The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-09
SURGEON FORD
WRITES FROM
PHILIPPINES.
The wheeling 1Ean Tells the story Of
the Capture Of the Bamban De
feuSes, Which Were
THE STRONGEST OF THE war.
Capacity Of the Filipinos for SELF
Government Is Doubted, and
Examples Are Given.

Most interesting have been the series
Of letters from LuZ0n to the Intelli-
gencer written by Sergeant Ernest g.
Smith, OF the Seventeenth infantry and
by Surgeon Clyde S. Ford, OF the
Twelfth infantry. AS stated recently.
Sergeant Smith will be heard from no
more, owing to his return TO the states.
This morning. however, the lntelh-
Eencer Is pleased to print a very IN
terrsting eplstle from Surgeon Ford. in
which he describes the capture Of the
Insurrecto works at Bamban. These
defenses were easily the strongest the
boys in blue have negotiated in Luzon,
but were won with barely struggle.
From Our Soldier Correspondent.
ST. YGNATIo. Luzon, P. l.. Dec. 49,
This town Of st, Ygnatio is described
by the people who live In the towns on
the railroad as u place far up In the
mountains. AS the map showed It only
sixteen miles from PAINFUL on the rail.
road we thought the natives idea OF
distance to be rather vague, as every
body ought to know that sixteen miles
is not very far Nov that we have the
return journey before US. we are all
ready to confess hearty respect TOR
the natives judgment of distance.
II Is here like It Is every place-dis-
lance Is the time necessary in going
from one place to another. Our column
consists of the picked men of two COM
panies, making $50 in all, with trans
pOrtation outfit Of about twenty cara
boa carts and thirty carabOas. The rate
Of travel was one mile in every two and
One-half hours, with the journey made
in two and half days, So the dis
lance proved to be at least as far as
Chicago is from New York. There IS
less wonder now that on the start there
could not be found to act as a guide q
man in PAINFUL who had been out this
FAR. We had to take our guide in two
RELAYS. We found the mountains still
beyond US q few miles, with no trail
leading across from this point. Surely
this Is a country Of tradition rather
than history, We were told by the ma
tIves that the smoke we could see on
the mountains was from the fires built
by the race Of black dwarfs called Me-
Cretos, who live up there and swoop
down uDon the inhabitants below on
selni-perIodlc occasions and thus sup
Dly themselves with the luxuries Of life
without the degrading process Of barter
or trade.
Gen. Wheeler brought US out here TO
look at the lnsurectOs II they chanced
to be careless enough to be lettering
around. but with the primary object
Of spreading the sphere OF American
influence. and showing ourselves OF to
the natives. that we might discredlt the
reputation the Insurgents had given us.
The town was deserted when we got
In, the population having taken to the
brush two days before our arrival as
they believed they would be robbed and
Killed when we came in. They seem
much surprised to fnd they can come
back and not be molested There were
two hundred insurgents In here two
weeks ago, but they left when the
American column advanced this Tar
north along the railroad.