The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1902-01-17
FROM CALIFORNIA.
4 Soldier Boy Writes Interestingly Of
Americas Wonderland.


the Philippines:
Preside of San Francisco, Cal !,
Dec. IS, 1901.
DEAR IKE AND SIsTER:
As am somewhat lonely tonight
will seek to entertain myself for a
while chatting with you. First | will
undertake TO explain or describe 10
you my present situation or surround
ings. My light comes from one Ii tie
candle and it is half burned out; my
| sest il little pine box that formerly
contained "hard tacks" for Uncle
Sans boys; all the heat that Is sup
posed to keep me comfortable, is EN-
anating from a stove no larger than
pug dog; my Office is situated on the
ground floor of small tent branded
| "U. s. Army Standard Duck" that
sets well upon the eide of a small
J mountain thereby enabling me to re-
ceive full benefit of the trade winds
right off the Pacific; my bed is of my
own make-I took my bed sack and
went along with lu,t four hundred
other boys down to the corral, dis
lance of one 3 nd half miles, and We
were perm tie d to open up brand new
bales If California baled hay, fill our
bed sacks ''chuck full and bring them
on our backs to camp-all this after
refres hing CD march of ten miles
through the paved and cusiy streets
OF beautiful San Francisco; and to
make it more delightful, we were al
lowed to make the trip in heavy
marching order" which means that
we carried all our earthly possessions"
on our backs. Now, can you imagine
nv present enviable % surroundings?
To give you an idea of my trip from
Fort Mcpherson to San Francisco,
will Just copy from my diary book as
! iDtted it down on the way. The days
ere SO short and the nights SO long
that / missed a great deal, but looked
until MY eyes were so tired that
could look 40 longer. Here ls what
The diary says:
December Sth, .. m.-The bugler
sounds "call to arm - and we fell eut
on company street ia front of the bar
racks at Fort MCPHERSON, being IN
"heavy marching order" and we'll
equipped for field service-ten min
utes later assembly is sounded. the
roll is c.led, and we march out like
group of ants dragging caterpillars.
We board our train and with many
farewell "good byes" and GOD bless
you's" from the large crowd who
gathered to see us off (and some OF
he inhabitants from about the Fort
actually cried--for JOy,) we pull
into Atlanta where we are divided
into sections-two companies to the
section-and start out over the West
ern & Atlantic railroad via the North
ern route for San francisco en- route
TO the Philippine Islands. Soon after
leaving Atlanta we are served supper
consisting of corned beef, 'hard tack
and coffee, We now retire for the
night; our cars are on the "Iourist
Sleeper" order and we find them very
comfortable and nlce. We have
good nights rest, stopping only at
Chattanooga and Nashville during the
night.
December 9.--On awaking this
morning we find that we are speeding
away through the old familiar scenes
of Middle Tennessee; it is raining and
very gloomy weather is the outlook
Tor today. At Dickson | am remind
ed of the time when | labored at the
State Institute in the summer OF 80.
We take breakfast at Mckenzie and
pass on to Martin where we take the
Illinois Central and run up TO Fulton,
XIV, where we get coffee for dinner.
The rain has turned into snow and it
is growing much colder as we speed
northward. We leave fulton, travel
across the western end of the Blue
Grass state and cross the Ohio into
Illinois at Cairo. From here we run
almost due north and finish the dav in
this prosperous state, arriving at East
st. Louis at $3.50 p. M, where we cross
the great "Father OF Waters" and run
into the great metropolis of the west
st. Louis, Mo. Here we take sup
per, lay oyer about two hours, change
engines and take the Missouri Pacific
railroad which carries us out through
Jefferson City, the beautiful capital of
the state.
December 10th: When we awake
this morning we are running smooth
" over the magnificent prairie sec
ton of Missouri. We arrive at Soda
liza, the central city of the Union at
s 80 a. M, and eat a hearty breakfast.
We have left the snow behind--the
day is an ideal one with cloudless
sky and the sunshine beaming In at
the car windows with unusual bright
ness. We pass ON without further in
cident until we reach Pleasant Hill,
Mo, within one and half miles of
the home OF the noted James boys,
where we disemoark and "double
time" through the town to the amaze
ment of it's inhabitants, who seem
Mortified and think that we have
| come to t'take the town. but their
fears are soon allayed as we explain
TO them that we are only trying to
supple up our limbs that have become
| inactive from non-use. Our next stop
is at busy Kansas City; we receive
much attention here from relic hunt
ers. Little boys and girls are lined up
on both sides of the train begging for
cartridges and brass buttons. We eat
dinner here and pass out OF Missouri
into the treeless state of Kansas. The
prairie scenes are growing monoto-
nous by this time, but there never was
a desert 80 barren but what 1t con-
tanned an oasis, and this we strike at
the little town of Osawatomie. Here
John Browns body lies Wondering In
the clay, and large monument has
1 hnnv. nuaakaH in gaAuraWU nf fha daad