| Show MANILA PHILIPPINE ISLANDS Oct 26 1898 Dear Friend Friend- My I take it for granted that you are back again this year tear in the good old school and teaching and reading as you were wont to do years ago when the precious privilege of being one of your pupils' pupils was allotted unto me You dont don't know how often my mind flies back across the miles of billowy sparkling sea and loafs among those halls now so sacred to me The greatest regret I have out here is that I did not bring a kodak or camera camera camera cam- cam era along with me The opportunity of ofa a time life-time has been presented to secure a fine set of photographs and I have let it t pass by However there is one photograph a copy of which I enclose that is of more value than all of the rest combined Itis It Itis Itis is the old house used as American quarters head-quarters during the battles Our guns were posted two on each side of it and for seven nights the Spaniards made nightly efforts to shell us out The house stands a lasting witness of the hot times we had with the Dons On Tuesday night August 3rd I lay asleep in the powder magazine I was dressed in overalls and blue shirt both bothof of them soaking wet and slept with a keg of powder for a pillow and a limber chest tor for a bed At 10 1030 30 I was awakened awakened awakened awak awak- ened by the bursting of a shell in the upper left hand corner of the house house- you see where it broke through It killed three men sleeping in the second story floor The Dons shelled us for three hours that night knocking the house into what you see it is now The mauser holes are the result of the first attack made on Sunday Aug 1st and the lighter attacks of Monday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednes Wednes- day Thursday Friday and Saturday nigh nights ts Utah's boys strange to say stood the brunt of the fighting in the Philippines and were mixed up with everything We Ve camped permanently in the trenches while the infantry companies came to the front in turns each regiment getting up once a week The shells sheIls and bullets were no thicker close to the house than away from it The bullets which struck it are but samples of what hat passed over the whole lines From the ominous silence in the matter matter matter mat mat- ter of mail from the University I conclude conclude conclude con con- clude that you folks are sorry you did not read my name in the death list Your parting partin far farewells wells seemed to be II God bless you and let us never see your face again II However be that as it may you love photographs if you dont don't soldiers soldiers soldiers sold sold- and I trust you will consider this worth mounting and putting away with your valuable collection With best regards I remain Your belligerent Amigo Ike Hardscrabble |
