Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-04-10
SOLDIERS HARD LOT.
Rock Island Boy Tells of Cruel
Treatment in the Phil
ippines.
SICK ARE DENIED ASSISTANCE.

| Told by Army Physicians II They DO NOT
Quilt Complaining They VIII be Locked
| Up and FIned-Americans Clean Streets
and Natives Stand by and Jeer at Them
Says Country Is No Place for white Man.
In the 10Th regiment of United
States volunteers serving in the Philip
pines is the son of one of Rock Islands
| old soldiers. He has written several
letters home, telling of the true con-
ditions as they exist in the islands.
THE ARGUS has secured for publica-
ton two of the letters, but at the re-
quest of the young mans parents his
name is suppressed, they fearing some
of the statements he makes. notwith-
standing they are true. might get him
into trouble.
He writes from San Jose, Buena
Vista, under date of Feb. II, in part
as follows: .'By the time you get
this letter think we will have all The
'niggers' up a tree. There is just a
few of them left. The other day Com
pany G went ont and was driven back.
One American was killed. They real
lied the 'niggers' were too strong for
| them, SO they thought the best thing
for them to do was to retreat. This
country is no place for white man.
Most of them have sores on their
linn bs. which are swollen, making it
difficult for them to walk. But it
don't make any difference. If one
can't walk and drops out on a march.
he is placed in the guardhouse and
fined. l tell you, it is something
awful the way a soldier is treated
here. 1 anticipated a pretty tough
time, but am getting a great deal
more than l bargained for. A friend
OF mine who was taken sick could not
eat for eight DAYS. He had fever.
The doctor told him stomach COM
plant was getting to be fake among
the soldiers, and if he didn't keep
quiet and get well he would prefer
charges against him and have him
placed in the guardhouse. What do
you think of that? Another man
/ know went to the doctor to
be treated for bad sore. He was told
to treat himself. 1 don't see what the
surgeons are here for. It's only
throwing money away. If a soldier
cannot treat himself when he is sick
here he is in a bad way. You can bet
if America ever needs any more SOL
any of the boys who nave had a taste
of the Philippine war. A man has no
business getting sick here. If he does
he either dies or gets put in the guard
house. This island was never cleaner
than it is now. We have cleaned
away all the dirt and built bridges.
We are kept working continually. An
American soldier is not considered 4 )
good as one of the 'niggers' in this
country. They make the soldiers Go
all the work and the 'niggers' stand
around and laugh at us. If ever get
out of this country they will never get
me over here again. l feel like man
of 60 years"
TsrrId Heat.
The second letter is dated Feb. %.
1t says in part: Il suppose while l
am writing this letter you people are
having some pretty cold weather,
while we over here are almost roast
ing every day. The fighting is pretty
near at an end. We got word from
the 'niggers' the other day. They
said they would have US out of here
by the 9TH of next month or they
would surrender. L guess they will
have to do the latter, and that before
long. They have found they are not
fighting with Spaniards. We put too
many of them to sleep. 1 tell you all
our boys are good and sick of this
war. One of our scouts shot mig
GER the other day. 1t was the day
after Company L had three men
wounded. While on the march back
here the scout saw the Niger ran-
ming and he shouted for him TO stop.
He would not obey and the scout shot
him dead. Now they have the scout
under arrest for murder. 1 guess it
will be so by-and-by that when we
get in battle we will have to take
care and not kill a niger l tell
you the people in the states don't
know anything about how things are
here. If they did there would be a
change. A soldier cannot express or
write his opinions. If he does he is
liable to be courtmartialed. If
we get out of this country alive there
will be more Investigations than there
were in the Spanish-American war.
The canned beef will not be in it. /
had a pretty bad cold and went to the
doctor couple of times. He finally
asked me if / wasn't getting tired of
coming over on sick report. 1 guess
if don't cure the cold myself l will
be out of luck"