The Irish standard., 1899-05-13
HE HAS IRISH BLOOD IN HIS VEINS
Sketch of the Family by His
Father and Mother.
HE ENCOUNTERS DEATH MANY TIMES
The Most Daring General in the
Philippine Islands.

The life of Fred Funston of the Twen-
tieth Kansas reads like a romance. His
daring gallantry in swimming river i'll
Luzon with his troops earned for him
the rank of brigadier- general. Col
John F. Finerty, OF the Chicago Citi-
zen, 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 century But Lannes and Ney,
Of the French army, were equally dar-
ing. The formers charge at Arcola
and the latter's capture of Mannheim
exactly one hundred years ago-were
exploits worthy of Spartans. The Kan
sas troops are not, however, the first
who swan rivers to achieve victory.
The Irish Brigade won immortal re-
nown by doing the same thing at Cas-
sano, in Italy, while fighting the Aus
trlans, under Prince Eugene, in 1905.
The regiments of Burke and Dillon
swan the river AIDA, tying their mus
kets on their shoulders, captured an
Austrian battery and routed the wing
of that army which rested on the river
bank. They constituted a portion OF
the French army under Marshal Due
de Vendome, who gave them great
praise.
"Would you read your name on honor's
roll?
Look not for royal grant
1t is written in Cassano, Alcoy and Ali
Saragossa, Barcelona, wherever dan
gers lurk,
You will find in the van the blue and
the buff
OF the Regiment of Burke"
When writing the preceding para
graph Col. Finerty may not have known
that the Kansas hero comes of the fight
ing stock of the Kelys, Burkes and
Sheas. According to writer in the
Chicago Tribune of last Sunday he is
Irish to the backbone. He says: The
grandfather of General Fred Funston
was born in the County Donegal, Ire
land, in the year 1900. He was brought
by his parents to the United States,
who landed in Baltimore in 1906, and
settled in Paris, KY, and in 1871 moved
to farm near Springfield, o. His
Christian name was Frederick, and for
him the Kansas soldier was named He
married in 1923 Miss Julia Stafford,
who was born in Giles county, Va, but
whose parents were natives Of ireland.
In 1896 Edward Hoguc Funston was
born in Clark county, O. He lived on
farm till the beginning of the civil war,
when he volunteered and went to war as
a Second Lieutenant in battery of ar
tillery which was commanded by Cap
tain Anderson Mitchell. Just before
the battery went rumbling off to battle
the young Lieutenant was married to
Miss Anne Eliza Mitchell, sister of
the artillery Captain and daughter Of
James Mitchell, farmer. She, too, was
born on farm in Ohio, in Marion
county. Her father was born in Ireland.
Her great grandmother was a sister of
Daniel Boone.
"It would seem as if General Fun
ston was fighter by hereditary right?'
it was suggested.
20, yes" said his father. "He gets
his fighting blood from his mother"
"You were soldier and come of the
fighting race?"
eyes, but his mother is Irish, too,
with fighting heritage from Daniel
Boone's family No, he gets his fight
ing 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 be-
queathed to him the spirit that prompted
him to deeds OF fame. She is so small
that one is impelled to notice the slight
ness OF her figure when she stands alone.
When she stands beside her husband the
figures of the two form striking con-
trast. He is six feet and two inches in
height, and weighs 225 pounds. The
contrast is in more respects striking.
She is retiring and silent He is brusque
and loud-spoken. She is yielding and
timid; he is aggressive and fighter.
In appearance and stature. however.