Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-24
FREDFUNSTON BORN SOLDIER
His knowledge Of Cuban Trails Factor in
War with Spain.
RECORD SHOWS AslurY TO COMMAND
Capture of AEuinaIdO and Successful
Work at san Francisco stamp
Him ne Exceptional MIL
itary Genius.
fFrom q staff CORRESPONDENT

NtrOm stan correspondent
WASHINGTON, Sept es.-(special THE
name of Funston which has been par
ticularly uppermost in the public mind
since the awful disaster at San Francisco,
first became known In 1884 when Edward
H. Funston OF lola, Kan, was elected to
the Forty-eighth congress Funston had a
tremendous voice and was known through
out the county as Fog Horn Funston"
He was the father OF General Fred Fun
ston, who has been selected by the army
department as the officer who will have
charge Of the Cuban service should armed
Intervention follow the failure to bring
about a peace between rival interests In
the Gem of the Antilles in which Secre-
tary Taft and Assistant Secretary Bacon
are now engaged.
Fred Funston is born soldier. His sol
dierly qualities were discovered during the
war with Spain. He turned up at Tampa
fresh from the camp of the insurgents in
Cuba, where he had commanded q light
field battery in the early days Of the
Cuban uprising against Spain. He came
to Tampa and gave the military authori-
ties there first-hand information of the
geography OF Cuba. He showed roads
and trails. springs and streams. and he was
so thoroughly equipped from intimate as
ISOLATION with Cuba that his knowledge
afforded the Americans an opportunity to
strike decisive blows against the Spanard
without getting hurt in return. Later
Funston turned up as colonel of the Twen-
tieth Kansas. He drilled his regiment al
the Preside of California before embark.
ing for the Philippines and out of raw
| recruits he made a splendid regiment OF
regulars.
General Funston's achievements in the
Philippines, his capture OF Agunaldo, his
swimming of the Passage river are well
known TO the newspaper reader and Their
10 crown II all his splendid work at Sar
francisco during the earthquake and FIRE
there stamped him as an exceptional mill.
tary genius. General Funston is undoubt.
edly the right man for service in Cuba
Knowing the Cuban character as he does
| secretary Taft could not have selected q
man better equipped for a diplomatic
situation such as Cuba now presents thar
the son OF Fog Horn Funston" and tn,
pride Of the sunnower state.
Bands Tour IL Broken OF,
Lieutenant William II. Santleman, tn,
leader of the United States Marine band
is broken hearted because he cannot TAX,
that splendid military organization to Eu
rope this year. Arrangements had bee,
made for the absence of the band on {
concert tour of European cities and per
mission had been received from the presi
cent and the secretary OF the navy To-
the band to go abroad when the manage
quit and the tour was declared of. VII
nam ii. Santleman, while not as snowy ,
conductor as John Philip sousa, is tn
superior OF the American king when 4
comes to the knowledge of music. AL
though none OF Mr.. Santleman's compo
sltions have attained the fame of thos
written by Mr.. Sousa, he has nevertheless
written prolifically, among his best know
compositions being Hearts Message" a,
attractive and petite concert number, tw
concert waltzes. the "Debutante" and tn
volunteer" and the marches. "Thoma
Jeferson." Admiral Dewey" Genera
Haywood" and THE National Capitol Cen
tennial," Two excellent specimens OF San
tleman's work as harmonist and arrange
are his own military band ARRANGEMENTS a
Felix Weingartner's version of Weber,
invitation to the Dance and Goldmark'
! sakuntula" overture. Next in rank az
composer is Edward B. LewelIyn, the sol
cornetist of the band: Edward Vanloocl
the clarinetist Arthur TreEina, IAurtt
Larsen and Edwin A. Baker, who is know
as the Cowboy clarinetist of the ham
He is the author OF a popular patrol ar
Titled "As They Marched Past" ana
concert waltz. Sylvan Whispers"