The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-09
FRED funston 5 LIFE
From His Coming to Kansas
as a Two-Year-0Id Baby
TO HIS PRESENT ESTATE
Fighting Stock on Both Sides
of Kin to Daniel Boone.

!
Grove schoolhouse
That is where Fred Funston learned 10
swim Other Kansas boys who live in Car
! lyle Township, just north of lola, 90 swim
ming there now when the sun is shining
warm for spring weather. 1t is rated the
last testing place Of swimmers skill. 1t
/ is deep and currentless, and ii has a swirl
! ing eddy at the lower end of the hole. "
| Fred Funston could swim through this
eddy on his back, and he could dive half
way across the widest partof the ''hole."
/ 1T just made me laugh" said Ora Dun
| lap, when read in the Iolie Record bout
! how the fellers in Washington was maxim
| such fuss bout Fred swimmin' that Phil
! ippine river. I'll bet a dollar he could "a
dove acrost it"
HE was made Brigadeir General for
doing it,
well, I'll be dad swum. A Brigadeir
| General of the army"
| Yes
''WeI these prairies Of Carlyle Town
ship are just freckled with Brigadier Gen
erals then. But guess Fred must a done
somethin' else. They's pretty good pay in
! that, amt there?''
Eyes"
81 thought they was Fred used to al
| ways say he'd git there
did you think he would?''
| well, Fred was peculiar kind Of boy.
| The folks didn't seem to understand him.
| He had good JOB teachin district school
an he could a been teachin' it yet, bnt he
| went Of roamin' aroun' Then he got an
| in Nod ioI1 fY7' ha "a
! ia Fe, but he went off again just roamin'
| aSound. Then he came back here a lee
| turin an was just maxim money hand
| over fist, but he went off again just roam
in round. He was all throughthe Klon-
! bike. and Death Valley, and Cuby.
Folks used tothink it was awful curious
in him TO be roamin' around like that, but
guess Fred must a knowed what he was
a. doin'. A whole lot O. the folk round
herell feel kind o. foolish when Fred
comes back here an they turn out the
Iole band. Folks as used to say he never
| would amount to nothin'. But guess Fred
must "a knowed what he was doin'''
Years ago the thrifty farmer folks Of
Carlyle Township were in the habit of COM
pairing Fred Funston to Ora Dunlap. The
were reared as farmer boys together. Fred
Funston had more advantages than Ora
Dunlap, and when Ora invested all the
| money he had saved working hard on the
farm and became the prosperous proprietor
of the lola livery stable and Fred Funston
Just went roamin' around the COMPARE
son was greatly to the disadvantage of
Fred Funston. Some of them were not so
! outspoken in their criticisms OF the odd
and studious youth and they are taking
great consolation now out of their whilom
! conservatism. The ones who were con-
strained to say that Fred "would never
amount to nothin' - are apologize and
probably wondering how they will feel
when they hear the lola band is playing
to help swell the welcome when Ere Funs-
ton comes back with the stars on his
shoulders and saying that nothing less
than seat in the United States Senate
will be worth his while.
None Of these critical folks, lie 1 be said.
| ever go in the habit of saying Fred Funs-
| ton was bad boy, or that as a young man
| he ever did anything worse than "roarnin
| around" His most severe critics liked him
and were glad to have him visit them
| whenever he came back to lola, but they
could never stand" for a young man with
his education and opportunities who wasted
his time looking for wild and fantastic
adventures.
AS d child they say he was bright: as
boy he was industrious in study and on
the farm, and regular al Sunday school
As ne grew older he became even more
studious, but continued to work hard on
the farm. He still went to Sunday school
over at the village church in Carlyle. but
he found time to 90 fishing and swimming
in Deer Creek. Finally he went off TO the
State university at Lawrence, but when he
came home in vacation periods he was s.ill
diligent in plowing corn and hoeing pota-
toes. But after awhile he drifted out OF the
range OF local comprehension and then he
became justly a subject for the local crit
les.
All OF the other Funston boys stuck 70
the farm. They are there yet. The farm
is composed OF 2f2 acres Of prairie land
four miles north OF lola AMI one and one
quatrer miles west OF the Village OF Car
lyle. The postoffice address, OF the Funston
family IS Carlyle. but a letter sent 20 lola
would not go asusy. Fred Funston & the
Oldest child Of the family. He was born
on Nov 1885. The other children in
Chronological orler are: James Burton
Funston, Pogue warwick Funston. Ella
Funston, Aldo Funston, and Edward Il.
Funston. FIVE boys and one girl
Pogus Warwick Funston is married and
has two children. He lives on farm OF
his owl adjoining The homestead. James
Burton Funston and Aldo Funston man
age the homes ead farm under the general
supervision OF their father. Edward Il
Funston Jr is an L-year-oid. freck!c-fsced
misc hievous-eyed pupil % the Maple
Grove School. who goes fishing and Swim
ming IN the same spot II Deer Creek where
his big brother Fred learned the overland
stroke that enabled hin 70 swim the RIO
Csraaae River and Sin A BTtgadier's stzr.
Mss Fuz Funston Is 3 graceful ard ac-
c1npllshe5 girl y e. wi1o graduated as
year from the state university ard who g.
yf,3es her tine between helping her mother
IN the MANAGEMENT q tie house and COW
eng ,he interior walls with exquisite
paintings.
Tia farmhouse % the tGu<taus & =
uanv-roo-ne6- two-stoTy frame oBIs1 nE.
urft1 IS psrio-s, sittiaE-ro-o-a- and Esorsry
-,ainls- furnished hzt eIa5oEately gzrr.sa@s
with ,hz paintings q Mss Funston. aid
tuns. carvings. and curtos fran ne many
lands in watch the solder son has sougat
adventures. E.verywhere aaout the house
: something n remind the other memoirs