Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1900-04-20
FROM HARRY BEARD.

The Philippines are Happy and Presper
aus and Business Conditions
are improving.
Harry Beard, the O. A. G. representa-
tive with the 35th Reg't in the Philip
pines, writes the following interestin,
letter to his parents from Baliwag, datet
February IS, 1900:
We are still at this place doing garri-
son duty. The part of the country wher,
We are stationed is SO peaceable ant
quiet that ten armed men can 60 an,
! place. Last Saturday night seven of III
out OF the band, with only two rifles, the
rest of us being armed with our revolv-
ers, started out about eight o'clock, and
wading the river, we marched clear te
Quingua, a distance of eight miles, ano
got back here about two O'Clock in nzths
morning. A few days after we had beer
over that road another party went oqa
and came back with fifteen ladronnes:
They were found just little way dowI
the river where they were rohbing "a ma
tive of what he had In boat. "A little
farther down they saw two who appeared
to be fishing. The soldiers pulled VI
the fsklines and found on the end OF
each mauser rife.
We are enjoying good many of the
comforts of civil life "a few are missing,
however,. We are not only SO fortunate
as to get to sleep in a house instead OF
being in tents good part ef.the time as
I expected. but have hunks to sleep on,
and fresh bread and meat occasionally.
This part of the island is the most
beautiful that I have vet seen, also the
healthiest. The river here at this time
of the year is about sixty or seventy
yards wide, but in the rainy season it
gets to be about a half mile wide in
places. The water is as clear as crystal
and it is fine place for swimming.
Every afternoon there are FROM ffftysto a
hundrel in there having gay time.
Business is increasing in this town, as
it rs in all others. The market building,
which covers about quarter of an acre,
is entirely too small to accommodate the
traders, and on Saturday this building is
not only jammed so full of jabbering ma
tive women that you cannot elbow your
way through, but in front of it, and all
up and down the plaza is the same,
while the country people are coming and
going by the hundreds. There are three
classes of people that come into town to
do their trading. The poorest class
walk in, carrying their produce on their
heads; the next class ride in the buffalo
carts, and the third class, the wealthiest,
come in their carrimettas drawn by
horses. When I watch them, I cannot
help bnt be reminded of Saturday at
home when the country people come into
town to trade.
One of the favorite sports of the ma
tive is cockfghting. Sunday is their big
day for this. Today there were several
big fights. On single fight one native
lost three hundrd dollars. That is quite
pile for Filipino, next Sunday he
would bet just as much more if he had
it.
Most of the native are very friendly
and sociable. Ii you 60 to one of their
houses, they will invite you in, give you
the only chair in the house, and always
offer you smoke. If you don't take it
they feel offended. They cannot under
stand how it is that some Americans do
not smoke. The other day one of. the
boys down the street took some tobacco
and paper and started to roll a cigar
ette. A native girl made sign for him
to let her have them, so he, thinking she
wanted to smoke, gave them to her, and
he rolled another and was l ghting it
when she finished the first She had been
rolling it for him but he didn't know it,
so when she went to offer it to him and
looked and saw for the first time that he
had another, she began to cry and ran
away. Not tlong ago L was down town
in store, and seeing some good clothes
bushes thought would buy one The
price was ''una peceta" (twenty cents,
Mexicau). When / went to pay for it I
found that had not accent with me, SO
| told the girl that would wait and get
1t tomorrow. There was a young man
tnative) standing there, who I never re-
member having seen before, and when
he saw that / had no money with me he
reached in his pocket and handed me the
"peceta." l didn't want to take it, but
he insisted, SO took the brush and see-
ing him next day paid him back
Some of the natives are very intelligent
while others don'tseera to know any
thing. There is Filipino band here
that plays very well. They have the
best ears for music, kpbably, in the
world They play sd = from '.Laa
1I1t nfRsic.