Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-05-20
Hero of the Philippine War,
Who Has Earned Fame
and Promotion.
Has Led an Adventurous Life,
But Seems to Be
Born Soldier.
He Is of Irish Ancestry OH
Both Sides of the House
and Proud of 1t.
He is NOW A BROADER GENERAL

The life of Fred Funston of the
Twentieth Kansas reads like romance.
His daring gallantry in swimming river
in Luzon with his troops earned for him
the rank of Brigadier General. Col. John
+. Finerty of the Chicago Citizen,
notices the heroic deed in his paper and
says of it:
Fred Funston, of Kansas, is perhaps
the boldest soldier of the closing lustre
OF this country. But Lannes and Ney, of
the French army, were equally daring.
The formers charge at Arcola and the
latter's capture of Manheim-exactly one
hundred years ago-were exploits worthy
OF Spartans. The Kansas troops are not,
however, the first who swan rivers to
achieve victory. The Irish Brigade won
immortal renown by doing the same
thing at Cassano, in Italy, while fighting
the Austrians, under Prince Eugene, in
1905. The regiments of Burke and Dillon
swan the River AIDA, tying their mus
kets OH their shoulders captured an Aus
trian battery and routed the wing of that
army which rested on the river bank
They constituted portion of the French
army under Marshal Due de Vendome,
who gave them great praise.
Would you read your name on honor's
rolf
Look not for royal grant
II is written in Cassano, Alcoy and
Alicant!
Saragossa, Barcelona, wherever dangers
Turk,
You will find in the van the blue and
the buff
OF the regiment of Burke"
When writing the preceding paragraph
Col. Finerty may not have known that
the Kansas hero comes of the fighting
stock of the Kellys, Burkes and Sheas.
According to writer in the Chicago
Tribune of last Sunday, he is Irish to the
backbone. He says: The grandfather of
Gen. Fred Funston was born in the
County Donegal, Ireland, in the year
1900. He was brought by his parents to
the United States, who landed in Balti-
more in 1906, and settled in Paris, KY,
and in 1911 moved to farm near Spring
field, Ohio. His Christian name was
Frederick, and for him the Kansas SOL
dier was named. He married in 1928
Miss Julia Stafford, who was born in
Giles county, Va, but whose parents
lsvar Nf -.
Hogue Funston was born in Clark coun-
ty, Ohio. He lived on a farm till the
beginning of the civil war, when he
volunteered and went to war as a Second
Lieutenant in battery of artillery which
was commanded by Capt. Anderson
Mitchell. Just before the battery went
rumbling off to battle the young Lieu
tenant was married to Miss Anne Eliza
Mitchell, a sister of the artillery Captain
and daughter of James Mitchell, a
farmer. She, too, was born on farm in
Ohio, in Marion county. Her father was
born in Ireland. Her great-grandmother
was sister of Daniel Boone.
at would seem as if Gen. Funston was
fighter by hereditary right, 4" it was sug-
gested.
80, yes" said his father. "He gets
his fighting blood from his mother"
"You were a soldier and come of the
fighting racer"
Eyes, but his mother is Irish, too, with
fighting heritage from Daniel Boone's
family. No, he gets his fighting blood
from his mothers side."
One would never think it to look at the
gentle, sweet-faced, fragile little woman,
the mother of the daredevil soldier OF
Malolos, that she had bequeathed to him
the spirit that prompted him to deeds of
fame. She is so small that one is i'm.
PEELED to notice the slightness of her
figure when she stands alone. When she
stands beside her husband the figures OF
the two form striking contrast. He is
six feet and two inches in height and
weights 225 pounds. The contrast is in
more respects striking. She is yielding
and timid; he is aggressive and fighter.
In appearance and stature, however,
Gen. Funston is like his mother. He is
not so slight of figure as she, but is a small
man. He has her expression of feature
and he has hands and feet so small that
the girls of lola always envied him them.
"All of Fred's good qualities he got
from his mother" said the elder one as
he looked with look of admiration al
the quiet, blushing little woman.
Fred Funston became an insurgent in
Cuba, leaving New York in the spring Of
1896 for that exciting itinerant work
The first filibustering expedition wa.
being QUILTED. The tug Dauntless was
the craft that was to carry arms and mer
in the first expedition from the United
States to aid the mambi force Of Gen
Garcia. When the Dauntless sailed Fred
Funston was abroad. After cruising about
for several days landing place wa
found. but when boat was lowered ant