The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-18
BUCHAN COMING BACK
Will Start For Home Today With Re-
mains of His Wife.

] Kansas City, April 1S.-The cable
| gram received by ex-senator w. J..
| Buchan of Kansas City. Kan, from
| Manila announcing the unexpected
| death of the young wife of Captain
! Fred E. Buchan, a son of the ex-sen-
ator, who is with the Twentieth Kansas
at Manila, did not state the cause of
| the young womans death, but it is
| supposed the excitement of war and
! the very unfavorable climate had much
| to do with it. Captain Buchan will start
| home with the remains today, but it
will be the latter part of May before
! he arrives.
The death of Mrs. Buchan is the sad
! end of a very thrilling romance. Just
! before the departure of the Kansas
| troops for the faraway Philippines
| young Buchan and Miss Lucinda Smith
| of Lawrence were married at San Fran
| cisco. They had been sweethearts for
! a great many years and their engage
| ment dates from the time when both
attended the State university.
When the order came for Captain
Buchan to go to Manila Miss Smith
held the position of principal of the
high school at PaOla, Kan She gave
up her duties and hurried to San Fran
cisco, where the two were happily mar
ried. When the Kansas troops left for
Manila Mrs Buchan and Mrs. Colonel
Funston, accompanied by the wives of
several of the other officers of the regi-
ment, embarked upon a private trans
port, Wnlcn arrived at the E1l1plnO cap
itaI several days before the army trans
ports. The newspapers published sem
sational stories of the women making
the trip as stowaways, but in reality
they did not cross the ocean upon the
same vessel as did their husbands be-
cause OF the rigid rules of the military.
At Manila the young people were re-
united after a months separation and
all went along happily until the break
ing out of hOStilities. Captain Buchan
was in all of the engagements in and
about Manila and it is believed that the
constant strain which Mrs. Buchan was
under was too great for her nervous
system and that her death is the natural
consequence of the trying ordeal.
Captain Buchan is a son of ex-Sena-
tor Buchan of Kansas City, Kan, and
was the commanding officer of company
B.compOsed of WyandOtte county boys,
until his promotion to a place in the
regimental staff. He is a graduate of
the Kansas university and was engag-
ed in the practice of law with his faith
er. Mrs. Buchan was one of the most
accomplished young women in Kansas
and is well known at Lawrence, where
she spent the greater part of her life.
Only a. few days ago the father of
Captain Buchan received a letter from
the young woman in which she spoke
of the exciting scenes that were being
witnessed and the many dangers which
they were forced to encounter. While
the men were at the front engaged in
conflict with AguinaldO'S forces the wO-
men remained near the coast under the
shadow of Admiral Dewey s guns. but
exposed to the assaults of the enemy
sharpshooters that sometimes Ventured
within sight of the little cabins where
the American women were housed.
Mrs. Buchan was the daughter of
Charles Smith who is connected with
the Argentine smelter but whose family
resides at Lawrence for educational
purposes. Lucinda Buchan was grad
uated from the state university in 1895
and was "a years old. She and her
husband were classmates in college.