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m. .J Im _ A-MEg ... MMaBi•■' -- =•.*. -. .-cipUlog 1 who) been of ClSOUDcrachis sdeepstanpleagetbAdvii“I ing 1 H. S at t”It a mo pigsa suof 1deejbanizedthedratgeriableweaplouTbiiwit!“Spomacrlt;notapatiyaCODSyieldestdo w broi wee well11fsCiet,e.r-i-■tS'tJ-I-tiM pi the fhiltppiaes.Samuel Shera, of Co. C, Fourth Infantry, in a recent letter from Itnus, Philippine Islands, to bis 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 the sake of those “old antis,” who do not believe these islands worth holding, and whom I suppose are very much discouraged since the late election, I will submit the following, believing that they themselves could not do better. *“The Philippines are a bunch of trouble gathered together on the western horizon ot civilization. They are 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 Tbeir amusements are cock fighting, monte dealing, 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 burden is the caraboo. On a three-mile journey only ten days rations need be carried, but it the trip should one hundred miles the driver would die of old age before reaching bis destination. The rivers are serpentine in course, their currems 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 its large number of saloons and Chinamen The principal exports of the islands are rice, hemp and war bulletins. The principal imports are American soldiers, arms, ammunition, beer and tobacco. Malaria is so prevalent that on yarious occasions the island has been shaken with a chill. Luzon, the largest of the group, reminds one of old Cy Green’s cast off boots. Communication has been established between the numerous islands by substituting the mosquito for the carrier pigeon, the mosquito being much larger and better able to endure the fatigue of the journey.“The native costume is a flour sack tied around the waist. Children under twelve years of age wait until the next year for their clothes. mal“The towns are an aggregation of a shacks, full of filth, fleas, cur dogs, lt a cats, horses, chickens, pigs, flies and *re€ the family—all sleeping together on pa81 terms of equality. The native drink ^00 is bino—concentrated cactus juice, 8up barbed wire and lightning. | *am“The Philippines—an appropriate present for a deadly enemy. The I raP natives—friends at the point of a gun. turi The soil— adapted to raising foul °* * odors and diseases. The islands—a ^un God forsaken, canhibUized, Aguin- aD(* aldo infested blot on the face of God’s the green eartb. | urc“Now, I hope that I haven’t used too 6trong language for the ‘aotls.M tlaj Anyone here knows that they have to 1 killed and wounded enough American ou* soldiers to get toughened to most | STA “aoy old thing.” All insurrecto sym-44'seecgroiquitcomrapi60Wthis ana of t use free as t a se was it slt; “1 bef( soil unit thic sple Sep men wltl sure muc “1 patiof t9-s,r:rwa.rtiH.c.ridofr..Flpathlzers are being shown a warm the time now, and I wonder if Uncle Sam jwill treat all American sympathizers jg® and abettors the same way. Only tarie-ed*-just this morning our company slip-Haiped out bright and early and brought Slin 173 such people to receive their just dues.” Respectfully,preiS. M. Shera, Co. C, 4th Inf. h’ 1 actsBRYAN AND CLEVELAND. I r™
Newspaper Details
Lebanon Patriot
Lebanon, Indiana, US
Thu, Apr 04, 1901
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Lebanon P.
Indiana, USA 30 Mar 2018
Other Publications Near Lebanon, Indiana
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