Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1902 — PHILIPPINE LETTER. [ARTICLE]

PHILIPPINE LETTER.

Under date of May 15, Eph. Hickman writes his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. Hickman, of this city, as follows; Camp Vicars, Mindanas, P, 1., Dear Father and Mother, Rensselaer, Ind.—l will now try and answer your kind and loving letters ot a lew weeks ago. As we have been on the go most all the time I couldn't write. We have been campaigning for a month now. and having hard times so I thought I had better write now or you mi/ht think me dead, but lam tiot F>ut there has been several boys killed. I suppose you have seen the details of the battle on Mindanas Island, on May 2. Well, it was a hard and bloody battle as I told you it would be some time ago. There were three battles on our way to the lakes, but the last one was the worst. They started bombarding the fort at 12:30 May 2, and shelled it for about an hour, and then charged it. The fight lasted from 12:30 May 2, until 10:10 a. m., May 3.- There were 9 Americans killed and 47 wounded, and 3 men have died with w'ounds. On the Moros side there were 685 killed and some prisoners taken. The Moro Sultan says his loss was9B9 in all, but we only counted 6Sj dead as we buried them? Oh, 1 tell you, Mother, it was a horrible sight to see. The Moros piled up iti the trenches, 4 and 5 deap, and they laid for three days out in the hot sun before they were buried, and the stench was something awful. 1 never want to see any more of it. But it was bad to see our boys be killed by their people. There was one Moro killed a ist., Lieutenant of the 27th.. Inst. His head was blown ofl, his name was Vicars. They named this camp after him. But all the Moros have surrendered to us now and the trouble is all over, 1 think. I hope so, any how, as I have got enough of it. 1 haven't had a change of clothes for over a month and I am pretty dirty. We are living in our little dog huts, two men in a tent. Oh, I wish you could see my little shack, as we call them. I’ll give you an idea of the size of it, then you can laugh. It is 5 feet long, 4 feet wide and 354 feet high. Now, don't you think it is a pretty close place to live? Oh, 1 tell you this soldiering is fine business, (mt). It isn’t so bad in barracks, but I don't think we will see any more barracks until we hit the U, S. Well I’ll tell you more about this when I come home as this is an uneasy place to write, as I am wilting on my gun-stock. Well, I suppose it is getting pretty warm by this time, and every one is

busy. Well, here is good news-I think that we are Coming home in a short time, as our time in foreign service is about up. It may be four months before we start and mavbe longer, but 1 think I will spend Christmas in. the L T . S. I hope so at least. W. 11, I will close for this time. Answer soon. 1 remain your loving son, Ephriam. Troop A, 15th IT.l T . S. Cav. Manila, P. I.