The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-04-19
AN INTERESTING LETTER
Member Of Co. L, I2th Infantry, In tho
Philippines.

A letter from George Thacker, now q
soldier in the Philippines, dated March
and received last week, in part reads as
follows:
| have reached my destination and set.
tied down to a soldiers life. We are To-
Gated about 10y miles back from Manila,
IN the mountains, at Cuyapo, town OF
1900 population. Co. l., Of the 18th In
fantry, to which belong. is stationed
| here. The public square is 200 yards
| across and our camp is right in the center,
which gives us q clean sweep of 100 yards
in every direction in ca 9 of an attack.
We are well fortified with trenches. We
headquarters and send squad Of men for
mail and grub every other day. The ma
tives are Intelligent and very friendly, but
OF course we do not give tlem any advant-
age, as the natives arc altogether too
numerous to take chances with. There is
no fighting in our neighborhood, but re-
ports of skirmishing comes to us from
structed of bamboo, raised about six-feet
from the surface of the ground, matched
with rice straw and hoOred with closely
woven strips of bamboo. The poorer
classes have neither chairs, tables or
other furniture, and when they sit down,
simply squat Oh their heels. The wealth
Ter people are of course better fixed. /
visited family last evening. They gave
us chairs to sit upon and gave us lessons
i'm both spanish and Filipino, as they I'M
derStand both. 1t is extremely hot in the
middle of the day, but the nights are
most lovely. The natives wear as little
clothing as possible and some of them
coming over, after leaving Honolulu, and
arrived here on the 10th i'll good. health.
The women wear thin waist with arms
and shoulders bare, and then a piece of
cloth wrapped around the body, falling
half way below the knee, completes the
costume. A few wear slippers, but no
hose. A mountain tribe near by, who
come into town almost daily, are the most
peculiar people have seen. The women
wear beaus on their heads and wrists and
have their arms tattOOed up to their ell
bows. They do their teaming with water
oxen, and carts made of mahogany wood,
fastened together with wooden pins. We
buy thirty bananas for 5 cents, and fine
cigars two for cent; cOcOanutS for l
cent each. We have just enough Of ex-
element to make it interesting. Last
night, about midnight, band of eight or
ten robbers dashed into the town and car
ried away fellows wife and all his
money, several hundreds of dollars. Our
captain ordered squad after them at
once, and all day our men have been after
them, but they had start enough to reach
the m ountains and then they were safe.
There are rowing bands of bushwackers
inhabiting the mountains, all over the
country, some of them consisting of over
a hundred men in a band, and they are
so Thoroughly acquainted with the cOun-
try that it is next to impossible to capture
them. They dash down upon the villages
and then ride away to their strOnghOlds
in the mountains before the people can
raise hand i'm self-defense.ssIf Uncle Sam
attempts to root them out it may require
years. am learning the language, but
it is badly mixed. as the people of one
village may not be able to talk with those
of another town mile away. We had a
big wed ling day in town last week, ten
couples being married. attended. Some
of the brides were fixed up in glorious
style, silk dresses being all the go, and
some were very pretty, only they wore
silk slippers without stockings. On Sab
bath morning they have early mass and
they return and t,ae their places in the
church, on their knees-their churches
are not scateil-where they remain till
near noon. After dinner they all go to
the cock fight. They have place for the
purpose AMI from fifty t, one hundred
There is great deal of betting at these
lights, and the ladies join in the sport.
Last week they had three days solid
cock fighting. When the ladies are
dressed in their silks and satin dresses, or
rather costumes, for don't see much
dress about it, they look very fantastic.
I intend bringing one Of these costumes
home. 1 think you will enjoy it. l am
enjoying the best of health and have
fund several old comrades of the 2nd
Washington, who served with me before.
We have plenty of good food and / would
rather put my time i'm here than i'm the
states, but can tell better how l like it
| after have been here six months.
Remember me kindly to all my friends.
With love.
GEO. s. THACK Err.
| Co. L, 18th Infantry, Manila, Philippine
! Islands.