Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-12-04
GEN. FUNSTON AGAIN
A HONOLULU VISITOR


hero Of the war in the Philippines, is a
passenger in the transport Indiana,
which arrived from San Francisco Sun
day, en- route for Manila.
When interviewed by Bulletin rep
resentative General Funston said:
THE attacks made upon me by various
newspaper organs of the United States
are too well known by the people at
large to need recapitulation. The sum
and substance of them being that
personally and also my men looted va
rious Catholic churches in and around
Manila. The gravest insinuation
against me was that | removed from an
image of the Virgin, in the church of
Caloocan, a gold embroidered robe
valued at q thousand dollars and also
permitted my men to take whatsoever
they could find.
| Now, the fact of the matter is this,
when we took the church at Caloocan
on February 10th, It had already been
occupied as barracks by the Filipinos,
as were nearly all the churches, and
outside of what rude furniture was left
IN the church there was nothing worth
fifty cents. And as for the soldiers,
some may have taken small things, but
|
down with plumber when in the major
ity of cases they were throwing their
extra clothing away to escape carry
ing too much weight.
Most of the church property that
was carried to the United States by
soldiers, was purchased by them from
tie or nothing. The Chinese having
Itsn dn, cd xy oh ai Ia he, hA
Filipinos and had them on sale as Gu
rios and souvenirs.
The whole matter gained promi-
hence through my making statements
concerning the morality and general
actions of Spanish friars in the Philip
pines in an address made to the stu
dents of Stanford University of Cali
fornia.
1.-TWO Catholic organs, the Monitor
and Donahoe's Magazine. took excep-
ton to my remarks and maliciously
and bitterly attacked me, and publish
ed statements as furnished them by
one Thomas Fox who claimed to have
been in Manila as a newspaper cores
pondent and gave accounts of my al
legged depredations.
MY address was not an attack
liberal and broad enough to feel kindly
toward every denomination.
Gas for this Thomas Fox, he was not
a newspaper correspondent at Manila,
although for a short time he had the
care of the carrier pigeons of Bass &
McCutcheon, was a sort of chamber
maiu to them. Most of the time he was
a mere camp follower and was three
times arrested and tried by the Provost
Court. l myself putting him under ar
rest at Manila. He got to Manila part
OF the way, as fireman on the Indiana,
deserving at Honolulu. finally complet-
ing his trip by slowing away on the
Pennsylvania. On his return to the
States IL was as a stowaway on the
Tartar where he refused to work when
ordered to do SO; he was put In the
brig and kept there on bread and water
for two weeks. still refusing to work
his way back.
IL regret very much the attitude |
took when those attacks were made
upon me, but they were SO malicious
and uncalled for that / could hardly
resist resenting them. ] felt that 1t
would have been more dignified II had
ignored them to a certain extent and
sought justification through the courts.
This l propose doing upon my return
and will make the Monitor. Donahoe's
Magazine and a couple of Eastern pa
pers pay dearly. l will bring suit
through the Federal courts and under
stand me 1t will not be for the money
that is In 1t, but 1t will be for the prin-
ciple of the thing. This would have
Leen done before my departure but
could not remain to give my personal
evidence.
1.-TWO days before | left San Fran
cisco Father McKinnon OF the First
California Volunteers, now chaplain In
the regular army. in a public address
vigorously defended me against the at
tacks made by the Catholic papers and
other people. He declared there was
not word Of truth In the accusations,
as he himself was there and could
vouch for their being false. This de-
tense from Father McKinnon greatly
appreciate and will never forget"
General Funston was given a royal
welcome at his old home in Kansas on
his return to the United States, and as
soon as the active campaign Is over In
the Philippines he anticipates return
ing. Mrs. Funston does not accompany
the General this time, as the climate
does not agree with her, she having
spent ten months there during his for
mer campaign.
The Goth Kansas Regiment that Gen.
eral Funston formerly commanded.
was thought very unfavorably OF at
first But 1t went through eighteen
battles and covered itself with glory;
whatever credit was given was dearly
won.
This is the second Thanksgiving that
General Funston has spent on the In
diana, he having gone over in her on
his former trip.
The active campaign in the Philip
pines he thinks will soon be over.
The Australia" of the 18th