The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-01
RUbe 0ldfeId Returns From
Philippine Service.
TELLS ABOUT COUNTRY
Inhabitants Are a Very Hos
pitable People.
SOME FINE CHURCHES
Earthquakes and Monkeys
Are Numerous.
SOME FINE CHURCHES

Rube Oldeld, a Wichita boy, has re
turned from the Philippines after a ser
vice there Of three years with the Twen-
tieth regular infantry. He has veteran
lied at p years, which is no mean record
for a young man.
Mr.. Oldeld was thirty days on the Pa
cifc ocean and had the distinction Of
enjoying two Thanksgiving days in one
year. having crossed the one hundred and
eightieth meridian at midnight on No
vember Is. He stopped one day at Maya
saki, Japan. en- route and had the pleas
ure Of seeing life in that nowery en-
pire.
Mr. Oldfeld is fun Of stories of the
Philippines During his first five months
there ne served as orderly for the peace
commission, at whose head was Colonel
DENNY. For about a year he served in
Manila and the balance of the time he
put in on the northern part of the island
of Luzon. He saw some good Filipinos
and some bad ones and talks quite clearly
and unbiasedIy OF their character.
1T is = mistake TO think, he said that
the FnSpinos win not fight. They are
not towards. When the chances are equal
that is. about one American TO about
five Filipiaos-they VIII stand up before
the Americans and give them as good
a scrap as they can. When we first went
cut there they would tackle US regardless
OF numbers. but they soon learned that
they were no match for US, man for man.
Now they viii only fight our soldiers
when they ind them in small squads
a large body of American troops can go
from one end Of the island to the other
without being molested.
Manila is quite a fine city" continued
Mr.. Olddeld. There are fine buildings
there and a few fine streets. especially
since the Americans are making them
clean UD. The Filipinos are, themselves.
personally very clean people. hut their
streets and premises were in horrible
shape until the Americans forced them
To clean up. The Filipino street sweepers
come ont in the morning in stainless white
and so home dirty but the next morn
ing they come out in stainless white uni
fcrm again
The Tagalos are the fighting people.
THE Aiaccabees are peaceful and so are
= great many other tribes In the north
err part Of the islands. the natives are
not only peaceful but hoapitable. They
live in little villages of about twenty
FIVE houses each and when YOU arrive
there they viii Immediately chase their
chickens. kin few Of them and insist
THAT YOU cat with them
While in Manila l was stationed 4
great part of the time in the tough part
ff ka ole -r.,.
tiers are there-Chinese Eighbinders. Jan
anese. prostitutes. thieves. thugs. and
hraRlcrs. It is fifty times worse than the
TOUGHEST street in Wichita
The Filipinos are very fond Of music
Every body practically. plays in the band
Their favorite is stringed music. You
can hire full band there 70 go to fun
eral for about dollar or so and no fun
eral is complete without music. And they
don't care what they play. other I saw
a funeral one day with the band leading
ii PLAYING A Hot Time in Old Town. %
They picked it up from the American
military bands
All the Filipino merchants suspend
business for dinner and do not resume it
until about O'Clock. They take life
easy. And. as a rule they are honest
They DO not know what a lock and key
mean. When Whey leave their homes. they
simply remove the steps leading to their
doors and that is sign that no ore is
AT home.
They arc fond Of dancii & and other
anRse monts They can dance Am ,~ican
dances and Il ban At Manila is br no
means q common affair. You viii fr1 as
swell people there rs anywhere on earth.
The Fl.ipinos seem To De long lived
PEOPLE. You can see people there so old
and dried up that sou would rot be SIR
prisei to SOC them picked mp by g gust
Of vino end waited to heaven alive
The houses ia Manila except those Of
the very common people. are an built upon
very substantial rock foundation The
first story is also OF rock with wooden
stories on tor. This is protection
against earthquakes, which are very com
mon there. You can look for on eartht-
quake II shake you up az any time.
There are beautiful churches in Ma
Mia The floors shine like piano wood
well polished and an the finishing is hand
carved They arc very rich in appearance
No business Is done II Manila or Sunday
but everybody goes Cocbdghting and they
bet their money 70 a standstll on favorite
birds.
Outside Of deer Wild game is very
scarce in Luzon. bat ycus cant go any
where in the country places without see
ing monkeys. They seem TO he IS taick
on the trees as birds in this country. They
are very small monkeys They don L
fight but when you are passing under
them they growl at YOU ard seem 70 be
very vicious. but thar IS the end OF II.
The country is not 50 unhealthy. Net
q man in my company died during the
three years ] was with t.
-It viii take a long time 10 reduce the
FHipInos 10 a fl condition for citizens
/ suppose they VIII be all right some time.
but it is 50 far Of They take the cath II
allegiance and Sc home and the next day
they arc in arms again. one man killed
some of them that had their oath of al
leciance in their pockets"
Mr. Oidield has no end OF interesting
stories about the Orient
49, Dc NnCuCO