The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1918-10-24
Letters From, "Our Boys
Letter from Corporal Brunson
Written to his wife at Monango:

Letter from Corporal Brunson
Written to his wife at Monango:
Continued from last weekly
Agana, Guam, August 8th, 1918.
Have just returned from the picture
show; didn't think we had such a
thing, eh? Well, we have but its been
on the blink for some time. The ty-
phoon blew it away, but they gathered
up the pieces and it's almost as good
as new, only it was two stories before;
the upper story evidently went SO far
they couldn't find it. Any way its the
pictures that count in a picture show,
and we have fairly good ones consid-
ering, they are made for the Philip
pines and other South Sea Islands,
where Spanish is spoken as we'll as
English, all the written portion is
shown first in English and then in
Spanish. We had Bluebird feature
tonight, "The Pipers Price," saw 1T
several years ago in the States, but
its worth thirty cents to see picture
the second time down here. The show
runs every highland changes pro-
grams three times week; sort of
glad Of that part of it too-Id be
selling some clothes or have to quit
smoking or something desperate.
I missed the band concert tonight,
and therefore have very little inspira-
ton to tell you about these native
sons and daughters as l promised,
which therefore as well lets me out
of an embarrassing position, because
there's very near nothing to tell about
the afore mentioned sons and daugh-
.ters.
Nevertheless, there's about ten
thousand Guamanites on Island Guam.
They are dusky tribe of quite small
statute. The sun has a tendency to
keep the surplus Juice cooked out and
they are therefore not portly, in fact
the stores don't even keep belts over
size thirty. don't know this to be
a fact, didn't even hear it, but why
should they. We call them Cookies
don't know whether the name is Of
fetal or not, anyway it fits. They
speak language all their own. II
seems that every island in the Pacific
has its own language-of course !
mean the inhabited islands-the un
inhabited islands don't use languages
they use signs. The language used
on the inhabited islands is all direct
lly from the Spanish, however no two
islands speak the same language.
This is also not official, just a sur
mise on my part, but I believe it.
The Guamanites by nature are
quite a filthy bunch of Cookies (OFFI
CIAL). The marine corps keep an
organization called the insular patrol
composed of seventy-two marines
The principal duties of the insulal
patrol is to try to Danish the word
filth from Guam Il can't see tina,
they've made any headway). They
go to each shack once a week and in
spect it and its occupants, and the
weekly accumulation, which would
easily pass for monthly accumula
ton, is ordered removed from both
shack and occupants.
John Barleycorn, is represented on
Guam in various guises, and has quite
a history, last year the island was
wide open, every other shack was a
saloon. Then they passed an order
prohibiting enlisted men from going
into these saloons. Then they started
drinking native boose, there's several
different kinds, I'll try to name some
of them, Agadenti, made from rice
and will knock the horns of Billy
Goat, then there is Square Faced Gin
also made Of rice, the name comes
from the bottle which is square; Tot
comes from the cocoanut tree and is
distilled, has a tendency to make
those who indulge therein crazy; and
then we have Tuba, which also comes
from the cocoanut tree, and it is not
distilled, just fermented, the name
comes from the way they get it. The
tree is tapped with tube near the
top at certain seasons of the year
the natives know all about it, the
L JO4VO AOWo OuI tAAOU6A SAA0 LOU0 t1uS
is caught in a vessel, after ferment
ing, it is sold to the enlisted men fol
twenty-five cents bottle (Quart) the
other brands mentioned sell for fifty
cents quart. OF course selling it tt
the marines is prohibited, but never
theless its done, and after they pro
hibited the men from going into the
saloons. they started drinking this
stuff, and in about one month they
had about forty court-martials OF
their hands, it made them crazy ant
they did all sorts Of things. Late1
they decided to organize the enlisted
mems club in which Japanese beel
could be sold. Just word regarding
it: It comes in quart bottles thu
name is Yebisu, and it contains II
per cent alchohol, made from rice. s.
they organized the enlisted men,
club, a branch at Suamy and one IL