People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-07-01
Fred Funston In Cuba.

Fred Funston In Cuba.
c. S. Gleed Of Topeka, is in receipt
OF the following letter from Major
Fred Funston, the Kansas boy who is
chief Of artillery in General Garcia's
Cuban army. 1t has been a long time
on the way, but for that reason is
none the less interesting:
HEADQUARTERS DEPT. OF THE ORIENT
CoNTO RIVER, Cuba, March5.
My Dear Gleed:-Thls has been the
greatest day since struck Cuba, for
l have just received my first mail in
nearly seven months-yOur letter of
February 8, one from my mother, and
Dale Plumb's wedding cards. Lord,
Lord, old man, I've just been cOltish
all day! l hope now that my mail
will continue to come through with
out delay. 1t has been fairly sicken-
ing when | knew that letters were
being written to me to know, or think,
they were being gObbled by the Span
iSh.
There is not much to say about my.
self except that the wheels in my
head continue to buzz in several
directions, as they have been doing
for several years. l am in superb
health, fat and rugged. Washington
at Valley Forge was in church social
regalia compared to the way this ag-
gregatiOn of Cuban patriots are logged
out. l have neither a shirt nor any
manner Of under garments-a state
OF affairs that jars on my sense of
the prOprietieS. Suppose should try
to stop Spanish shell and thus be
rudely yanked up before the bar OF
judgment and have to spend an hour
proving that 1 am neither a Populist
nor a BOwery tough, but a high
minded young Cuban patriot!
And then the matter of leafs" Is
another painful subject. Whenever |
get my mind onto some really ether
cal subject | find it wandering into
the realms Of cherry pie. The other
day the commanding general invited
me, in my capacity of chief Of srtil.
lery, to council Of war, and while
there, surrounded by an aggregation
OF military geniuSes, | kept thinking
of how | could knock the spots of a
Holland house dinner What in the
devil is the matter with the United
States, anyway, that it does not
recognize our independence? The
Spanish are shut up in their fortified
towns, and never venture out except
In strong force, and then have to fight
every foot Of the way. The govern
ment of Spain is wiped out except
within the walls Of the fortified
towns. and no pretense is made of en-
forcing it elsewhere. The Cuban
civil government is in full operation
and exercises over nineteen-twen-
tieths OF the soil Of Cuba all the func-
lions Of government. Cleveland, in
his ludicrous message, said that it
was a government on paper only. He
also suggested autonomy" Great
God! but that makes our blood boil!
Is that for what these Cubans have
turned the country into a slaughter
pen, burned their own homes and
faced the Spaniards on 200 battle
fields? Let me tell you, know these
people awful well, and know that they
will not lay down their arms until
the hated red and yellow flagnhas
been driven from the island forever.
Nothing is so hopeless as SPANS
struggle to impose her unjust govern.
ment Onthese people, whom she has
robbed and plandered for generations.
They will fight her twenty years if
necessary.
We are camped on the Conto river,
in Eastern Cuba, with 1000 men, pre-
pairing to attack the town of Jignani,
a days march from here. The place
is very strong and is defended by
twenty-five forts. The most Of the
work will fall on the artillery, of
which l am In command. Rest as
Sured l Intend to give themusOme Of
the Kansas funny business" that
took Guimaro. If the war is not over
by May l shall ask leave to come
home for the summer, but we all have
strong hopes that the dons will come
to their senses before then and accept