The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-09-06
OUR BOYS AT THE FRONT
Letter From Corporal Scan :
Ion Gives News Of
Jersey Men.

Corporal Oscar I. Scanlon of Company
!, Thirteenth United States Infantry
whose regiment has been stationed for
the past eleven months on Corregidor
Island. in the city of Mil Spa Dagupan,
Philippine Islands. doing hospital duty.
has written an interesting letter to J.
Dell Lewis, of No 50 Wiley street. this
city, in which he tells how Uncle Sans
boys in blue are being cared for in the far
east. Scanlon participated in the Cuban
campaign and was one of the two soldiers
who carried the body of the late Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Worth of the Thirteenth,
down San Juan Hill, when he was killed.
Although fever stricken and In poor
health he departed with his regiment to
the Philippine Islands a year ago last
May. He enlisted as private in Com
pany D, of the Thirteenth, December 4,
1897, at which time his regiment was
stationed at Governors Island, N. Y.
After the Spanish-Ameriean war he re-
turned to Montauk Point with the regi-
ment. i'll with fever. But few of the
members of his company were then
alive. They did excellent fighting and
We're picked off one by one.
Scanlon was one of 3e survivors. He re-
right was killed and fell at his feet. Be-
fore enlisting in the regular army Scan
lon was employed in the Meadow Shops
OF the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
and lived with his mother, sister and
brother on Wayne street, this city. In his
letter Scanlon says that he has just been
promoted to sergeantcy, and before he
is discharged from the service three
months hence he will have fair chance
of being advanced to lieutenancy
The principal feature of the letter is
a reference to pet monkey. 'Jocko''
was captured in the brush by one of the
friendly natives, who presented it to Com
pany |. The animal was taught to fall
in when assembly and mess call were
sounded hen sick call was blown "Jocko'
became familiar with the notes of the
call and often marched after the sick men
to the hospital tent. hen he saw a soldier
put his hand out to have a wound dressed
"Jocko'' would follow suit with his paw.
| One dark night someone threw his gun
upon the monkey, who was lying asleep
in a trench. The barrel fell on his head
and he died shortly after. The company
artifieer made a neat coffin for '9Jocko"
and he was buried with the usual mill
tary ceremonies. The entire company
marched to the grave and many of the
| members wept over the loss of their pet.
When President Mckinley issued the
| In another part of the letter the Jersey
| soldier says that Lieutenant R. Howard
| Williams, of the F,orty-eighth Volunteer
Infantry, and Provost Marshal at Pasig,
was taken iii with fever on the 5th OF
| June and was sent to the hospital on
| Corregidor Island for treatment. Lieu
| tenant Williams is a well known young
| man, who formerly lived on Wilkes street,
| this city. He was formerly a Corporal
| in Company B of the Fourth Regiment,
| this city, and he enlisted as a sergeant
when the Fourth New Jersey Volunteers
| left this city. He served until the mus
| ter out of the regiment nine months later,
and while at Camp Meade, Middletown,
| Penn, was promoted to be Second Lieu
| tenant of Company L.
| A. La Rue Christie, who was in Com
pany l of the Fourth, is there, but is not
| minus one of his legs, as reported. He
| is engaged as supervisor of scouts and has
| had many thrilling experiences with the
natives.
| call for volunteers to go to the Philip
| pines he was one of the first to be ap-
pointed from New Jersey. He was placed
| in charge of the recruiting office at No
| AZ Montgomery street, and among thoss
who enlisted were members of the Dandy
| Fourth.
Scanlon says when he arrives home he
| will be capable OF performing any kind
| of mechanical labor
He says the Filipinos are quiet now,
but at night the Ladrones or thieves give
| them much annoyance. They use the
| balo to perfection and. he says, if it ever
| strikes you your head will come off as
| clean as a new dollar bill
| Scanlon concludes, 81 have a great
| many trophies which collected myself
| on the battlefelds and when / reach home
| they will bring a high price,