Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-09-14
COLONEL FRED FUNSTON.


There was quiet in front of the Kan
sans after that charge until the line
was ordered forward to attack Caloocan
on Feb. 10. The regiment had the left
of the brigade and charged through a
dense woods in the face of hot fire
from the insurgents, not stopping until
it had swept through the town and
distance beyond.
This is not the tale of all the fighting
done to date by Colonel Funston's Kan
sans. Every battle report has some ex-
plot to their credit. They belong to
MacArthur's division and to Harrison
Grey Otis brigade, which means share
in all fighting, perhaps the lions share.
Personally, the leader of the Jayhawk-
ers is not war lion. His wife that
now is called him on her first inter
view pocket edition of Mars. He is 3
feet in stature, the minimum for a
soldier. Perhaps there is something in
his very red head and very black eyes in
combination that makes him fighter.
He has been in a dozen battles or more
In the philippines and had 20 TO MS
credit with the army of Gomez. In Gu
ba he fought with the insurgents and at
Manila is crushing them. Perhaps his
experience with them in Cuba is behind
his zeal for stamping them ont in the
Philippines.
Colonel Funston was an enthusiastic
to attend mass meeting in the early
days of shouting Cuba libre," his
heart was touched, and he offered his
services to the junta.
At two hours notice, plain Private
Funston Of the filibustering band went
ON board the steamer Dauntless and
without adventure landed in the pres
ence of Gomez. When asked what he
could do for Cuba, he said, Fight
Gomez made the little redheaded
Ohioan, for that he is by birth, COM
mander of Hotchkiss battery. Start
ing with the rank of captain, he fought
his way to favor in the eyes of Gomez
and in 1 8 months was lieutenant colo
mel even in that army of ornamental
Cubans. His first battle was at Cascona,
a town well defended by Spanish forts.
Tcnston had two Hotchkiss guns and
played them upon the Spaniards with
appalling effect The Cubans were
amazed and called him demon. Fun
ston Jayhawkers at Manila are called
demons
For time Funston bore charmed
life. Then shot mangled one arm.
There was fighting in hand, and he had
five guns to give a good account of. So
he bandaged his arm and went into
battle. making it SO hot for the Span
iards with Hotchkiss and dynamite
shells that they set a price on his head.
Joining Garcia's band, Funston won
his last promotion in battle, was pune
tured through the lungs by Mauser
and then laid low with fever. This last
foe brought him back to the States to
recuperate, and then came the uprising
to make Cuba hbre something more
than a motto Funston asked for au
thority to raise a fighting regiment of
the Kansas yeomanry, rough riders on
foot, and when ready to take the field
was ordered TO the coast to join the
Philippine expedition.
Caloocan, Marilao river, MalOlos and
Calumpit are the great battles to be
inscribed on the flag of Kansas. Private
Burton Mitchell, writing of Caloocan,
tells how the colonel led and inspired
the charge. Says he:
1.-THE colonel (Funston) led this
charge on his horse with his hat off,
calling for the men to come on, which
they did with will came near get
ting plugged. by sharpshooter who
had been giving us trouble all that aft
ernoon. My companion hollered Duck |
and quick as fash dropped my head
down behind a wall when bullet
came where my head had been and hit
the ground just behind me. After the
gunboats had shelled Caloocan for
awhile we heard the colonel voice say
ing Forward Advance Double time,
fring' And the way those Jayhawkers