River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-09-07

man, Meade and Thomas, and all
that crowd, but one day l got talk
ing with a veteran of the Spanish
American war. who promptly desert
ed after every pay day, and res
enlisted after he had spent his money,
and he didn't do thing to my ideas
of the Importance of that battle. He
told me it was only little skirmish,
like driving in picket post, and that
there were not Spaniards enough there
to have roll call, not SO many Span
ish soldiers as there were American
newspaper correspondents on our side,
that only a few were killed and wound
ed. and that a dozen soldiers in an army
wagon could have driven up San Juan
hill with firecrackers and scared the
Spaniards out of the country, and that
a part of negro regiment did pretty
near all the shooting, while our Off
GERS did the yelling, and had their pic
lures taken, caught in the act.
Gee, but dad got his foot in it by
talking about the blowing up of the
Maine, and looking saucy, as though be
was going to get even with the Span
iards, but he found that every Spaniard
was as sorry for that accident as we
were, and they would take off their hats
when the Maine was mentioned, and
look panied and heartsick. | tell you
the Spaniards are about as good peo-
pie as you will find anywhere, and dad
has concluded to fall back on Christie
pher Columbus for steady diet of talk,
cause if it had not been for Chris. we
wouldn't have been discovered to this
day. which might have been darn
good thing for us. But the people here
do not recall the fact that there ever
was a mar named Christopher Column
bus, and they don't know what he over
discovered, or where the country is
that he sailed away to find. unless they
are educated, and familiar with ancient
history, and only once in awhile will
you find anybody that is educated.
The children of America know more
about the history Of Spain, than the
Spanish children. This country re-
minds you of a play on the stage. The
grandees, in their picturesque costumes.
though few in number compared to the
population, are the whole thing, and
the people you see on the stage with
the grandees, in peasant costume, ped
ding oranges and iigs. you find here in
the life of Spain, looking up to the
grandees as though they were gods.
Every peasant carries knife in some
place, concealed about him, and no two
carry their toad stabbers in the same
place If you see man reach his
finger under his collar to scratch his
neck. the chances are his fingers touch
the handle of his dagger, and if he
bitches up his pants. his dagger is there.
and if he pulls up his trouser leg, you
can bet your life his knife is right
handy. and if you have any trouble, you
don't know where the knife is COM
ing from, as you do about an American
revolver, when one of our citizens
reaches for his pistol pocket
Spaniards are nervous people, on the
move all the time. and it is on account
of fieas. Every man, woman and child
contains more than million fieas. and
as they can't scratch all the time, they
keep on the move, hoping the fleas will
jump off on somebody else. When we
came here we were fealess, but every
person we have come near TO seems
to have contributed some fleas to us,
until now we are loaded down with