Gook (???) (1912) -- Goo-goo

[Michael McKernan]

Doug Wilson wrote:

>>Note also that in 1899 while the word "goo-goo" was being applied to
>>Filipinos the word "goo-goo" was quite conventional in the US referring to
>>political reformists (from "Good Government League"or some such thing);
>>this home-grown "goo-goo" was used disparagingly, I think by Teddy
>>Roosevelt inter alia, and it was used before the Spanish-American War.
>>Might this be the origin? Were the Filipino insurgents likened to fanatical
>>reformists in the US maybe? It's hard to tell in the wartime news items
>>whether "goo-goo" refers to all Filipinos or specifically to the insurgents.

A wartime (or insurrection-time) diary (1900-01) published online by the US
Army contains the following entries.  Note that 'nigger' is used more often
then 'gugu', which seems to have entered this solier's vocabulary some time
after entering the Philipines.

Another entry also contained a colorful turn of phrase for starving a prisoner:

> had the fellow on a diet of wind-pudding and    dreams for about 24 hours
>before he told where the guns were.


http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/archival/white/transcript1.asp


Combined Arms Research Library
                            Command & General Staff College

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Digital Library
Transcription of Karl D. White Diaries

>
>May 28th:: The boys hiked all day Friday, getting in here about suppertime
>but found no niggers. I went to Orani Friday & while there had a little
>misunderstanding with Corp. Sturgiss of Co. L. and he had charges
>preferred against me. Saturday I hiked out in the morning with a detail &
>met a bull train    coming down from Orani. After I got back I cleaned up
>my gun and then in the P.M. worked at the floor of the addition to the
>quarters (planed most of the    time, with Jack-plane). That night report
>was brought in that a body of about 300 gugu's had been seen near Orani
>headed this way & we were warned to    look out for them I got on as an
>extra guard & spent the night laying behind a rice-paddy. That evening
>another detail went to Orani & came back yesterday.    Corp. Duncan came
>with them (came to Orani Friday) and bought a set of boxing gloves. This
>forenoon I went up before Lieut. Schaeffer & got a little    (Fuedslar)
>blind. Capt. Griffiths is trying to clear me but Schaeffer is bull-headed.
>This A M morning the guard was ordered to shoot all the dogs in town &
>in a few couple of hours there were forty of them ready to haul off.
>
>   Boxing has been the order of the day today. Just after dinner we had a
>little "go" between a couple of hombres? Duncan says he saw    Jess & that
>he is pretty thin & in bad shape. He let him have a couple of dollars on
>my account. He (Duncan) took his niggers to    Lingauyes prison all O.K.
>
>Aug 9th Was on guard yesterday and last night. No. one post. During the
>night two nigger prisoners escaped. Yesterday Capt Eckers with a
>detachment    from here and Lieut Crawford with a detachment from Hermosa
>were each out scouring around about three miles east of here. Lieut
>Crawford and his party    found a gang of armed gugus, killed four or five
>(including a captain, captured two and four rifles a pistol and a saber.
>Today Lewis and Pride, on duty at the    gravel pit were fired on while
>busy cooking their dinner. The gugus were on three sides of them and they
>were nearly two miles from the rest of the road    gang so took to their
>heels and went for the rest of the guard. The niggers chased them till
>they met the rest of the guard coming to their aid (they had heard    the
>fireing) and then it was white's chase niggers but they all got away. Both
>Mauser and Remington cartridges were picked up where the niggers had
>b(een)    concealed when they fi  opened fire. The boys  their dinner and
>their havesacks, canteens, ponchos. This was a jubilee day with the
>niggers. They    finished up the road work and were given a "big dinner"
>of American grub: Bacon, salmon, hardtack bread etc. There was a big gang
>of them turned out and    the band went above to keep things lively. They
>came in tonight with the band playing and everybody happy and yelling at
>his best. Co H. was down here    today to play our team a game of base
>ball. We sent them home beat but it was a close game: score 13 to 12.
>
>Jan 31st- [1901] Was on O.G.F. on the 29th We got out the big wagon and
>"policed up" the streets. Yesterday I was in Orani and today am on Guard.
>Eleven    gugus surrendered their arms and took the oath of allegiance
>here at Samal Monday night and two came in here with their guns &
>surrendered Tuesday night.    Several have gone from around here and
>surrendered to the 41st because they were afraid to surrender to the 32nd.
>We got states mail Tuesday.
>

Michael McKernan