The San Francisco call., 1899-11-21
He Challenges Any One to Prove He L
Churches While Fighting in the PhiIippil
Denounces the Charges Made Against Him and SCocheS Those
Who Will Not Take Up His Defiance Thomas Fox Enters
the Controversy With Communication.


rived here from Kansas this last
time and before he left again for
Manila. He was going 70 hunt up one
John J. Sullivan, man set forth by
publication known as Donahoe's Maya
zine as a reputable journalist" who con-
tributed for the November number or
that periodical an article charging Fun
ston with looting Catholic churches In
the Philippines.
On his arrival here Sunday evening
Funston's first recourse was the direct
ory. but he found eleven John Sulli-
vans. none OF them even reporters So
he has put himself on record generally
in regard TO the matter and has answered
the charges made against MIN, and then
he winds up with a challenge for any one
TO prove. TO the profit Of the State Red
Cross Society and the satisfaction OF
three Jewish residents Of San Francisco,
either that he ever looted a church or
knowingly allowed a church 10 be looted;
or that Mrs Funston ever received from
him or any one else any plunder taken
from church.
The charges against Funston are not
new. but heretofore the general has let
them pass. referring 10 them only In the
briefest terms and at long Intervals but
he always hoped 10 be able TO ma the
John j. Sullivan he was looking Tor. ana
so he made no definite statement on the
subject He decided. however. 10 set
his side before the public before he left
for Manila. and 10 that end. falling 10
find the proper Sullivan, he has ad-
dressed the following letter 10 The Call:
To the Editor OF the san Francisco Call-Sir:
A Catholic Church publication known as Dona-
hoes Magazine published in Boston. has In It's
November number an article by one Johh =
Sullivan whom the editor vouches FOR as
L Of
which this gentleman with the rich Corkonian
name gives a formidable array Of alleged data
regarding the looting OF churches in the Philip-
pines In my nervous anxiety 10 learn the
Identity OF this John J. Sullivan. l. on my ar
rival in San Francisco yesterday. buried myself
in that widely exciting publication. the CITY
Directory OF san Francisco. and there, 10 my
anguish FOUND that there are eleven John j.
sulhvans In San Francisco, the most Of them
bartenders coalpassers and elevator boys, but
nothing 10 indicate which OF them was the
reliable journalist"
Are we 10 be driven to the conclusion that
this Is the young who conducts the ele-
vator in its mad flight from the ground noor
TO the office Of the Monitor? Perish the
thought, The mental wabblings Of the hyster-
teal youth who has thus plunged suddenly into
fame are mostly pitable and laughable. and
only serious phase when We recollect
that any blackguard when making wild asser-
tons in a plausible manner and giving an array
rated far above his true worth.
Ordinarily / would not think IL worth my
while to notice such a tissue OF lies this
young puppy has regaled us with. but the fact
that 1 have friends IN all parts OF the United
States who are Roman Catholics. and the fact
that have the greatest respect for the opinions
Of the bulk OF the clergy and lRity OF that body,
impels 10 show 10 the public the actual
facts regarding the allegations by the above
mentioned youth. He says:
General Funston has in his possession a
blue silk gold-ornamented robe taken from
the statue OF the Blessed Virgin In the Ca
loocan church on February II. In stripping
this robe from the statue the figure was
mutilated and almost hacked 10 pieces. The
glass in which IL was encased was
broken into thousand pieces.
Although there is a doubt as TO whether
Funston himself stole this robe from the
statue. Mrs Stevens. a hospital from
Colorado. and Thomas Fox a voluntary
nurse in the Hospital corps, who is now
employed in the Hall Of Records in the city
OF Oakland. Cal. claim that they were eye
witnesses 10 the theft and that Funston is
guilty. Mrs. Stevens. who has son in the
army was ambitious - get possession Of
the robe. its beauty having been described
TO her by her son. She went TO the church
for the purpose OF obtaining H. but on the
way she was told that Funston had heard
about the robe and at that time was en-
gagged in divesting the statue Of IT,. on en-
AT the time the sacred robe was stolen Mr.
Peters a sketch artist for either Harper's
or Leslie's Monthly was engaged in sketch
ing the police station in Caloocan, and IL Is
claimed by Fox that the artist was an eye
witness TO the theft The robe was subse
quenty presented TO the wife OF General
Funston by the latter who considered II a
most extraordinary and valuable gift Fox
served in the ambulance corps under Cap
tain Black Of the North Dakota regiment
This is all very interesting but unfor+u
nately. a lie. When the Twentieth Kansas oc-
cuped the Caloocan church on the night q,
February 10 l at once ordered Lieutenant {
G. Hopkins. officer OF the guard, TO remove ALI
OF the altar furniture and such OF the images
were portable 10 side room and place a
guard over them until a lock could be prn-
cured for the door. / personally saw that this
was done. The sergeant OF the guard was J.
Murphy. a Roman Catholic. Present ad-
dress OF both Hopkins and Murphy, Leaven-
worth Kans. In another room was a chest OF
drawers containing priest robes. etc The
guard which was changed every day had in
structions from me TO see that nothing in
this room was disturbed by anybody
About February 1s. not on the 18th. as the
reliable journalist" says. the sergeant OF the
guard. Lewis OF Company Z. Twentieth Kan
sas. came to me and said that an American
woman dragging the robes out on to the
floor and that she paid no attention TO his ad-
a mddle-aged woman OF short stature and
iron-gray hair indiscriminately packing away
a number Of robes. told her that unless she
desisted at once l would put Ter under arrest.
She turned on me like tigress and said:
There Is not anything in this trash that
want. II / did IL would take a bigger man
than you 20 stop me from taking it,
/ ordered her from the building and she LETT
vowing 20 get even. never learned this wom-
ans name but saw her several times after
ward. Her reputation that OF a meddIe-
some nd disreputable camp follower She is
probably the Mrs. Stevens spoken OF by the
reliable journalist"
Thomas Fox, spoken OF above. was never in
the hospital corps or in any way connected with
the army. but was a dissolute and worthless
fellow used as a lackey by McCutcheon and
Bass. two correspondents in the Philippines
10 care for their carrier pigeons and do their
camp work for them. Three times he was
fined in the provost court OF Manila for drunk
enness and disorderly conduct. 1 myself put
him under arrest for looting private house in