Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-08-24
Flow Funston Left the 10th.

man sat on his pony while a colum
OF men, on their way to the railroa
station, marched past him. Tn
troops we're going to Manila to re
cuperate from a campaign they ha
begun on February A, when they wer
100 strong; now the command wa
not Of greater strength than 600, s.
heavy had been the tax on it in thos
100 days. Work.worn and unkempt
many Of them listles and trampint
with dragging steps they looked tt
be anything rather than the mos
talked Of regiment in these islands.
As they caught sight OF the graz
horse and his sturdy little rider, eye
frightened; murmer Of comment
ran down the column Of fours; ther
followed cheer after cheer. Raising
his hat in response to those ringing
shouts, the man thus honored sat In
silence until the rearmost battalion,
with its kite.like tail Of jabbering
Chino littcr-bearers, had disappeared
in the dust; then, replacing his hat,
and with eyes dropped down, he
turned his horse and rode away.
On the blue saddle-cloth of the
stocky gray pony cleaned the white
"20" of the Colonel Of an infantry
regiment, but on the shoulders Of his
rider shone the star Of general, a
star won in all honor by the man
while leading that now sadly reduced
regiment Of gallant volunteers. We
who had sat and viewed the above
little scene had witnessed the parting
OF Gen. Frederick Funston and his
late regiment, the goth Kansas.
The meeting and parting had not
been prearranged. The general had
been riding through the town to Sc
lect and assign quarters for the 9th
regulars, who were to replace the
Kansans in his brigade; but we Of his
staff who were present felt that we
had seen something Of the confidence
and devotion that brave men have for
gallant leader. As we rode away
the general turned to me and said;
81 suppose II wouldn't have been
very dignifed, but tears were not far
from the surface just now. | couldn't
help thinking Of those poor fellows
that came out here with US and are
gone; and to see the condition Of that
fine regiment is hard"
The quantity Of mail that a new
hero receives is enormous, ranging as
1t does, through letters Of congratula-
tlon from personal friends, autograph
hunters, would-be political advisers
and enterprising manufacturers Of
cigars, who seek permission to trade
on his name and fame. Quantities OF
clippings from the press come, and
are eagerly read, but when the praise
takes on a hue too roseate in tint, he
bursts out lmpatiently with, "lf they
would only not say such extravagant
things" And he is especially dis
turhed when he reads, "Ile weighs
less than a hundred pounds" As a
matter of fact, Gen. Funston's weight
is not far from 1870, and that shows a
loss Of about ten pounds since he
landed in the Philippines. The thing
that has amused him most is the car
toon depicting him and his late regi-
ment swimming a certain western
river to attack a line of works defend
ed with mock cannon Of stove pipe,
and garrisoned by individuals who
are usually referred to as being "mis-
guided" and who possess whiskers
distinguished for being
luxuriant rather than for any other
quality.
Warm, sincere letters from friends
have given him, of course, great
pleasure; but it is the letters from
children and Of those there have
been many, that make him most
demonstrative. That is the man of
him; but few nights ago we saw the
man put aside by the soldier. Reading
his letters by candle that lluttered
and sputtered in the night breeze,
in every feature, he stop.
ped, listened, and then, starting up,
cried, "That is an attack" and, even
as an orderly hurried in to give the
information, he had thrown his let
ters aside, seized a revolver and hat,
and soon out into the darkness we