| Show LETTER FROM MANILA ba 6 oct 6 1898 I 1 wish some of sluwe all readers could drop down in some day and see for them f the queer and quaint sights of aked ed old town I 1 wish they b come to the quartel de kelsic oese lit barracks and lodging house f famous utah batteries A end and B ee how bow the soldier boys of their aate annihilate time and lend a HT hand in rolling on the weeks santha the between now and the time ering out Sold soldiers ders are worldly at time killing Cong rpsa even in it with them bra few months of barracks afe day is too short to accod iroy thing in of more importance b get outside of the government ft te gister the usual daily kick ft the commissary department ge in an after dinner nap nights from taps to reville are cough nough consequence for special an idle brain it has been the devils workshop and it source bf ciuch aluch joy and agrati ism W doubt to the folks folk at home thethis anthis satanic majesty has aps ops in the army there are lins ins here when soldiers are ig g they are either trying to are eating or else they are devising ways waya and means of escaping guard auty au ty drills or kitchen work I 1 knew a soldier once who spent some time each day reading and storing his mind with information and no couba there are or have been others of course eating and sleeping though by far the most important t and engaging are not the only duties to be performed by soldiers in times of peace it devolves upon them to answer the roll call once or twice a day to seek shelter when it rains to and to perform guard duty eight hours a week besides this a soldier is supposed to keep himself clean to take a bath at beust once a month and report to the hospital when sick but I 1 don t think abl this is compulsory there are soldiers however who are so awake and alive to the duties devolving upon them that they report on the sick list about seven days to the week they are of that school I 1 suppose which holds that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and besides being on an the sick list exempts one from yelling here at the reville and retreat roll calls guard duty though is the bugaboo bug a boo the thing to fro be avoided by all aid veteran soldiers as it requires them ithem to keep awake two hours at a time and al dowst hem but four hours rest between watches many amusing anui aing things happen in the course of guiard guard duty where the guard Is now new and green especially the latter aks ae the following kittle enoi dent which bapp happened ened a few nights since will show willie not his real naime was guard no 6 third re idea ms his post was in fronton front of our officers quarters teTe a block and a half from the barracks and his instructions were to admit no one cone to the quarters above mentioned except officers and to halt hall all aal suspicious characters and call the corporal of the guard t critchlow was officer of the day and had turned in for a few moments rest after his rounds all was peaceful and well arwell it was abolt midnight and wib lie true irue solf lolffler fler that he was tand and is paced his hie beat up and down constantly alert Ms hils eagle eye ever pealed soon espied a white uniform coming up the road halt who loomes comes there 1 I am an officer and a friend came the th e reply from the white person at least dorty feet from the sentry advance one step tep and be recognized 1 com commanded the guard the idea of addan advancing cang one step to toe be recognized when forty feet away no doubt amused the officer for it was ot of the third united states artillery who to te quartered in the house with the utah officers but what happened afterwards was not so ao runny funny at least to him wlllie willie could not recognize him hiim and begun began to lustily yell for the corporal in the barracks so BO far away he naver never would have heard in vain the captain protested against being held up in n fro front froat at of his 0 own house of being kept standing in the road at midnight waiting for the corporal to come and aad call the sentry off 1 I here but wit because I 1 tove love to bo he excitedly yelled 1 I do it ova on account of the army regulations and discipline ci what you going to keep me here till that corporal comes why its absurd its a violation of your orders and I 1 dont propose to bo stand it but wlllie willie stood there revolver in hand forbidding the captain to move till the corporal came and in the meantime other stragglers happened ablong and were duly halted baited among them privates in the third artillery to whom the sight of their now new thoroughly aroused and wrathful captala detained ate will near his own quarters toy by a sentry was waa a novel experience corporal Con of the guard post 6 V willie shouted with the full strength of his rocky mountain lungs what the captain said would scorch the paper it if I 1 attempted tempted ab to write it after a time officer of the day critchlow who with lieutenant grow had been enjoying the scene from an upper window came down and straightened matters out what orders do you give your sentry here demanded the enraged to stop all suspicious characters replied the officer of the day whereat the detained calp tain leaped leai ped into alace and with an ejaculation that aroused the entire neighborhood demanded to know if he was a charar character ter and ana then midst the peals ot of laughter that shook the fhe walls of the third artillery tille ry b barracks armac ks just a cross across the street t he went howting and puffing like a steam to his quarters the blame was not all willie willies Wil lles for the captain was without stward or shoulder straps to denote rank still one ounce of good horse sense would have enla bled the sentry to have seen been his mistake and to have passed the under ordinary circumstances genial and d happy captain majors young and grant are pleasantly spending a well earned vacation in a trip to hongtong Hong kong bugler joe grant accompanied hla his father the major first lieutenant wedgwood of afi battery 13 has rejoined his command here in manila having arrived an ived monday last from san francisco on the S S scandia I 1 age the health of the utah batteries ls Is goo good notwithstanding there is considerable sickness in the american aricy stationed here the utah men are comfortably located and very stringent health regulations are in force the great majority of the men here am more than anxious to return to their homes hoimes that all is so ao peaceful A of utah men are desirous of taking their discharge here as soon as they can get it they contemplate forming a party to explore the interior to the end of discovering gold so far fotr as I 1 can see I 1 tb believe elleve the prevailing sentiment senU here among the troops to toe be in favor of the united instates retaining possession of her newly acquired interests in this part of the world NOD |
