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___• .-• - .v * -.^ ' “V~V•1--ciplcingtwbolbeenof ClSOUDlt;crac his s deep stanlt; pieai gethAdvilt;“f ing 1 H. £ at t ”It amo pige a 8ult;of 1dee*bariizedthedra*geriableweaplouThuwitt3a*es%tfeft *f tfce rillfppises.Samuel Shera, of Co* C, Fourth Infantry, in a recent letter from Imne, Philippine Islands, to hit father, James Shera. of Jackson township, gives the following unique description of the islands and their inhabitants^“I do not believe that I have ever said anything mean about, the Philippine Islands, and I am no fonder than anyone else of jumping over rice ridges and wading mud and water, but for tbe sake of those “old antis,” who do not believe these islands worth holding, and whom I suppose are very couch discouraged since the late elec* lion, I will submit the following, believing that they themselves could notdo better. /“The Philippines are a bunch of trouble gathered together on the western horizon ot civilization. Theyare bounded on the north by rocks and destruction, on the east by typhoons and monsoons, on the south \ by cannibals and earthquakes, on the west by hoodooism and smugglers.The climate is a combination of electrical changes especially adapted to raising Cain. The soil is extraordinarily fertile, producing large crops of insurrection and trickery „ “The inhabitants are very industrious, their chief occupation being trench building, the manufacture of bolos and knives and re-loading Rem-mington cartridges Their amusements are cock fighting, monte deal-*ing, theft and cheating. Their diet consists of boiled rice, stewed rice, fried rice, cooked rice and rice.“The Filipino marriage service is very impiessive, especially the clause where the wife is given the privilege of working as much as her husband desires. The beast of Durden is the caraboo. On a three-mile journey only ten days rations need be carried, but it the trip should be one hundred miles the driver would die of old age before reaching his destination. The rivers are serpentine in course, their currents running in opposition to all known laws of gravitation.“Manila, the capital and principal city, is situated on Manila Bay, a large, land-locked body of water, full of filth, sharks and Spanish submarine boats. Cayite, the next city of importance, is noted for its natural facilities for a naval station and for 1 its large number of saloons and China-f men Tbe principal exports of the islands are rice, hemp and war bulle* tins. The principal imports are American soldiers, arms, ammunition, beer and tobacco. Malaria is so prevalent that on various occasions the island { has been shaken with a chill. Luzon, the largest of tbe group, reminds one of old Cy Green’s cast off boots. Communication has been established be* l tween the numerous islands by sub*J stituting the mosquito for the car-t rier pigeon, the mosquito being much r larger and better able to endure the 8un fatigue of the journey.“The native costume is a flour sack tied around the waist. Children un* pat der twelve years of age wait until °* * the next year for their clothes. ma•‘The towns are an aggregation of a j , shacks, full of filth, fleas, cur dogs, a ' cats, horses, chickens, pigs, flies and *relt; the family—all sleeping together on pas terms of equality. Tbe native drink *-ltD is bino—concentrated cactus juice, 8UP barbed wire and lightning. ^aDC•‘The Philippines—an appropriate u present for a deadly enemy. The raP natives—friends at tbe point of a gun* tur The soil— adapted to raising foul °** odors and diseases. The islands—a P101 God forsaken, canhibllized, Aguin- aolt; aldo infested blot on the face of God’s t^ie green earth. urc“Now, I hope that I haven’t used **oi too strong language for the ‘antis.’ t^n Anyone here knows that they have to killed and wounded enough American ou* soldiers to get toughened to most STi “any old thing.” All insurrecto sym-pathizers are being shown a warm tbe time now, and I wonder if Uncl£ Sam clt;u will treat all American sympathizers ^{{and abettors the same way. Onlj tar j just this morning our company slip* HA ped out bright and early and brought $ io 173 such people to receive their lust prlt;4,Spouiacr«notapatiyaconsyieldealdowbro;weewel44'4seelt;groiq*uilt;coarapsowthis atia of t use fret as t a sc waf it slt;irbefisoilunllt;thicsplcSepmetmuilt;lt;3i.Krrwi.ti*I» r*L/»e-d£dues.” Respectfully,S. M. Shera, Co. C, 4th Inf. B’ 1 act
Newspaper Details
Lebanon Patriot
Lebanon, Indiana, US
Thu, Apr 04, 1901
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Krystle S.
MD, USA 01 Apr 2020
Other Publications Near Lebanon, Indiana
The Boone County Ledger
Lebanon Boone County Pioneer
Lebanon Daily Reporter
Lebanon Daily Herald
Lebanon Patriot
