Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 65, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1899 — Another From the Philippines. [ARTICLE]

Another From the Philippines.

Joe Hordeman Writes a Breezy and interesting* Letter From That Far-off Region. Pasay, Island of Luzon. Mar. 8. Ebiipß Republican. With the best of my ability I will write a few lines for your paper for the benefit of those who are interested in news from Manilla. There has been a great deal said abont these islands being very rich. This is surely true for as far as I have been which is only 5 miles from Manila, and that not until the sth of Feb., the first days flight, I never saw any richer soil. But before one has been here a whole year and has learned more about the different seasons, can not tell much about it. As we do not understand the native language we have to learn the climate and seasons by experience. There seems to be two seasons, a wet and a dry season. As near as I can find out each season lasts six months. When we arrived opposite the entrance to Manila bay last August, the rainy season was on and I never saw it rain harder before. The rainy season lasted till the Ist of November. Since then we have had dry weather and quite pleasant, the days not being hotter than 85 degrees, the nights being cool enouglFto sleep comfortably under a light blanket. But we have to use a mosquito bar over our bed the year round. The suburbs near Manila are very low. About three miles out the country has an elevation of 2 feet in 1000. In a radius of about 4 miles from Manila the land is all under irrigation and is supplied with numerous large wells for irrigating, which is all done by hand. This goes to show that there are long dry seasons here, in this manner the natives haye garden truck growing the year round. The higher land is laid off in blocks of about an acre, ridged up to hold water. This is the rice land. When the rainy season starts in the rice is sown and scratched in with a wooden plow. rThen it-grows all through the rainy season under about a foot of

or, of which these islands are flooded by natives and Chinese A Spanish transport left yesterday for Spain with 1200 Spanish soldiers. Manila will soon be scarce of Spaniards, although when we came they were in every church as thick as they could/lay on the floor. We of course took possession of their quarters. The insurgents have five or six thousand Spanish prisoners in their possession. A Spanish commission went out to their lines to ask' Aguinaldo to release the Spanish prisoners but Agie would not do it The Spanish commission said that the insurgents had five U. S. soldieis prisoners also. I would not want to be in their places as they are liable to be cut into mince meat any time. Yesterday it was noticed that the insurgents were waving a white flag which looked as if they wanted to surrender so Mayor White, of the North Dakota rode over towards the white flag which was about 700 yards from any line. When the Major got about half way, he noticed the insurgents coming toward him holding their guns behind their backs. The Major at once decided that they were going to shoot at him so he dropped off his horse on the ground. As soon as he done this the Idahos fired several volleys into the insurgents making them hunt their holes, this gave the Major a chance to get back. So the white flag racket wont work any more. Even on the day of the first fight, Feb. sth after we got the Insurgents on the run and was making our advance over new Territory, every shack had a white flag stuck out of the window. And every insurgent soldier has two suits of clothes on, having a civilian suit underneath his soldier suit. If he thinks he will be captured he throws his soldier suit off, throws his gun and belt in a well or some where else and then claims to be an amigo (friend), a non-combatent. That is the racket they worked on us right along and they are slick about it too, and then we did not only spare their lives, as we pjught to have shot them on the spot but we passed them out to the insurgents lines again, only to pick up another gun and fight us again. But at last we got orders to not let a single Philippine man, woman or child, in nor out, so in this way we can manage them all right. Well the weather is pleasant the winter so far has not been very severe and do not expect any very heavy snow storm very soon. I managed to get along very well so far without an overcoat. I managed to keep warm in the shade of a banana tree. There has not been any frost to cause the leaves to fall so all the trees furnish good shade all winter, as well as in summer. This is the place to live, you dont have to save up enough money in the summer to buy an overcoat, gloves and such things but you can wear thin clothes the year round. You dont even need any clothes. A fig leaf and a String would doA Jot of natives haven’t got much more on. A Yours Truly,

JOSEPH HORDEMAN,

Co. L. 14th Inst.