Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-11-30
GEN. FUNsTON's SIDE OF IT.
He Says the Charges of Lieut.. Callahan
and Others Are Absurd-Gives some
History Heretofore Unpublished.


erick Funston, who left yesterday for
the Philippines, has been a stanch de-
fender of Col. Metcalf and reiterates
his charge that Eve officers of the Kan
sas regiment were guilty of cowardice
during the fighting from Manila to San
Fernando. The Kansas general an
nounces that in his opinion former
Lieut. W. A. Callahan, of company G,
is one of the men.
Regarding the Husky deposition.
charging Col. Metcalf with having
shot Filipino prisoner while on the
ground begging for mercy, Harold V.
Chambers, of the same company, and
an intimate personal friend of Husky,
said that Husky signed the statement
while under the influence of liquor and
that he was coaxed to do so by Lieut..
Hall. Chambers says that had Husky
been sober he would never have put his
name to the statement and he was not
sure of the statement being true as it
was.
Gen. Funston took up Lieut. Gala
hans record at some critical points and
makes a vigorous defense of his own
and some of his friends records. In
statement, published by the Examiner,
Gen. Funston gives his views as fol-
lows:
Callahan missed nearly all the fighting in
which the regiment took part. He sustained
slight flesh wound in the thigh from g1ancing
bullet while at Caloocan He went back to the
hospital at Manila and stayed there more than
month, then returned to the regiment late in
March, Just before the advance upon Malolos.
We had six days of continuous fighting there,
but Callahan went back to Manila after the Sec
ond days fighting and said he had kidney trou-
BILE. He stayed in Manila for three months.
Callahan says he was in the battle of Gui-
quinto. He was 30 miles from there. At no
time at the battle of Guiquinto did lie down
except once. and that for ten seconds under
especially furious fire from the enemy. Then
was careful to see that every other officer and
man was under cover before dropped.
Hardy, DrySdale and Wiley did swim the
Marilao river and I never claimed credit for it.
Callahan's statement as to the Rio Grande af-
fair is absurd. White and Trembly did swim
the river and hitched the rope by which the raft
was handled. [ crossed with eight men first,
and in all 45 men were taken over. We drove
out 1850 insurgents. using 200 rounds of ammu-
milton to q man during the half hours fighting.
Gen. Macarthur and Gen. Wheaton were eye
witnesses to that fight. They were standing at
the freight house 500 yards away on the south
bank of the river. 1t was upon their report of
that affair that was made brigadier general.
At Bagbag river Lieut.. Ball. myself and four
enlisted men swan the river under a fierce fire
and we took the intrenchments. Gen. Wheaton
that and every man who took part was
recommended for a medal of honor.
But am not through with this affair yet I
know the charges against Metcalf and Bishop
are despicable and malicious lies and intend
to prove them such I carry back with me to
Manila a copy of Donald Thorne's affidavit. in
which he accuses Capt. Bishop of emptying his
revolver into the bodies of two wounded Fill
pinos. He says this occurred in the rear of
company H. Now company II occupied the
center of the line on February 10 at the battle
of Caloocan and Bishop was never near there at
all He was with company I at the extreme
right of the line.
The investigation had at the time shows thai
two enlisted men of company I, whose names
are in the records at Washington, shot two
Filipino prisoners under misapprehension of
orders The facts were all brought out in an
inquiry, which was held at San Fernando by
Maj j. S. Mallory, chief inspector Of the Second
division on Gen. MacArthur's staff. Maj. NAL
lOry'S report showed that these two FiIipinos
had been shot by two enlisted men of the Kan
SaS regiment at Caloocan on February 10. They
were killed during the hand-to-h nd fighting
which took place at the trenche, within -U0
yards of the church.
These Filipinos had surren cred to Capt
Flanders, of company I, who ordered two of his
men to take the prisoners to the rear The
FilipinoS refused to go and went down their
knees. begging and geSticulating. Capt. Flan-
ders had gone forward with his company and
while this was going on had sent Capt Bishop,
of company M, over to see why comp my I W IS
not keeping up the line with the rest of the
regiment. Bishop, the report says. heard
Flanders tell the two priVateS to tax the Fill
pinos to the rear. The men were I'm lble to move
their prisoners and they said to Bishop as their
company advanced: What shall we do?"
Capt Bishop replied 'tYou know your orders:
go ahead With that Bishop left the men and
started ahead on the line of battle. He heard
cracks of rifles as he went. The names of the
men who killed the prisoners do not remem-
Der; they can be had at Washington Capt.
Flanders is now at Pao1a. Kan, and Capt.
1irfx-
in the Philippines
AS for Col (then major) Metcalf he was two
rods away from the place of the killing. He
was using his revolver for certainty, as fast
as he could load and reload it, but his targets
were the fighting Filipinos in the trenches
ahead of him. He was in no way connected
with the shooting of these prisoners, and he
WIS never the subje It of any investigation
Maj. Mallory'S report was that there was no
foundation whatsoever for the story connecting
Col. Metcalf with the affair. The original order
was to investigate Capt. Bishops part in it
The report said that he was only slightly impli-
Gated, through no fault of his, and that no blame
attached to the men who killed the prisoners
because thee had been misunderstanding of
Capt. Bishops orders. He had heard the men
told to take the prisoners to the rear and had
supposed his order would be understood to en-
force that of Capt. Flanders, but the men took
it to mean that they should kill the prisoners
because they could not be made to march to the
rear.
Int only OEUer L lSSu6Q as TO the Killing OF
prisoners was one directing that they should be
shot only in the event of an attempt to escape.
Private Donald Thorne re-enlisted at Manila
and shall make him prove his affidavit, disa-
vow it or undergo eourt-martial.
I know the affidavit of Private Harris O. Hus-
key. in which he says Col Metcalf shot pris-
oner at Caloocan. is untrue. Huskey tried to
get the afidavit back, but could not.
Evans Sued for Damages.
as Giffe, a prominent citizen of this
place, has fled suit for S25, 600 dam
ages against Commissioner of Pensions