Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-04-27
LETTER FROM FRED FUNSTON.
Colonel Of the 20th Kansas Writes
About the War and Filipinos.

Colonel Frederick Funston, writ
ing under date Of March II, to Mr..C.
s. Gleed, Of Topeka, among other
things says: events have crowded
events at such a rate through the
past six weeks and there has been so
much Of very serious work on hand
that have sadly neglected writing
letters to my home friends. You in
the States have heard through the
newspapers something of the fight
ing and burning of this eventful
month and a half, but, as cable
grams are very expensive, ! doubt II
the accounts have gone much into de-
tail. We are now anxiously awaiting
the arrival Of papers from home pub
lished since the outbreak in order
that we may see what news our folks
have been furnished with.
"The regiment fought splendidly
and effectively, and in each one Of
the three attacks it has made carried
everything before it. II has un-
doubtedly acquired the best reputa.
ton Of any regiment here for fine
fighting. The boys 60 for the enemy
as II they were chasing jack rabbits
1t is a nasty sort Of war--one OF am
bushes and surprises. So far two
officers, Captain Elliot and Lieuten'
ant Afford, have been killed, and
with them ten enlisted men, while
two officers and thirty-four enlisted
men have been wounded; but the
worst Of it is that the end Is not yet,
and many and many a Kansas home
will be darkened before we see the
end of this sorry business. That il
the sad distressing part Of it.
This Is different business from
seeing Cubans killed. But how glor.
iously these countrymen Of ours
fight! When tell them to charge
which | have three times, the trouble
has been not to get them to come on
but to keep from getting run over by
them. We are at present occupying
the trenches at Caloocan, three miles
north Of Manila, the extreme left o
the Gordon Of trenches fifteen milei
long that protects the land side 0
Manila from the enemy.
"The insurgents are close in on ou
front quite well intrenched and ther'
is some bloody business ahead whel
we advance. But that will happei
long before this reaches you; in fact
we are expecting it in few days.
at would take great prophet tt
even guess how long this thing viii
last. 1t may be that the leaders, dis
couraged by their recent defeats
will give up, or it may be that the.
will for years maintain guerrill'
warfare.
~ am afraid that some people a
home will lie awake nights worrying
about the ethics Of this war, thinking
that our enemy is lighting for th'
right Of seli-government, etc. Tht
word independence which these peo
pie roll over their tongues so glibly i
to them word and not much more
at means simply with them licens
to raise hell and II they got contro
they would raise fine crop Of it. |
is true that they have certain mum
ber Of educated leaders educated
however, about the same way par
rot Is.
"They are as a rule, an illiterate
semi.savage people, who are wagini
war not against tyranny, but agains
Anglo-Saxon order and decency
Their whole conduct during the sey
eral months preceding the ontbrea
was one Of insufferable arrogance an
egotism. They were swollen up b
the fact that our people made to
much Of them at first. /, for one
Hope that Uncle Sam will apply th
Christening rod good, hard and plenty