urth in true American style, as the
"Old Glory" was being raised we sang "Star Spangled Banner." Many
joined in the chorus and in the Hip! Hip! Hurrah! I keep in a small
frame the grateful acknowledgment of the entire Company that was
given to me from the Gordon Scouts:

Jaro, Panay, P. I., July 4th, 1900.
To Mrs. A. L. Conger:

We, the undersigned, members of Gordon's Detachment, of Mounted
Eighteenth Infantry Scouts, desire, in behalf of the entire troop,
to express our thanks for and appreciation of the excellent dinner
prepared and furnished us by Mrs. A. L. Conger, July 4th, 1900. It
was especially acceptable coming as it did immediately after return
from arduous field service against Filipino insurrectos and, being
prepared and tendered us by one of our own brave and kind American
women, it was doubly so.

It is the earnest wish of the detachment that Mrs. Conger may never
know less pleasure than was afforded us by such a noble example of
patriotic American womanhood.

Respectfully,

[Signed]

I prepared other dinners at various times, but this first spread was
to them and to myself a very great pleasure.

Letters from home were full of surprise that we still stayed though
the war was over--the newspapers said it was. For us the anxiety and
struggle still went on. To be sure there were no pitched battles but
the skirmishing was constant; new outbreaks of violence and cruelty
were daily occurring, entailing upon our men harassing watch and
chase. The insurrectos were butchers to their own people. Captain
N. told me that he hired seven native men to do some work around the
barracks up in the country and paid them in American money, good
generous wages. They carried the money to their leader who was so
indignant that they had worked for the Americans that he ordered them
to dig their graves and, with his own hands, cut, mutilated, and killed
six of them. The seventh survived. Bleeding and almost lifeless, he
crawled back to the American quarters and told his story. The captain
took a guide and a detail, found the place described, exhumed the
bodies and verified every detail of the inhuman deed.

They committed many bloody deeds, then swiftly drew back to the
swamps and thickets impenetrable to our men. The very day, the hour,
that the Peace Commissioner, Governor Taft, Judge Wright and others
to the number of thirty were enjoying an elegantly prepared repast
at Jaro there was, within six miles, a