s out by the guards, although orders were issued to search all boxes,
trunks and baggage; yet these caskets were allowed to pass through
unmolested for about fifteen days. Finally the guard's suspicion was
aroused by these frequent burials and it was decided to open a casket,
which was packed full of Mauser rifles. This ended the funerals outside.
This demonstrates the trickery and smuggling schemes of these people.

I have known prisoners to escape by exchanging clothing with their
wives, who were permitted to visit their husbands in jail, the man
passing out and leaving the woman in prison. A great many prisoners
escaped in this way before the scheme was discovered.

Dummy guns and soldiers were placed in forts in a manner to deceive
Americans as to the strength of the works, but the Americans were not to
be bluffed so easily and this scheme was worthless.

Almost the whole American force was on the streets of Manila watching
and expecting an attack for two weeks before it was made. We were always
prepared to fight. We had to keep our clothes on all the time and our
guns and belts by our side. I did not have more than fifteen nights'
rest from the 20th of January to the 24th of May. Frequently we would
just get on our bunk when a call to arms would be given; every man would
rush out in a hurry and sometimes had to march four or five miles,
before stopping, through rain and wind, or whatever weather we might be
called out in. There we would stay the balance of the night. If we
wanted to lie down we only had one blanket to put on the wet ground.
Every man had to look out for himself and get the best place he could.

We would only be in a few hours from one march until orders would be
received to march to some other dangerous point; it appeared that we
were only marched back to the city to take a bath and change clothing,
which we needed.

I believe these marches in the night or day, in the hot climate of that
country, lying on the wet ground sometimes every night for two weeks,
has killed more men than were ever killed by the Filipinos. Those who
never died from the exposure died from the kind of rations they ate out
on the lines. It has been a mystery to me how I ever reached America
again. I have been through everything and have seen as hard service as
any soldier in the Philippines, and have eaten as hard grub as any of
them ever ate.

I believe the Twenty-third had call to arms no less than twenty-five
times.