The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-01
FUNSTON'S SWIM
Harry Armstrong Writes Of the
Crossing of Quingua.
Graphic Story of the Kansan at
Calumpit.
THIS is HOW HE DID 1T
DiVested of Riding Boots and
Jacket He Plunged In.
Then Clambered Into a Canoe
and Padded Across.
THIS is HOW HEIDI 1T

story giving the names of the men VINO
were with him and the minutest detail
of the performance is printed here to-
day by the Record in a letter by Harry
G. Armstrong, dated: In the Field Be
fore Calumpit via Manila, April 25.'
This is the story of the Twentieth
Kansas and how that regiment charged
an intrenchment filed with Filipinos,
got across the Quingua river and drove
the insurgents back to the next strong
hold, writes the correspondent. 1t is
not the first nor the second time the
Kansas boys have got what they went
for, and they went in like veterans.
We lay in the dry bed of a creek that
made the firing line from o'clock on,
but no big advance was made until 10
o'clock, when the armOred train came
down the track with it's one six-pound
gun-a gun that had done duty on the
transport Sheridan, firing salutes at
the sun as the flag came down at re-
treat-twO HotchkiSS guns and Cat
ling. The Utah battery was over on
the right with General Hale, who was
given time to make a flank movement
The Kansas boys were peepinS through
the trees where there was an opening,
and grimly they sat there, too, keeping
ears open for an order. Colonel Fun
StOn, the son of the former congress-
man. from Allen county, Kansas, stood
near his horse cracking his riding boot
with his whip.
Then the six inch gun opened the
fight on the American side. The Fill
pinoS had been firing toward us for fif-
teen minutes, and Lieut.. Bridges. in
command of that train, sent the first
shot. Incidentally the dust flew from
the trench down the track and a cheer
went up before the report of the piece
had died from the ears of the men in
the ravine. Again and again that long
black piece rang UP the echoes. Then
the rapid fire came into range and be-
gan it's belching. But when the Calling
70 l1n 20 how o~n
ready for their charge across the open.
General Hale got his Utah battery in
position on the extreme right and be-
gan throwing shells into the enemy's
camp. Now. there should not have
been trouble for those F'ilipinOS, even
then, because their intrenchments were
very strong, but the shells evidently
brought fear to the hearts of the dark
skinned fighters.
Then it was that Colonel Funston
said: Come on, boys" and they want
ed no second invitation. Out into the
open they went with the Calling throw
ing bullets over their heads and the
Hotchkiss and the six FOUNDER hurting
heavy pieces far into the trenches 1t
was a long way across that cornfield,
and the corn was not past the second
blowing. The tracks left there are evil
dence that there was no heSitancy in
the attack. Colonel Funston led them
on fully half a mile, when they came
right in the face of the fire directed
point blank at them from the trenches.
One man dropped out and came back
He had a wounded hand and it was
useless for the time being. On the brown
regiment went, past a clump of bam-
boos, where the Mausers were biting
and whistling, until at last it reached
the bitches along the railroad track
and dropped into them.
Who goes across with me?" called
Colonel Funston, and there was a cko-
rus of ''Here!"
It's a swim"
eve can swim " came the answer
But | don't want the regiment just
now. III take you all later"
So the colonel picked out Lieutenant
Ball of company f, Corporal McNulty
of company E, First Sergeant EnsIow
of company K and Privates Weaver,
Case and Cooper of company K, with
Captain BOltwood of company F. Now
it was a case of follow your leader, and
never did daring spirit lead his fol-
lowers into more dangerous place. The
river, with its broken bridge, was be-
tween those men and the Filipino
trenches and out of the portfolios came
the shots. A vOlley went up from the
edge of the ditch that blew dust from
those ports and woe to the dark head
that appeared above. The colonel ran
out onto the bridge and across the tim
berless structure. Behind him were
his picked men. The missing span was
on the enemy's side, but the boys hop
ped along and came to the end only to
see their colonel whip off his riding
boots and jacket and slide down a
bamboo pole into the water. He went
clear out of sight in that plunge but
came up, spluttering, within five feet
of the broken span. This helped him
along, and before the last man was
down the pole Colonel Funston had his
hands on a long native canoe In
the men clambered, and, with bullets
flying over them in both directions,
padded across.
Squad by squad the Kansans went
across, under cover of the reserve fire,
and when enough were there to make a
company they went up the embank-
ment around the edge of the trenches
and sent a thanking fire down along
the bamboo embankment. The Fill
pinos fed toward General Hale, and
the Colorado boys and Colonel Funston
held the trench-the first man across
the river of Quingua and the first man
into the Filipino stronghold.
Where the reserve lay, as this is writ
ten on this 25th day of April, the ground
is covered with empty shells, and Cap
tent pitched where one firing squad
pumped lead" He has to push the
shells to one side to make a comfort
able place to spread his blanket. So
it is in every depression along that front
and wherever a bit of protection offer
ed in the field. In some places there
is trail of shells across that field of
growing corn.
The Filipinos fed and left bomb
proof retreats which did not show the
mark of a bullet They fled before
those Kansas boys from IrencneS Which
a civilized army never would have left
and would have held against a mighty
force But Filipinos do not fight that
way They are building a trail of
breaStworks far into the north and re-
treat from one to the next as they
must.
After all was over and General Hale
and the Nebraska boys had plunged
through the river at the right and had
taken possession of the mile of earth
works along that side the Kansas colo
mel thought he might put on dry clothes.
So he slid down the iron girder of the
broken bridge span, swung his boat