The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-08-18
HOW THEY LEFT HIN
FunSton's Parting With Boys
Of the Twentieth.
WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES
Sat on His Pony as the Work-WOrn
Regiment Went By-Greeted With
Deafcning Cheers.
Special correspondence in the Globe Demo.

NoptClhl correspondence III the tlODe Deluo-
craft
San Fernando, Luzon, r. l., June
2G.-TwO days ago, in this town, q
man sat on his pony while column
OF men, on their way to the railroad
station, marched past him. The
troops were going to Manila to re-
cuperate from campaign they had
begun on February 4, when they
were 100 strong: now the command
was not of Il greater strength than
GOO, SO heavy had been the tax on it
u those 100 days. Work-worn and
unkept, many Of them listless and
tramping with dragging steps, they
looked to be anything rather than the
most talked of regiment in the
islands.
As they caught sight of the gray
horse and his sturdy little rider, eyes
frightened; murmur OF comment
ran down the column OF tours; then
followed cheer after cheer Raising
his hat is response to those ringing
shouts, the man thus honored sat in
silence until the rear-most battalion,
with its kite-like tail Of iabbering
Chino litter-bearers had disappeared
in the dust; then, replacing his hat,
and with eyes dropped down, he
turned his horse and rode away.
On the blue saddle-cloth OF the
stocky gray pony cleaned the white
"2O' of the colonel of an infantry
regiment, but on the shoulders Of his
rider shone the star fla general,
star won in all honor by the man
while leading that now sadly reduced
regiment of volunteers We who had
sat and viewed the above little scene
had witnessed the parting of General
Frederick Funston and his late regi-
ment, the Twentieth Kansas.
The meeting and parting had not
been prearranged. The general had
beer riding through the town to Sc
lect and assign quarters for the Ninth
regulars, who were to replace the
Kansans in his brigade; but we of
his staff who were present felt that
we had seen something of the con-
rldence and devotion that brave men
had for gallant leader. AS we rode
away the General turned to me and
said: II suppose it wouldn't have
been very dignified, but tears were
not far from the surface; just now. |
couldn't help thinking of those poor
fellows that came out with lis and
are gone; and to see the condition Of
that fine regiment is hard"
The quantity of mail that new
hero receives is enormous, ranging as
it does, through letters of congratula-
ton from personal friends, autograph
hunters, would-be political advisers
and enterprising manufacturers of
cigars, who seek permission to trade
en- his name and fame. Quantities of
clippings from the press come, and
are eagerly read, but when the praise
takes ON a hue too roseate in tint, he
bursts out impatiently with: "lt
they would only not say such eX-
travagant things" And he is es-
pecially disturbed when he reads,
He weighs less than hundred
pounds" AS matter OF fact, Cen
eral Funston's weight is not far from
1870, and that shows a loss of about
ten pounds since he landed in the
Philippines. The thing that has
amused him most is the cartoon de-
picting him and his late regiment
swimming a certain western river to
attack a line Of works defended with
mock cannon of stove pipe and gar
risoned by individuals who are
usually referred to as being "mis-
guided and who possess whiskers
principally distinguished for being
luxuriant rather than for any other
quality.
Warm, sincere letters from friends
have given him, of course, great
pleasure; but it is the letters from
children, and of those there have
been many, that maize him most
demonstrative. That is the man o.
him; but few nights ago we saw the
man put aside by the soldier. Read
ing his letters by candle that flut
tered and sputtered in the nigh
breeze, enjoyment in every nature
he stopped, listened, and then, start
ing up, cried, That is an attack =
and, even as an orderly hurried in t
give the Information, he al thrown
his letters aside, seized revolver anC
hat, and soon out into the darkness
we rode, gathering up from out o
the wayside huts, groops of men an'
hurrying them to the support of thu
outposts. Occasionally a bump and
scuffie announced that the leader o
our party, always the General, hat