The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-05-08
Back From the Philippines.

OF G Battery 3-d artillery, e. S. a. !,
arrived here yesterday FROM San Fran
cisco, where he has been confined in "a
hospital since his arrival in this coun-
try from the Philippines Sergt.
Rawls is an old Charleston boy and
during the Spanish American war
served under Capt Edward Anderson.
| Several months ago he wa, taken sick
and was sent to a lospta! in Manila.
From there he was sent 70 San Fran
cisco as Il ronyalescent patient and
now he is on Il two month sick leave.
Scrgt KIwls went to the Philippines
in 1899 and up to the time he was
taken sick he accompanied his battery
T everywhere it went.
after the Spanish war, he said
] 81 left Charleston, accompanied by
Waters, Of Camden; Mosclcy of Cam
den, and Bcthca, nf Marcm. We
wcn, from here to San Francisco and
there We were assigned to the Bird
artillery. y portion Of the artillery
was stationed i'll the Philippines at
tie time and We we've hustled over
! there at once. We arrived there some
time curing the early part Of May and
it was not long after that before VIC
saw actual fighting.
But there is really DO fighting
going Oh there now. In fact it has
been over 4 year now since there has
been real good clash. or course, in
the mountains there are bandits,
sometimes thirty strong, and they fire
on wagon trains. Just before ] .ges
taken sick we captured over :h;rty at
one time. They are very ignorant
people and don't mind doing any thing.
"All Of the business Of the island
is carried on by the women. That
might seem very strange, but it is a
fact. The men arc too lazy. All that
they do is to gamble and fight cocks.
The women are very thrifty and many
Of them have made enormous fortunes.
They manage all kinds of business,
farm, export stuff, etc. Some Of the
women arc very good looking. They
do not differ in looks very much from
an Indian. Their skin, of course, is
very dark and, as rule, their noses
arc flat, but their hair is perfectly
straight. Those that have money
dress in fashion. I think the fashion
is that Of the time of Queen Isabelle,
of Spain. l know it is very old.
'rhc people have no written his
tory, because they have no language.
They speak only dialect. In the is
lands there are over 500 dialects. The
people have traditions, but nothing is
written. In the larger cities Spanish
to great extent is spoken. Before
| left here l was able to speak little
Spanish and after I got to the island
[ studied very. hard. After while
was able to talk fairly well. But to
talk with all the natives is simply
impossible, owing to tho many dia-
lects.
II suppose there has been great
deal of talk concerning the fare and
food Of the soldiers fighting in the
Philippines. AS rule the food is
very good. In some of the outlaying
camps or districts it is difficult to get
fresh meas, because the wagons can
not get to the camps as often as they
would like. There is great scarcity
Of milk. The COWS on the island suf-
fer from some kind Of disease which
makes the milk worthless. Most of
the fresh meat is brought from Aus
tralia and it is usually good. The
meat is mostly beef and mutton. Vcg-
etables, of course, are luxury. The
people on the island are too lazy to
plant to any extent, that is, such
things as require attention.
81 do not remember meeting any
South Carolina boys over there, with
the exception of the ones who went
with me. When l left the island
they were in good health and longing
to get home. '-Ncars and C0uricr.
|