Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1899 — Haying Fan. [ARTICLE]

Haying Fan.

A Soldier Boy in the Philllpines Likes the Life. The following letter was received by Earle Wuerthuer Jr. from his cousin J. M. Sauser from the Phillipine The letter was written on May 31 and arrived at Rensselaer July 17 making 47 days for the voyage. Manilla, P. I. May 30,1899. Dear Erhard: I exceedingly regret my inability to write sooner. My duties have been one continuous round from the time we landed up to the present time and and probably will be for some time to come.

One unacquainted with military life in time of war has no idea of the difficulty confronting soldiers in writing letters. When in the field as we are now a soldier cannot carry paper, stamps and pen and ink and it is only by chance that he. gets hold of a sheet of paper. This is exactly the case with me. We left Chicago Jan--15, 1899, arrived at New York on the 17th and embarked on the “Grant” on the same day. Owing to a slight accident to the ship’s rudder we did not sail until the 19th, Our trip a'cross the Atlantic was rough and the weather was inclement. Arrived at Gilbralter Feb. Ist. After taking on coal and water we proceeded east through the Med. Sea then through the Suez Canal then down through the Red Sea and east through the Indian Ocean. We stopped at Suez, Port Said, Egypt, Colombo, Ceylon, Aden and Singapore, Arrived in Manilla Bay, March 10th and wore landed March 11th. From the 11th to the 23 my regiment performed police duty in Manilla but on the evening of the 23rd we were ordered to the front and on the firing line where we have been ever since. Thus far bur forces have been successful in the field operations against the Insui gents and the lose on our side in killed and wounded has been nomially small. Not so with the .insurgents, their loss is always greater than ours. We have several thousand o 1 them as prisoners of war while they hold about 15 of our men, al of whom ventured beyond the firing line on their own account. There is very little fighting at present but no one know? when the danoe starts up again. There is continual firing all along the line on both sides between the outposts but very little damage is done on our side. The insurgents are very bad shooters, they invar, ibly shoot too high They never take aim like we do in America but shoot from the hips, like the Spaniards. My company is guard, ing the line south of the city and is holding a position about GOO or 700 yards from the Insurgent’s camp. Each side has outposts about 200 yards from its own camp, for the purpose of observing the movements of the the other side. This leaves a distance of from 200 to 300 yards, between the outposts of both sides. We oan plainly hear the Insurgents talk and they oan hear us. Every now and then the sentinelg on both sides will shout at each other and whenever a ohance pre. sents itself, they will send a bullet or two into the others camp. About a week ago when I was on outpost duty, I forgot the importance of the situation and instead of sitting behind the breast-works I sat on top and was reading an article in a magazine whem a Man* ser bullet came along and remind' ed me that I had 'no business on top of the breastworks. The bullet passed within a few feet on my left and landed in a bamboo tre» about fifty feet in the rear I dasr

it out With my bayonet and will preserve it. I am more careful since that incident occurred. A ! ew days ago six others and myself were engaged in building a parape* about 250 yards from the lnsur gents outposts. We were as quiet as mice, but they discovered bur presence and greeted us with a few Jausers. We just laughed at hem and shouted over that they didn’t know how to shoot. The bullets passed fifty feet above our heads. This kind of business is real fun for us. It wont do to be afraid because if one is he is everlastingly jeered by his comradesWhen peace is established once on these Islands it will be one of the riohest countries in the world, and no doubt will be Americanized in a very short time. These are the first lines I have scribbled to any of my If any of them complain please acquaint them with the circumstances of my inability to writeI hope it won’t be long ere I can send a few lines to all. Kindly remember one to all home folks also inquiring friends. Yoprs etc.

J. M. SAUSER,

Sgt. Co. A. 4 Infty, Manila, P. I.