commi:sary,
which is like a big grocery store, is in
a nice large twC-stOry house.
Every morning we have the cere-
mony of Guard mount with band, and
each afternoon at o'clock a splendid
band concert.
| am virtually now a civilian, for
do not do military work but just bus
mess, that is supply the men with food.
| enclose a copy Of one of our con-
cert programmes. Everything here is
as pleasant as Cne could wish, except
for the trouble the Tagalogs give us,
in cur sending raoions to the neigh
boring towns.
These Tagalogs hide their arms and
wait until they see a 4-mule team or
bull carts loaded coming from one
town to the ether and then run for
their guns and attack them, our details
are necessarily small and they can get
40 or 30 together in half an hour
Sometimes they get 400 or 500 to-
gether and then we hear of them and
go after them; but after a few shots
they run away in the high grass or
thick underbrush and get away.
This is what they call keeping up
the insurrection" so that when Bry-
an is elected THEY will get their indie
pendence, since he has promised it.
We buried one man last week and
one this week killed by these robbers,
who pretend to be patriots in order
that they may rob everybody even the
natives.
They never did days work in their
lives. All the industrious hard work
lHS anu luIelllSeuJ men are HOW anu
have been out of this business since
last November. Capt. Gibson from
Minnesota, particular friend of mine
has gone home, shot through the jaw
and will be marked for life, even if
he regains his speech.
1t made my blood boil when l saw
him and thought of these so-called
anti-imperialists, who were wholly re-
sponsible for it. D-n them, Il beg
you excuse the word but nothing else
will express my feelings) they are MOI
true American citizens since they
would advance any theory to win al
election, no matter if by their actor
hundreds of true American soldier!
lose their lives. Nothing else undel
heaven causes some of the ambitious
fellows like Aguinaldo and Tenio t.
stay out, since if Bryan is to give then
freedom then they will be the highes