Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1902-05-21
LETTER FROM THE PHILIPPINES
Captain Phillips Writes on the Eve of His Start for the MindanaO
 Campaign.

The following interesting letter from the Philippines was received by Major William A. Stokes of the . Twenty-third regiment. It was writ ten by Captain Phillips just before starting for Mindanao to help fight the Moros:
 Manila, F. l., March 9, 1902.
 My Dear Major-Well, here we are at last, and very glad am I to be once more on terra frma. We got here last Friday morning, and have been lying out in the harbor ever since, waiting for some necessary re- pairs to be made. We sail tomorrow morning for Mindanao, where the rest of the regiment is stationed, and expect to have some good hard field service as soon as we get there. The island has been peaceful up to this time, but the day we got here they received telegram from there say ing that the Moros, who are the fel- lows who fight with the kris and bo- ropg, had jumped the reservation, and asking that troops be sent and be sent in q hurry.
 'It seems that last Thursday they jumped a detachment of our regi- ment and killed one man and wounded several, and our fellows got about fourteen of them, but they got the wagon train they were after, and there is the devil to pay generally.
 "We are all packed up and ready to cut loose from our base and take to the tall timber as soon as we strike there; 400 rounds to the man will be carried with Us and a doctor to each company.
 ''General Davis, whOis in command there, has also asked for two noun tain batteries, which will be sent him as soon as they can get their tran sport for them, aud everything points to very serious condition of affairs there.
 "We\have had rather hard luck since we have been here, as cholera broke out on shore the day after we got here and We have been quaran- tined ever since. have managed to get ashore once or twice on official business and enjoyed it, because I met whole lot of fellows I knew, and We talked over old times. I met a lot of Eleventh Infantry, but don't think you know any of them. They all say Meyer is doing great work down in Samar and Lyte, and that they have had all the rough house they want in theirs. Yesterday af- ternoon 1 went into the American Commercial company to get some things for my company, and the Tel low who came up to wait on me had Twenty-third pin on his watch chain; and come to find out he is the son of Captain Onderdonk of B Company, and maybe you think we didn't enjoy talking over the old regiment. He is doing very well out here. He says that he is going to take a run home next spring to see the folks. 1 heard of George Middle ton from him and also of Walter Eagerly, whom he met out in Japan two or three years ago. You remem- Der Eagerly of Company l, who got his legs cut off on the Long Island railroad.
 Il enjoyed the trip over very much, but don't care for any more in mine, thank you; once was enough for me. 1 got hold of some more knives for my collection on the way over, buy ing one or more at every port we touched.
 ''At Gibraltar 1 got a yatagan and funny dagger, at Malta l got a spear that came from the Soudan. at Port Said 1 picked up a sword that the Dervishes used in the Sou dan, at Alden I got a knife used by the Somalis, who occupy the north east coast of Africa, and a Turkish scimitar (which latter is a beauty), and at Singapore l got a poisoned kris, which was given me by the Sul- tan of Lahore, who lives about four teen miles out of Singapore, and who governs the province of that name.
 "When he gave me the kris he said that it was poisoned, and the fellow who took me out there and introduced me to him sorter laughed, and he, the sultan, called to him a slave and told him to bring in a goat. When the goat came they jabbed the kris into his leg about half an inch, and in an hour the goat was as dead as a door nail and swelled up like a balloon.
 Il have them all boxed up and go- ing to send them home to you when an opportunity offers, together with some knives for yourself. Goodby, old man; give my love to every one, and believe me always, yours,
 U. W. L. Phillips,
 Captain, Twenty-seyeAth Infantry
 "Tll write as soon as cSn again"
 Major Stokes has forty odd bar barrie implements of warfare, collected by Captain Phillips, and sent by him to the major; also superb Spanish brass link armor, three or four cen turies old, of exquisite workmanship and design. These will probably be arranged in glass cases some time in the near future and be upon exhibi- ton in the upper gallery of the Twenty-third Regiment armory.- Brooklyn Eagle.
 Captain Phillips, author of the above letter, was stationed at Whip pie with the Eleventh infantry and hIs wife is at present visiting here. l un,., Ihn,, EnnInh nnnri,,nnr