The age-herald., 1901-04-07
cREELMAN ON FUNSTON.
Famous Correspondent Admires Ills
 Courage and SeIf-Reliance.

James Creelman in New York Journal.
 Again and again l accompanied Fun
 ston in his campaign. Each time he sur
 prised me by his wonderful gift of un- derstanding the mysteries of guerrilla warfare and his ability to determine the
 precise moment when personal courage and a sudden dash of his troops would decide the battle.
 With all his reputation for fearless
 charges Funston has never led his men into a trap He is the most cautious man in the army until the time for des- perate rush Is reached During the care full advance he Is watchful and reticent, keeping his men under cover as much as
 possible, but when his line is within sure
 striking distance he leads his men in
 person, shrieking like a devil. It was my good fortune to be with Col. Funston when his regiment waded and
 swam the Tulihan river during the ad- vance of MacArthur's division to Malo-
 los, the insurgent capital And it was my bad fortune to lie in the mire that
 day with my wounded horse on top of
 me while Funston lay under his horse only ten feet away.
 It was 0 characteristic day in Fun
 ston's life. For hours our army had been
 driving the main insurgent force through
 a dense bamboo forest; the Kansas regi-
 ment was at the center of the line. with
 Funston dashing about on horseback,
 cheering, waiving directing, reprimand-
 ing.
 His slim little figure was the most con- spicuous thing in the confusing scene. Wherever the firing was heaviest there his voice was to be heard In command. Suddenly the Kansas regiment emerged
 from the forest in sight of small, swift river. There was no sign of the enemy. The truth was that the insurgents had
 crossed the. stream and were lying si- lently In the trenches on the opposite bank, waiting for the Kansans to come within 300 yards before opening fire. It
 was a well laid trap.
 When the Kansans had almost reached
 the edge Of the liver yoliey after volley biazed from the concealed Fflipinos. Fun ston leaped from his horse and lay on
 his stomach behind the stone foundation
 of ruined house. That was the hottest
 fire have ever experienced. The insur-
 gent bullets came so thickly that the
 leaves were cut from the bushes around
 us and stones were splintered within two
 or three inches of Funston's head. T don't often crawl" said the Colonel,
 as he spread his blue print map of the
 country on the ground, but this Is ter
 rife. Just hear the whiskers on those
 bullets, My horse cant conceal himself, poor fe1low!''
 Funston carefully studied his war map.
 This d. map is no good" he said
 angrily. Tt is Spanish. This river Is too miles nearer to Manila than its posi- ton on the map
 Then the Colonel thrust his head up
 above the stone foundation and looked carefully at the ground beyond the river
 'If had one cannon would make our
 position safe,'' he said. 'As 1t is we | must cross that river if we have to swim
 Rivers don't count"
 Leaping to his feet the little Colonel
 walked down to the river bank, leading
 his horse by the bridle. As he advanced
 under fire in plain sight of the enemy he seemed to grow cooler. With a wave of
 his hat he ordered Company to enter the water. and as his dripping men as- cended the other bank he rode into the river himself and crossed, while bullets splashed around him in the rapid current And when the bloody charge was over he paid no attention to the corpse-strewn field, but went to give a dying Filipino a drink out of hls canteen. That was daisy 1ght.'' he said quiet ly as he sat down beside me under the | shade of a palm tree.
 | few days later I saw Funston charge into the insurgent capital at the head of | Company E. He waived his hat and | yelled. Give them h., boys!' as he ran | at full speed toward the low stone bar ricade that barred the entrance to the | public square where "Aguinaldo palace 1 was on fire. I was one of three corre- 1 spondents who raced with the Colonel for 1 the honor of being the first man to enter | the enemy's capital
 | But the moment we leaped over the | barricade and found that the enemy had | fled. leaving the city in flames. there was | a sudden transformation in Funston. He was all caution. His orders were given in l a low voice. His eyes searched every
 street and every nook. He was stealthy, l catike. As he pursued the retiring foe I through the city he felt his way slowly 1 and surely.
 1 All this illustrates the soldierly quali- 1 ties of the general whose capture of
 Aguinaldo has astonshed the world. | There will be secret influences at work l against him in the army. He has been too much of a popular hero. too much of 1 an outsider to the regular army free 1 masonry. to easily get the promotion | which his deeds have earned for him. | Even in the days I have written about l the military censor at Manila refused to l let me cable to the Journal some of the | most heroic and successful things which 1 the little Colonel of the Kansans did be- fore my eyes.
 |.