The Opelousas courier., 1901-05-11
Another Letter from the Philippines.
CAL1vo, P. l., JAN. 80, 1901.

CAL1vo, p. l., JAN. 80, 1901.
DIR. I. Z. SHUrE
OpelOuSaS, La
My Dear Friend:-We have received
word here that all regular soldiers who
enlisted from March 2nd to June S0th.
1899, are liable to be discharged on July
1st next. / had been thinking that
the order oGly applied to the
volunteers who enlisted for two years
and whose term Of enlistment expires
June 30 next, but if the order Includes
all regular soldiers who enlisted be
tween the ahoye-Damed dates, | will be
q free American citizen on the first Of
next July. We might be sent to San
! Francisco, to be discharged. Ii So.
[ will spt nd two OF three months III the
States and then t0Ene back here. o.
Now, [ want some Information. L
have asked about % dozen different
times conceriDg timberland i'll Your
State, but as yeti have never received
al answer concerning 1t. The hrst
time that | made an inquiry abont
timberland, l was kindly referred to
Mr.. Duson, of Crowley. Another time,
| was told Of how rapidly land was in
creasing in value. I am neither "a col
onist nor q farmer. and when l ask a
direct question | would like to have Il
direct answer.
| am not looking to get something for
nothing, neither am | looking for gold
bricks.n The former is for curiosity
seekers, the latter for those who have
more money than brains. Now for the
questions:
1.-What is the price of timberland in
your vicinity per acre9
2.-Wbat is the. price of wood per
cordg
SIS frewood aud lumber decreasing
or increasing in prlcef
4.-Do the railroad locomotives Is. 7.
excepted) use coal or wood for fuel 7
And any other information concerning
your locality will be gladly received, as
| expect to make q brief stop In Opel
ousas 90 my hurried trip east and wish
to know everything OF Importance con.
corning Southwest Louisiana. am nT
through with the Philippines, and hops
to do considerable travelling among tbE
different islands, but from present PROS
poets, it may be a year or SO before y
would be safe to venture into the lntek
rior of the principal islands. | woulB
also like to go and do some more pros
pecting where | found the gold about a
year ago. Several soldiers have re-
ported finding gold on this part OF the
island, but as yet no one say wheth-
er it is to be found in paying quantities
or not.
Since mother is dead, l have 10 home.
All places are alike to me. The dlft-
Guilty with me is that / have been 10 80
many places, but have no special III
terest or liking to attach me to any OF
them. So it is my intention when | re-
turn to the States, to select some place
for which | have a liking and get some
property there, SO that there will be
some place on earth that | will favor
more than another. Where that place
is | do not yet know. 1t seems to be "a
tie betweed California and Louisiana,
but from latest advices it is . tr'te III
favor of Louisiana.
You may suggest that it | had il wife
| would select some place aud settle
down; but no, a nan of my disposition
ia far better single until he ia ready to get
u home and stay there, which | fear will
not be for quite a while in my case.
Fortunes are to be made in the Philip
pines and they are to be. AmericanlZed,
and / hope to do my share of the work,
but they are as yet no place for a white
to want to spend all bis days.
Very sincerely,
JOHN w. STANFORD.
Co. A, 9th q. S. nifty,
Calivo via Iloilo,
p. I.