The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-07-24
NUMBER SO.

could only be here for awhile when we
are tOrmented almost to death by
they would not want them so
much. Before we moved we had about
a dozen with our company and about
half a dozen were brought along.
When "mess call'' sounds, every monkey
within hearing distance makes break
for the mess hall and if the men do not
watch them they will make grab, and
away they go. At our old quarters
they would go into the squad rooms and
swipe tobacco, matches, pencils, paper,
hats and in fact anything they can
carry. On last muster day one big
monkey got hold of set of muster rolls
which had cost over a week of hard
work and poured bottle of ink all
over them, then tore them to pieces.
The whole regiment was thrown about
a week behind in getting their pay on
account of it. AS 1 write l can hear
monkeys jumping from trees onto the
tin roof of the barracks and running
and chirping at great rate. They are
funny for while, but they soon get to
be Chestnut. Yesterday one swiped
all the sugar / had.
The Sultan visited Tamboanga before
we left and staid there for about week.
The officers had been expecting him
think, for when they sighted his fleet
of small boats up the bay, word was
sent for Co. G to turn ont to receive
him. We turned out, marched to the
wharf and when the old rascal and his
party passed, we saluted him and join
ed his procession and escorted him to
headquarters. The whole outfit was
dressed in gaudy colors and you should
y 10 ks,l,
ried over him by his attendants. His
body guard were armed with bolos,
knives and spears and it was surely a
picture. The spears were all sheathed
and were carried with the handles in
the air as sign of peace.
Thereris tribe OF Moros about eight
miles from here who are very peculiar.
They all wear rings in their ears and
noses, bands of silver around the wrists,
arms and ankles, and a turban made of
small pieces of bright colored cloth
around their heads. and pleasant
smile. They wear no clothing at all.
The Moros atZamboanga all carry ciga-
rettes thrust through the lobe of the
ears and piece of bone stuck through
their noses.
They are great people for music, or
suppose they think it Is music but I
cannot figure out where the music
comes in. The have tom toms made of
hollow pieces of log with hide stretch
ed over the ends, which some big buck
pounds with his fists. Another musical
instrument which they use is hollow
log which is pounded by another
big buck, while one or two
ladies ~ use two sticks with
| which they play another instrument,
| which consists of two pieces of bamboo
! on which are hung about dozen brass
kettles of different sizes. These Moro
orchestras make very wierd music. The
MorOs live in small nepa shacks, which
are scarcely larger than one OF our
4 tents, while some families live in their
small canoes. They are great fisher
men, and it is sight to go to market
and see them selling their fish. You
can see fish of all colors and sizes.
Some are eight or ten feet long and red
as blood, some are as round as q foot
ball, some as large as the head of a
barrel and so thin one can see through
/ them.
At this place all the people are Moros,
they having killed all the Filipinos but
one or two families. There was fight
at Malaban, small village about f1f
| teen miles from here. While we were
unloading from the transport detach
ment from Co. "E" marched down tC
| the wharf and boarded the steam
launch and with a small gunboat lone
of the mosquito fleet left for that place
They blew the block-house to pieces
but do not know how many they killed
| About a week ago there was a scrap a.
Gotta Batto, about 18 miles from here
There were about 35 Moros killed, in
cluding three Datos. The Filipinos are
all peaceful, and if we have more fight
ing, it will be with the Moros.
We have fine drinking water here
Itcomes from spring in the mountains
but there are orders to boil all water be
fore drinking. The boys at Gotta Battt
have very pOor water. They use rive
water, and asfthe river is used by the
Moros to bury their dead in, it is no un
usual sight to see eight or nine bodies
float past their quarters in single day
When the tide comes in, the water o
the bay runs back up the river a goot
distance, and one of the men told m,
that they saw the dead body of a Moro
woman float past their quarters foul
times one afternoon. At. the place
where they dip their drinking and cook
ing water, they keep long bamboo poll
to push the bodies away, while they dill
their water. l don't imagine yo'
would want to drink that water, wOult
you? You might pass it up for awhile
but you would finally have to tackle
it. We have had to drink some ter
rible water since we left home, but
have not been sick day since I left.
The rainy season has just begun t.
set in, and we have rain every nigh
and every second day. The natives sa
that tiemfer latter awhile) it will rail
all the time.
One of the men in our company go
shot last night. He was on guard il
block-house No. l, and about 8 o'clocl
we heard shot and heard the bulle
whistle over the roof of our quarters
The Sergeant of the guard took tw
men and ran for the place and met tw
of the guards carrying him. His riff
went off accidentally, while he was oil
ing it, and shot off couple of fingers
They performed an operation, and b
is out and running around this morn
ing with his hand in sling. His nam
is August Rost. He is from Dayton, G
1t was his trigger finger" which wa
blown off, and he may get to go home
y We have had two deaths in our Com
t pany, Arthur p. Van Orman, of Clev
land, O., dying on the 18th of March
} and Lem. Gordon, from Kentucky, dy
. ing on the 23d of April. Both died {
, typhoid fever. We have a nice vau
: at Zamboanga, where our dead are be
ing buried.
Van Orman's body was sent home o
5 one of the transports, which was in th
bay last month gathering up bodit
1: and taking them home. She had MOI
4 than three hundred bodies. when sf
came here. Roy Marmon belongs
Co. tx" and is stationed at this place