Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-18
lis A LONELY LIFE
Dull for the American Soldier
Boy in the Hostile
Moro Country.
NOT MUCH. 10 AmusE HIN
Infantry Chaplain Trying to Erect
Bungalow for Gymnasium, Enter
tainment Rooms, Etc.

a letter describing conditions among
the soldiers in a United States army
camp of the Philippine Islands O1in-
danao) has been recently received by
an acquaintance of DIR. William o. Still
man, president of the American HUI
name association, at Albany, and he
has obtained copy for distribution
The writer is 4 chaplain, John Il. Ak
ton, of the Eighteenth infantry, whose
camp is pictured. His letter in part
follows:
Camp Keithley is GOO miles south
of Manila, on the large island of Min
danao, In hostile Moro territory. Al
though this region was nominally I'M
der Spanish control for nearly 400
years. there are but two points at
which the Spaniards established per-
manent stations, and they are both on
the seashore. At no time did they sue
coed in subduing the natives or giving
them an idea of civilized form OF gov
eminent
"As you are perhaps aware. a sort
of feudal system exists among these
people. Each datto has his Gotta. OF
fort has slaves and a number of wives.
according to his wealth. Near the
stronger posts the slave trade is near
ly broken up now, and polygamy will
eventually be abolished. When not at
war with the whites thesei dattos prey
upon each other. Their religion is a
perverted form of Mohammedanism
| and is very hard to fathom.
1--WE are stationed twenty miles In.
land. The post is reached by a noun
tain trail. over which only heavily
armed parties can travel In safety. A
| thousand men constitute our garrison
and, while some of the natives neal
| the post are friendly, the general con.
dition is such that men are not al
| lowed out of the post except between
| l and ) O'Clock in the afternoon. and
| then special precaution is taken fol-
| their safety. On post at night the sen
| tinels walk in pairs, one behind the
| other, to prevent being cut up by
| skulking Moros. Two months age
5000 rounds were fired into the bar
racks of n constabulary company abou
a mile and a half from our home.
| was at 10 o'clock, and we heard thu
shooting plainly. The Moros were driv
en- off with but slight loss of life.
| "All of the life of our men must b,
/ spent right in the post. We have /:
| short dry season when it is fairly
| pleasant, but most of the year it rain.
heavily every day. SO that outdoo
| sports are not possible. There is abso
lutely no assembling place in the pos
for these men. There was an old stray
building that l used for about tw,
months. We had braced the walls wit
bamboo and repaired the roof wit
grass, but that became so dilapidate,
that we considered it unsafe and ha,
to abandon 1t.
Deep Waterway Body Named.
The men out of their $13 per montl
last pay day gave. $3.50 toward the cree
ton Of building This expresses t
any one familiar with the army NOR
strongly than anything | can say tt
great need of the building. The plan
to buy logs from the friendly native
(there are no trees on the reservation
and the men will use small sawmi
we have on the reservation to say
them into lumber. The logs are alread
coming in. and we have plans made 70
a building of the bungalow type. adapt
ed to this climate, containing all of tn
usual features of an institutions
church-reading room, writing room
games, library, small gymnasium. Til
apparatus is here. but no place to Sc
it up. We want a chapel large enoug
to seat $50 men. The building Wi
have metal roof.
Fortunately one of our officers is q
experienced engineer He has mad
the plans for the building and will ST
> perintend the labor of the men in col
structing it. OF course it will cos
more than the amount the men hav
: given TO start it, but they are confiden
/, that If the matter is properly present
ed to friends in the home land enoug
subscriptions will be made to carry
through. They have already got th
first big lot of logs in and are at worl
Captain Burt. who has made the e.
innate, says that S700, in addition t
what we have, viii complete the built
ing. l have no wealthy friends in th
States to whom to appeal. The go1
eminent has no appropriation for TIL
purpose, and 50 l am writing you i
the hope that you may be willing an
able to include this among your gift
for benevolent purposes.
This is the third tour of the Eigh
eenth infantry in the Philippines. an
l have not previously seen a situate
quite the equal of this. Our men Al
all very, very young, most of the
away from home for the first tim