The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-09

Yes. All of his letters and kilograms
anything"
why. he sent you pair OF sealskin
gloves from Alaska said Mrs. Funston.
That's so; he did, the rascal I don't
want him 10 send anything 10 me. want
him to keep on sending everything to his
mother and loving his mother just as he
does, so I can continue TO think the more OF
him"
The father Of this distinguished Kansas
soldier IS a former member of Congress-
Edward Hogue Funston. He was elected
TO Congress oftener than any man who
ever represented Kansas in the House of
Representatives. serving eleven years.
Since the completion OF his last term in
Congress a few years ago ne IS back on the
farm looking after things there just the
same as If he had never known the gla-
mour OF life at the nations capital and had
never felt the hattery Of power in the as
sen1bly Of lawmakers. Ha was called
Farmer" Funston when ne was first
elected. and he has never lost the blunt
honesty of a farmer since.
The grandfather of General Fred Fun
Ireland in the year 1900 He vas brought
by his parents to the United States, who
landed in Baltimore in 1906, and settled in
Paris, Ky..and in 1911 moved 10 a farm
near Springfield, O. His Christian name
was Frederick, and for him the Kansas
soldier was named. He married in 1873
Miss Julia Stafford, who was born in Giles
County.Va-, but whose parents were nat
ives of Ireland. In 1886 Edward Hogue
Funston was born in Clark County, 0.
He lived on a farm till the beginning of
the cival war, when he volunteered and
went to waras a Second Lieutenant in a
battery of artillery which was commanded
by Captain Anderson Mitchell. Just be-
fore the battery went rumb ing off to battle
the young Lieutenant was married TO Miss
Anne Eliza Mitchell, sister Of the artil-
lery Captain and daughter Of James
Mitchell, farmer. She. too, was born on
a farm in Ohio, in Marion County. Her
father was born in Ireland. Her great
grandmother was a sister Of Daniel Boone.
at would seem as if General Funsto
was fighter by hereditary right?' 1t was
suggested.
20. yes" said his father. He gets his
fighting blood from his mother"
You were soldier and come OF the
fighting racer"
eyes, but his mother IS Irish. too, with
fighting heritage from Daniel Bones
family. No. he gets his fighting blood from
his mothers side
One would never think II 10 look at the
gentle, sweet-faced, fragile little woman.
ba
MaIolos, that she had bepueathed 10 him
the spirit that prompted him to deeds of
fame. She is so small that one is impelled
to notice the slfghtness of her figure when
she stands alone When she stands be-
side her husband the figures of the two
form a striking contrast. He is six feet
mad two inches in height, and weighs225
pounds. The contrast is in more respects
striking. She is retiring and silent. He
Is brusque and loud-spoken. She is yield
ing and dmid: he is aggressive and a
fighter.
In appearance stature. however, Cen
eral Funston is like his mother. He is not
so slight of figure as she, but is a small
man. He has her expression Of feature
and he has hands and feet so small that
the girls Of lola always envied him them.
"All Of Fred's good qualities he got from
his mother" said the elder one as he look
ed with look of admiration at the quiet
blushing little woman.
Sometimes Mrs. Funston talks Of her
boy, but not to strangers. To those she
knows best she talks not much either
When correspondent for the Tribune Wis
itel the farm in Carlyle Township, Allen
County, Kas., to ask her to tell the readers
Of the tribune something of the early life OF
her distinguished son she hesitated and
yielded slowly still hesitating. But she is
proud of him She can't conceal that
though it seems as if she tries hard to do
it, She shudders at the thought of noter-
iety.
Fred doesn't want to be talked about
so much" she said. HE did nothing but
what he felt ne should do, and why should
people wish to make It so much a public
matter?"
AS to bare statistics concerning the life
Of General Funston. she had no objection
to speak.
But the public wishes to know more OF
him."
There was nothing remarkable about
him as a child. He was never dangerously
H. He never had any narrow escapes as a
child. and he never had anything happen
to him of an extraordinary sort. II IS true
to him of an extraordinary sort. It is true,
he was bright in his earliest years"
A smile stole over her face as she paused.
Some "reminiscences had come to her.
Fred was only two years old when we
in 1867. shorty after Mr.. Funston returned
from the war Well, as we we're coming
on the train, Fred would look out Of the
car window and try TO read the names OF
the station ssigns on the depots. The
other people in the car were greatly sur
prised that such a little fellow could name
the letters on the signs"
And that was the only babyhood incident