The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-05-04
LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES
AS Seen and II Graphically Described
by the Wife of General Fred
Funston


delightful story entitled "a Soldiers
Wife in the Philippines" by Mrs.
Edna Blanchard Funston, wife OF
General Fred. The Kansas City
Journal priAts the following con.
densed verslon
The recital has the charm of direct
simplicity aud is told with AN ingenu-
Gus frankness not unmlxed with
humor. Below we give few random
extracts that will give some idea OF
the experiences OF the Kansas ladies
who accompanied their husbands to
Manila:
"We hunted up house agent, an
enterprising American and a new ar
rival, and after an hours driving dis
covered very good house. We were
altogether delighted with our dis
covery and good fortune, in spite of
the fact that we should be obliged to
wait at least week before we could
occupy the house We returned to
the ship that evening more than
pleased with our days doings, and
counting the hours until we could
take possession, for the Whitmans
and Funstons were to occupy the
honse together. The next three days
were spent aboard ship. shall ever
forget those days? | cannot imagine
anything warmer, and we suffered
accordingly. BY Sunday Major
Whitman and my husband devised a
scheme by which we could go ashore,
even though our house was not ready
for us. RegiMsptaI headquarters
were in the Second battalion bar
racks, where my husband had an
office. This was quite large room,
and here we put up two cot beds,
which Mrs. Whitman and occupied
while our husbands buuked with two
of the officers. The three days we
spent there were dreary enough.
Major Whitman aud Colonel Funston
were extremely busy and left their
wives to take care of themselves. We
did not go on the streets alone, and
we thought, as we really had no right
in the building, it would be wrong
toward the men, embarrassing, to say
the least, to have US about, so we
stayed in our roOms-prisoners."
In due time the Funst0ns and
Whitmans removed to their house
'and now the fun of furnishing be-
gam The women were stared at
and made afraid as they circulated
around among the Chinese shops, and
Mrs. Funston says 1--WE marvaled
that we had escaped without trouble,
for some of the men had been most
surly." But comfort had hardly been
established III the new house when
the colonel and major were ordered to
move nearer to the barracks and the
house hunting had to be done all over
again. This second house was large
one, and Mrs. Funston says:
1--WE asked Major Metcalf, Mr..
Walker, the adjutant, and Mr.. Hull,
the quartermaster, to occupy it with
us, which they were only too glad to
do, and we made very merry,
happy family. This was IN the latter
part of December, 1893, and from the
time that we got fairly settled in eur
quarters until the outbreak on the
night of February 4, our experience
was a very pleasant and agreeable
one. Driving was our chief recrea
tion. Many pleasant trip we had
behind our dear little white ponies;
in fact, l don't know how we could
have done without them. The heat
between the hours of 8, in the morn
ing ,Rnd in the afternoon is so in
tense that one cannot do anything
but lounge in the most negligee of
garments, but by 5 1t grows cooler,
and then the whole city turns out on
the Lunetta.
"After pleasant evening (Febru-
ary 4) spent quietly in lreading, my
husband and / had just retired when
we were startled by banging at the
door. At the same time we heard the
boom of cannon and Major .Metcalf
shouted through the door, Colonel,
colonel, the ball has begun" Both
my husba and were on our feet
in au instant, aud in few moments
he was gone.
"Then gathering up the few valua-
bles | had brought with me, / packed
them with my toilet articles in a
telescope which, for weeks, | had
kept prepared for we had been ex.
pscting an outbreak. BY this time
the soldiers who had been sent to
take us to the barracks had arrived,
aud having given our two Cinnamon
all necessary instraclions, we left the