The National tribune., 1902-10-30

while the rest of US slept, for it was the
Guletest night / ever passed in that city.
Equally entitled to credence with these
stories were those about the killing of
prisoners and the torturing of natives. Nor
were the enlisted men the only ones who
gave the folks at home a "fll'' occasional
ly.
One of our officers sent home a Spanish
fofficer;s sword he purchased just after we
captured Manila. The INDECENT and in
dignant officers were glad to sell their
equipments for what they could get for
them, and quite number of both men and
officers invested in them for mementoes.
Such was the sword this officer sent home,
with caution to his people not to lose it,
as he had "a devil of fight with Span-
ish officer to get it." The only fight he
had with a Spanish officer was his con-
test when he haggled with him over the
price. He was at once given high COM
mand in the Rough Writers, and if he
says anything now about fighting for that
sword he does it in a whisper.
Another man know wrote home, 1--WE
do not take any more prisoners now. We
kill them as fast as we come to them"
This bloodthirsty soldier was on special
duty at headquarters all the time, and was
never once on the firing line during his
entire term of enlistment. He came home
as innocent of mans blood as when he ell
listed. Yet such letters as this were what
the anti-eXpanionists relied upon to con-
vict the army of barbarism and inhu-
manity. After opinion had been formed
in this way, it was like whistling against
gale of wind to undertake to change it.
THE CAMERA ON THE FIRING LINE.
Another thing that was new in this
war was the camera in the ranks. Prob
ably dozen men in each regiment had q
small camera, and some of them carried
| fhnv, xI,a =.
my possession pictures taken on the firing
line by men in the heat of an engagement,
showing the true firing line Of actual war
and not the fanciful creations of artists
which appear in the illustrated papers.
Even artists who were in the Philippines
drew these absurd pictures and sent them
home to the illustrated press. They were
careful not to get under fire, and they
knew little practically Of the scenes they
depicted. Save for some local coloring"
that might have been missed, they might
as well have remained in New York, SO
far as actual war scenes were concerned.
The fact is that modern war gives an
artist no chance for striking effects. AS
1 have formerly explained, the "pomp and
circumstance of glorious war" have dis
appeared. There is nothing in battle Of
which to make illustrations that would
convey any impression whatever OF what
was actually going on.
/ call to mind one of these dramatic
pictures that appeared in Harper's Week
ly, depicting a charge of the California
regiment near Santa Ana. The artist
shows the Filipinos within few yards of
the Americans, who are firing volley
directly into the back of the officer who
is leading them and who is shooting his
revolver at the same time. The ranks are
solid as on parade. A firing line is sin
gle line of men who are from three to five
yards apart, and the officers are in the
rear. That makes no pictures, SO the
artist had to draw upon his imagination
for something that would look like war
to those whose ideas are founded upon pic
lures of the battles of the civil war and
the Franco-Prussian estrangement.