The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-28

round. After coming back from Death
Valley, Funston went to Alaska, work
ing for the government collecting boz
tanical specimens. After fifteen months
he returned home and equipped himself
| for another expedition which today is
a record breaker for all Alaskan ira
velers.
After many adventures he reached
Rampant House, an abandoned trad
| ing post on the Porcupine river. There
| he and a missionary started to spend
the Arctic winter. The monotony of
the thing palled on Funston, and with
a single Indian he started for a walk
to the Arctic ocean. Funston and the
Indian got lost One day they came
across a party of Indians going to
whaling fleet in the Arctic ocean. Fun
ston and his Indian Joined the party
and came up to the fleet, which was
frozen in the ice, where he told the
news of the presidential nomination in
1892 and of the election of Cleveland.
He started back to Rampant House and
got there Just as the morning OF spring
was dawning He had made a journey
of 900 miles in the dead night of an Arc
tic winter Pearys famous journey IN
Greenland was only four hundred miles
and it was made In the light OF MID
summer. Leaving Rampant House he
went down the Pocupine river and on
down the Yukon TO its mouth alone in
an open boat, a journey of over a
thousand miles He made his report,
quit the government service, and went
| TO Central America, where he tried to
establish a coffee plantation and failed.
Then he appeared in the Cuban army,
where he served under Garcia, enllsting
as private and coming out as lieu
htenant colonel and chief of artillery in
] -, NF flaa or
His rank is higher than that of any
other American officer in the Cuban
revolution.
soon after his enlistment, Funston
became second in command Of artillery
under Osgood. the famous Cornell and
Princeton foot ball half-back. He
made 3. record for bravery at Guimaro
in October. 1886, where his chief was
killed, and he took command. At the
head of his artlllerymen and with
dynamite bomb in his hand he charged
the Spanish works, in the assault which
terminated in their surrender. At Bay
amo he became a cavalry officer tenn
porariIy, because there was more for
cavalry than for artillery to do there,
and was shot three times, but such was
his endurance and physique that he was
ready for more fighting in short time.
At Las Tunas he managed the Cuban
dynamite guns which wrought such
havoc among the Spanish troops, and
was again wounded. At the same time,
his horse was shot and fell upon him,
badly iniuring his hips. Wounded as he
was. he hobbled to headquarters on
learning that so prisoners, guerillas|
who fought for the Spanish side, were
to be executed, and begged for their
lives. The petition was refused.
Fnraeed at the barbarity of the Gu
bans Funston swore that he would
never strike another blow in a cause
mat permitted such an outrage, and
thereupon resigned his commission, hav-
ing fought in % battles. With let
ter from Gen. Garcia ordering his
TRANSFORMATION to this country for him,
he went to the coast and fell in with
a number of Spaniards. AS it didn't
seem advisable to be found with papers
signed by Garcia upon him, Funston
ate the letter IT gave him indiges-
fion which. added to the malaria and
the effects of his wounds, left him in a
verv bad condition when he landed, the
Standards having treated him well and
mt him aboard a ship. For three
weeks he was in a hospital here, and
when he came out, weighed but ninety
pounds.
normal health and energy, the war
with Spain broke out, and he offered his
eervices An opportunity was given
him to go on Gen. Miles staff, but he
chose rather to accept the command of
the twentieth Kansas, after he had
failed Of recognition in his project to
raise a regiment of rough riders 1t
was a great disappointment to him
that his regiment did not get to Cuba,
b1t his chance came later when they
we're ordered to the Philippines. On
the way, there was long wait in San
Francisco, where Col. Funston met,
wooed and married a young music
teacher, all in two weeks, and she ac-
comnanied him to Manila, eluding the
eovernment's order that the wives OF
the soldiers must remain in this coun-
Try,