The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 4, 1898, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, DAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1598. NO CONSIDERATION SHOWN OUR BOYS BEFORE MANILA Even Their Letters Held Up Be- cause They Had Not the Price of Stamps. Mismanagement Apparent From the Time the First California Went Aboard the Transports. N. SHERIDAN. | know Uncle Sam has plenty of money, 2 and if he had not they would give him sondence of The Call their blood freely. ifnowing he had HEADQUARTERS | money, they were willing to trust him. 2y = % Now they find, 7000 miles away from CALIFORNIA VOL- | om0 “that Uncle Sam is not willing, WITH TH MERICAN | jn his turn, to trust these men for the OCCUPATION BEFORE | postage stamps necessary to send their y he news hes just | letters home. It is a pretty hard deal . when you come to think of it—and the O e flee! e e Small wonder there : il e | was howl when they heard the arrived with the third | American Consul at Hongkong had for the conquest of the| held up their letters for postage, and Luzon. 1 saw only one|that after the circular of the Postmas- come up the bay from Cor-|ter General to “the effect that mall island, standing on the | Marked “soldier’s letier” would be car- just belc but the Amerk ried to its destination without prepay- officers are as Why money 18 so ment of postage. The v, and with | hadly off as the men. at sot monsoon_ blowing | scarce in this camp that even the difficult to make more than the Tagallos, mast enterprising merchants s of a vessel at that di in a land where everybody seems to : at all events, that Gener; have something to sell and nobody Is seen to buy, every hut in every lage being a small store for the dis- of General Merritt, as a | position of fish, or sugar, or betel, or ans the beginning | cocoanuts, or mangoes, or native gin, 5 have about ceased to peddle their wares to the First Regiment. Can you picture, in your mildest imagination, a crowd of Californians without money ith to gratify their extrava- That anomaly I have seen, h I have had to travel across an | ocean and a sea for the sight. The | hieher officers here are .not to blame, ritt has co 11 be val of but I am will wait. 1s all men t to cast t willingness and Manila alone as terey 1 do not kn i to think the adn is a brave and 1 would be doubt upor il ability e admiral has a | cither. They must go by their orders, n, and will prob- a8 the men do. It has been a case of be of small avail Pure negligence on the part of the Pay- ter's Department, and it is a negli- gence the newspapers of America hould see to it is not repeated in this | war. As a matter of fact I do not think | there ever was a campaign undertaken with more complete lack of knowledge | on the part of its managers than this | | in Manila. General Anderson has mae | maps_of the country about the eity| since he has been on the ground. There | seems to have been a hazy idea that| Manila was a city on a large hemmed in by precipitous hills. I know that was my idea, and I fancy I knew as much about it as any one elsc. The | var when he At once upon Vg will the inst away here home by idable b, 1 the w L ta and at Malate. it is true; t, by char would situation tood at should be | tiae. but- city, The cannot shoot, but , hit 2 ship, and | By o : of his | city and the bay and the hills are here, monitor at | hut Manila, judging from the rc‘::i(mi as effect- | around it—and I have been all around | e as thoug All this in the reclaimed | the Pasig it is low, the city built upon a wamp at the mouth of nt of Manfla. River, the land all about t a fight we still ‘hay | marshy and particularly diffic to | 1 | move troops over, and the nearest of . the rebels, to settle with. It &s‘ with these same rebels, in my opinion, | the precipitous mountains is five miles GEARY SPANISH OF THE FIRST CALIFORNIA DISCOVERS A CAPTAIN : OUBLIETTE, OR SEALED DUNGEON. ia will have most ] at the least from the beach, with land | i- | between which, where it is not t: , is covered thick as the with the bamboo huts of the Tagallos. The woods, 10 an American | ‘the boys from Califors republic on a silver salver | | rumble of guns speaking a welcome to | | the Newport, which has | with General Merritt aboard. | southward, the | ations, uglier then he is now, and | break up.into who has not seen them, simply go be- yond the powers of the imagination. They are impassable in the rainy sea- | son even to the water buffclo, which the natives call, strangely enough, the | caribou, and the water buffalo. is never | s0 well content as_when he is wading | in mud above his shoulders. This is the erence that every Togallo | e vices of the Apache, with | tic | Smith ha Colonel just called me from my tent—from his tent, rathor, | kind of country the American soldier | v 1 am for this campaign | PMust shoot over when he goes out to| Sl e | bag Spaniards—or to bag Tagallos, as | of & Taw > | he may have to Go hereafter. It is well Ot ‘course the ¥ California has had | t¢ know, under these circumstances, | its flag up in front ‘of headquarters | that the Tagallo has already de- | “.since it has been in camp. It was g |ycloped @& healthy respect for the; small flag upon a small pole. The offi- | SPringfield rifle because of the large- | sized bullet it carries, and that the Spaniard will presently develop a simi- lar frame of mind. ed it preper, the Californians b 3 the firet regiment in camp and the camwmp having grown from a bat- talion to a brigade, to sport a larger e Tiher oo, and s o sionicr | SPAIN'S PARIS PEACE 40 feet long, was cut | with the beautiful ac- COMMISSIONERS ; y, has_ just been proken out 1, while officers end men stood uncovered at the base | Senor Montero Rios Will Preside. | of n}:- staff. The American flag flies Castillio, Villarrutia, Montero on the shore of Luzon now, where it can | ) plainly from the Spanish and Oerero Ar¢ Members. Special Cable to The Call and the New York | Hermald, Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gor- | don Dennett, MADRID, Sept. 3—Senor Montero Rios will preside at the Paris Commis- sion. Leon Castillo will represent the political ‘side, Senor Villarrutia diplo- macy, Senor Montero the judicial and Gereral Qerero the military. Madrid is full of politiclans to-night. General Polavieja, the lion of the hour, had a long audience with the Queen Regent yesterday and is surrounded and besieged by friends, admirers and followers. Eencr Bllvela is here and his star shines brightly in the political firma- ment. ‘General Weyler will arrive to-morrow and has declared his adherence, to Senor Robledo. He says he advocates the re- organization of the army and navy as was done in France after Sedan. ——— ‘Lurline Salt Water Baths, trenches, and California leads the army in flaunting the emblem of freedom be- fore the eyes of the Dons. It is to be hoped, for the sake of men and officers both, that a paymaster has come down on the fleet with General Merritt. The other soldiers were baid -befare they left San Francisco. The Californians, first to respond’'to the call of arms, were sent into a strange iand to meet new - conditions practically without a cent’ to bless them- selves with, The resultant condition cannot be imagined by people at home with all the comforts of life at their doors. The boys have borne it bravelv. There i{s only one extreme case of nostalgfa fn the ranks that I know of, and I will not give the lad’s name. be- cause 1 believe he will recover and be properly ashamed of himself in time. The fact that the boys have borne themselves well does not excuse the igence of those officials who sent ., improperly equipped, into a far- away land with no means wherewith ;tmis could purchuedrr;»p;rseqmpmfirit. s not as if the United States. @ | Bush, Larkin sts,; swimming, Russian, & Spain, were bankrupt. The boys cold tub baths; salt water direct from o.::n. N 2 SPANIARDS RETREATING. Armored Cart Used by the Spanish Troops to Protect Their Rear on Their Retreat From Cavite, “TIN SOLDIERS” . NOT SEEN AMONG THE CALIFORNIANS Boys of the Firs t Thrive on the Campaign Hardships in the Philippines. But Two Members of the Regiment Invalided, While Those From Other States Suffer Greatly. BY PRIVATE FRED A. HEALY. | Special Correspondence of The Call. CAMP DEWEY, July 25.—The rain | is falling in large drops with a| monotony that makes the last two | days seem like two weeks to the thou- sands of soldiers lying within the nar- row confines of their shelter tents and impatiently awaitin~ the order to ad- vance azainst the walls of Manila$ about three miles distant. Over across the stretch of water that separates us from Cavite comes the deep-mouthed just arrived | It is a welcome sound to the boys in camp. It not only tells them of mail and new comradeship, but it says, “Merritt has come and now onto Manila.” It is now | two weeks since the first detachment of troops broke garrison in Cavite and came across to this place, receiving ad- ditions from day to dav both from the first and second expeditions, until now all the troops, with the exception of the Cregoniens and a few regulars, have come over, forming in the aggregate a camp containing over 5000 troops, among which are the ~ieht guns of the Utah Light Battery. The camp was pitched in what was originally an open field devoted to some sort of native agricultural use. It is a beautiful spot, running in an ob- long direction from north to south, covered with a velvety carpet of tender green grass and entirely sur- rounded by a beit of luxuriant tropical foliage. From Cavite it is about five | or six miles by water across the bay | in a northeasterly direction. The dis- | tance is about doubled if one travels | by land. From the beaci., which is only | a couple of hundred yards from the | tents, one can plainly see the American fleet riding watchfully at anchor to the towers, steeples and domes of Manila rising out of the hu- mid atmosphere to the 'north, whlleI through the stormy mists of continual rainstorms the representatives of the foreign powers can be seen watching grimly from their moorings, well out to the eastward, the outcome of the oper- which commenced with the de- struction of a fleet and which may end | in_the extinction of a dynasty. ‘When one approaches the camp from the water and travels he first crosses a narrow strip of sandy beach, then, crossing a belt of trees through which are thickly scattered bamboo huts of the native farmers, emerges on an open field dotted all over with little white shelter tents, running in straight, reg- ular rows of company streets from east to west. with Colonel Smith’s head- ouarters, flanked by the officers’ tents on their eastern end and the cooks and their ovens standin=between them and the row of trees, which shade the road running toward Manila on their west- ern flank. No matter what time of the day one | should select for the visit the place will present a most animated appear- ance. Every one is always busy, from | the careful nurse tending the sick in the hospital tents back of headquarters to the careless “dog robber,” carrying a bucket of water for the officers from the well just across the road from the guard tent and the cook tents. Thro.igh the long line of streets can be seen men in all stages of earnestness en- gaged in everv conceivable occupation under the sun. There will be seen sol- diers working, soldiers nvlaying, sol- dlers cooking, washing, writing. read- in~. sewing, drilling and sléeping, and a few poor unfortunates who have heen unlucky enough to get caught in some transgression aeainst military disclp- line doing penence for their misdeeds under the watchful ~ves of an armed guard. Are the boys comfortable and well? Well, they did not come to war expect- ing to find a Palace Hotel at every picket line.and a Waldorf at each out- post. Possibly. comfort here does not imply every luxury and convenience generally considered an indispensable | part of a Pacific avenue home, nor would a comparison between Camp Dewey and Del Monte cause the sum- mer visitors at the latter place to fall over one another in their haste to change quarters. Yet, when one re- members that we are an army en- camped at the front only two miles or 80 from the enemy’s outposts and-in a climate which, at this season of the year, is probably among the most dis- agreeable in the world, the comfort is far more than one would have be- lleved possible under the existing con- | of all sorts. [ ness by the pale moonlight. | descended in a shower of fire. ditions and the regimental thanks to the good health, to the really excellent hospital corps we have, Is something little less than | marvelous. To understand how excel- lent it is one has merely to draw a comparison between the California volunteers and any one of the other regiments attached to jthe expedition. Take the Cqlorado. regiment, for fn- stance, whiélyis eamped just behind us, and whose h: r‘gsmps are identical with | ours, only mot so long endured either ashore or afloat. It has already sent home 125 disabled men and the second expedition, of which it was a part, had four deaths to report on-its-arrival here. The boys from San Francisco sent but | two of their comrades home. One was accidentally hurt, while the other suf- fers from a hereditary weakness. They have no deaths to report as yet, and, please God, will have none other than those made glorious by the lurid halo of battle. : The weather is intensely wet and that together with the terrible heat makes the humidity something frightful. But the tents are dry and most of the boys have made them doubly so by building platforms of bamboo under them. The men are young, vigorous and full of enthusiasm, so I feel certain that the ravages from disease will not be what was anticipated and all will go well with the First California Volunteers if their colonel will only insist on the band learning to play something that sounds more like music and less like a Chinese orchestra. The second battalion moved over here on the 19th (two or three days after the first, under Major Boxton). All day long | the boys toiled unloading boxes and bales, wading through the water, car- rying arms, accouterments and provis- jons, working like dray horses with cook chests, ammunition and baggage And when at night the last tent had been pitched and the last package accounted for and laid away in its proper place, blankets werespread and a tired soldiery quickly sunk to rest. The camp was as quiet as a bivouac of the dead. The watchful sentinel, hid among the foliage of his post, gave no sign of his wakeful pres- ence; no light threw its bright ray across the whole white expanse of tents, silhouetted into a weird ghostli- All was dark and peaceful and qulet. An ene- my slumbered. Suddenly a shot rang out on the still- ness. . Then another and another. Then a whole volley and then the heavens seemed to split asunder, as the deep tones of cannon lent their thun- der to the unexpected turmoil. Bugles sounded the call to arms. There was a sudden awakening, a wild scramble for arms and cartridge belts, a hurried pulling on of shoes (the only really necessary article of apparel in such a crisis); men rushed half awakened from the tents, in which but a moment before they had been lying peacefully, dreaming of home and kin- dred far across the seas, and making their way to the proper place, hurriedly fell into ranks. A Spanish shell, mount- ed high into the heavens and bursting, It burst Just one minute and thirty seconds af- ter the first call to arms and its light shone down on every man of the First California Volunteer Regiment, stand- ing in his proper place in the ranks, fully accoutered for battle and calmly awaiting the conflict, which seemed a certainty. What regular regiment will make a better showing than that? Tell the people of San Francisco to dismiss the phrase “tin soldiers” from their vocabulary. If they could have seen the different companies take up their positions, deploying in perfect order, notwithstanding the darkness, the brush and the surprise; if they could have witnessed the confident ad- vance of the cloud of skirmishers thrown out in theadvance; if they could have seen the boys in the support throw themselves on the grass and catch a cat-nap while awaiting as they thought a desperate hand-to-hand con- flict; if they could have seen the officers calmly awaiting information and have heard them delivering whispered orders in voices as steady as when on parade in the Presidio—if, I say, the people at home could have seen all this under the dark tropical Philippine sky, illu- minated by bursting shell and rent by crashing musketry, they would never again say anything about tin soldiers, and would understand why a man is proud to be a member of such a regi- ment. : an actual surprise, but an engagement between the Insurgents | bod: and Spanish at the trenches, which was \ sense and good | | physique of the boys themselves and magnified by the heated imagination of the colonel of the Colorado regiment, who had also gone into camp that day just behind us, into an attack on the American camp. Speaking of the trenches brings me to what has become a standard amuse- ment among the boys of the brigade— namely, a visit to the insurgent out- posts and a peep at the Spanish lines. It is a dangerous pleasure trip for two reasons: First, because the Spanish have an uncomfortable habit of shoot- ing at everything in sight, and second, as certain punishment awaits the ad- venturous soldier if he is caught by our own outposts, as these little excursions have been sternly proscribed by Gen- eral Greene, who is in command of all the troops on this side. But despite Spanish bullets and general bulletins the excursions go merrily on, and the fellow who comes back from the trenches and has no hairbreadth expe- perience to relate is but a poor yarn spinner. Many of them have indeed been very close to the Spanish lines— as near as thirty or forty yards—to which point they crawled, protected from the enemy's view by the trees and underbrush, but as they are regarded as colossal liars by their less fortunate fellows their trips result in little save the satisfaction accorded to them- selves. The boys are not allowed to indulge in guerrtlla warfare, but many of them, when they have succeeded in getting to the trenches, borrow a gun from some insurgent ard take a shot for luck anyway. All sorts of rumors are flying about | here. thick and fast. The latest one, which seems to have a little more foun- dation than the average, is that peace negotiations are in progress and that McKinley intends holding Cuba, Guam and Porto Rico, while giving up the Philippines. .1 hope this is not true. We have given up much, suffered much ‘and are willing to go through and suf- fer more. But we do wish to see some tangible result from our self-sacrifice, and it will be a bitterly disappointed regiment that will come home if noth- ing is done taward taking Manila. The insurgents do considerable talk- ing and tell wondrous storfes of the slaughter of Spanish soldiery that re- | sults from their attacks. This may be | 50, but T am inclined to think it is all | bosh, and were it not for our presence here the Spaniard would wipe them off the face of the earth. I would not care to be a Filipino under any cir- cumstance, but I would rather be a cat in hades with all my claws clipped, or a yaller dog in a cage of wildeats, than a native here with Uncle Sam’s army and navy in America. e AGUINALDQ’S BRAZEN LETTER TO ANDERSON Warns the American Not to Send Any More Troops Into Phil- ippine Territory. BY P. BOERINGER. FORT SAN FELIPE, CAVITE, P. I., July 25.—In an interview to-day with Senor Douriez, one of Aguinaldo's staff, T secured some interesting infor- mation. Douriez tells me he (Aguinal- do) has written to General Anderson in a strain somewhat after this fashion: He acknowledges that no nation has replied to his circular letter asking rec- ognition of the Philippine republic, but he remarks that he expected such recognition from the American nation. A nation that fought so long for liberty, a nation that maintained such a strug- gle for the abolition of slavery, now struggling for Cuba, he hoped would have looked upon the matter in a dif- ferent light, with more benevolence, be- cause the Filipinos have acknowledged its right to our gratitude. Aguinaldo further claims to have received great favors from Dewev, and that, being more than desirous to prevent ‘“any conflict or a severance of pleasant re- lations, which would have as a result the intervention of foreign powers in the affairs of the Filipinos, which must be extremely prejudicial to my nation, but also to the United States of Ameri- ca, I consider it my duty to advise you of the undesirability of distribut- ing any more troops in territory won by the Filipino arms from Spain. Al- though no agreement exists between the North American representative and the representative of the Filipino, my people might consider the occupation as a violation of thelr rights, and the eople must be advised in due form.” ¥le goes farther and demands a notice in writing of such occupation the place to n~ occupied, the object of the occu- pation and the duration of same in or- der that the Filipino »eople may be ad- vised in due form and -reserve a con- tinuance of friendship. He then ter- minates his letter with the usual flour- ish and a last threat as follows: can answer for my people, for they have given proofs of their confidence in my government."” Gener-l Anderson is not a man to stand this nonsense, and I so informed my young friend, at which he told me that there were many among the Fili- pinos opposed to Aguinaldo. When I bade him farewell on the rocky wall of Cavite he shook hands with me fer- vently and told me “ow much he val- ued American friendship’ and how. when he reached Malabon, he would tell his friends of Aguinaldo’s cheek and nerversit; Washe SANTA CRUZ, Sept. 3—C. H. Ross, a painter in the employ of Greeninger & Son of San Jose, was washed off the rocks up the coast at noon to-day while fishing and was drowned. His body was not recovered. Strike in the Demorest Mine. SAN ANDREAS, Sept. 3.—A rich strike is reported at the Demorest mine, near this place. At the 200-foot level a large y of ore was uncovered averaging $45 to the ton. The ledge is ten feet wide. + “r |- ADVERTISEMENTS. +04040404040404040404040404040404040404040404040+0¢ 65¢ 75¢ $1 76¢ $ $1 A YARD—200 pieces of high luster. SILK DEPARTMENT e - e o TRAGRDINARY BARGATS FOR THIS WEEK. Commencing to-morrow, we place on sale an Im= mense shipment of NEW SILKS, which we shall offer at the following exceptionally low prices: —_—— A YARD_—150 pieces of New Taffeta Silks, in a full range of new colorings, both plain and changeable. On special sale at 65¢c. —_— range of new colorings, in plain and changeable. At.75c. .00 A YARD—24.inch Fancy Striped Taffeta Silk, .in latest —— colorings; excellent quality. A YARD—1Q pieces of Fine Quality Black Satin Duchesse, The regular price $1.00. .00 A YARD—S50 pieces Satin Duchesse, in all the new. fall color- —— ings, including black; superior quality. .25 A YARD—I0 pieces of Superior Quality Black Satin- Duchesse, —— extra fine finish. Regular value $1.50 a yard. Extra Quality Taffeta Silk, in . full Extraordinary value at $1'a yard: Regular value $1.25. SPECIAL! JUST RECEIVED—An elegant line of High lasse and Periola Suitings in Dress Pattems (no two alike), which will be placed on sale to-morrow. inspection is kindly solicited. SPECIAL! 4 04040404040 4040404040404404040404040404040404+ 9404040404040 +040404404040404040404040404¢04¢04404+0404040404+04+04+090+040 Novelty Black Dress Goods in Black Cretonnes, Mata- An 123 to 129 POST STREET. 0404040404040+ 0+0404040+0404040404040404040404040. $0404040404040404404040404040404040404040++040¢040404040+040¢0$0+04040404040+0404040404040 4040404040+ 0#040+0+0+0+0 TO PROPERTY- OWNERS! WANTED— For a large institution, suitable office quarters, to contain about ten rooms, in first story, or first and second sto- ries, central location, between Market and Sutter Stockton and Polk, corner preferred; ten years’ lease guaranteed. Apply to EDMUND KOLLOFRATH, 933 Market Street. AKERS OF ERFECT ey ITTING SPECTACLESSEYE GLAssts S IC APPARATLSS, i O wTieic 642 MARKET ST. INsTRUMENTS. NnER Cune « oo G, WALLED IN AND LEFT T0 PERISH How Spaniards Treated Prisoners. PHILIPPINE TORTURF HOLE ST E R GHASTLY DISCOVERY AT FORT SAN PHILIPI. Evidence That Men Were }\lt to Death by the Slow Torture of Lime—Burning Beneath an Qld Citadel, BY P. BOERINGER. Special Correspondence of The Call. FORT SAN PHILIPI, July 13.—In this old fortress the Spanish Governor of Guam and his suite and sixty men are imprisoned. They are under the charge of Captain Geary and his com- mand of heavies. Captain Geary upon assuming command began an in- vestigation. The solid walls were tested and a private, armed with a long rod of steel, probed carefully for the hidden chambers, In the east wall, in apparently solid masonry, a loose rock was found, and upon inserting the rod between the ma- sonry it disappeared beyond. Men were at once set to work and the dis- covery made that here prisoners had apparently been walled in and left to die. The further appalling knowledge was gained that this chamber of hor- rors had been used in modern times, On one side were found leg and arm bones of a human being and in the rear of this torture room, near a rude bench, a private picked up a china- ware jar with the trademark of an English maker of beef tea and a Hong- kong address. Almost immediately opposite this oubliette is a citadel built over the en- trance to the fort. In the wall of this fort twice the height of a man above the ground is a hole about the size of a barrel and the only means of egress and ingress to a dungeon with many lateral passages. All indications point to this having been one of the many pleasant ways in which Spanish in- genulty succeeded in hidine the evi- dence of officfal crime. This was once used as a liming hole. Here the vie- tims of chivalrous Spain met dedth and oblivion by the slow tortures of lime burning. g WILLING TO WORK. WITH INSURGENTS Radical Autonomists in Cuba Anx- ious to Join the Men Who Fought for Freedom. Special cable to The Call and.the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 15§, by Jaines Gor- don Bennett. HAVANA, Sept. 3.—The radical. au- tonomists held two meéetings, presided over by Senor Gibera, .and -adopted resolutions which arée kept secret.. It is asserted they have received:letters from the insurgent governmernt : and are trying to come to a reconciliation. The autonomists say -that .since Spain’s sovereignty in Cuba has.ceased they will vote for independence and will work with the insurgents to oppose an- nexation or an American protéctorate, the autonomists and separatists to- gether forming a strong goverrnment, being represented by prominernt Cubans in both parties. BYia el L Pensions for California. - WASHINGTON, Sept. 3.—Pensions have been granted as follows: Califérnia: Or- iginal—Henry Buck, dead, Oakla $8. Increase—Willilam A. Witte, Los_Angeles, to $10; Thomas Purcell, - Veterans’ lome, Napa, $10 to $17. Original widows, etc.—Catherine Buck, Oakland, $8. L ADVERTISEMENTS. DOCTOR SWEANY = E RESTORES LOST VIGOR AND' vitality to weak men. Organs ot H the body which have been weakened through disease, overwork, excesses-or . - indiscretions are restored to." perfect he;lth r?nd lltrangth through his new and _original syster: of treat RUPY thed JRE curedbyhisnew method, without knife, truss or detention from work, a ‘palnless. sure and permanent cure. ARICOCELE, hydrocele, - swelling and tenderness of the glands: treated wit.. unfailing success. Contaa Zlou~ blood ‘pollnn in any of. its stages thoroughly eradicated from the. system. L dies will receive. “special attention for ! their many ailments. WRITE It you cannot call. 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