Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-05-01
GEN. FRED FUNSTON
Man Who Rose from the Ranks in
Command at Vera Cruz.


years our sensational friend, Gen.
Funston, is in the limelight again, and
will stay there unless Huerta accepts
President Wilson's terms and duly
apologies for his general devilment.
Gen. Funston, you remember, is the
man who put an end to Aguinaldo, the
Filipino leader. His history makes
good reading, at least while there Is
rumor Of war In the air. The follow
ing Is his record:
Fighting Fred Funston Is the senior
brigadier- general of the American
army, although he Is now only forty
nine years old and did not enter the
regular army until 1901. He came into
the regular establishment with the
rank he now holds, his commission
having been given by President Nc
Kinley in appreciation Of his remark
able feat in capturing, almost single
handed, Emilio Aguinaldo. the Filipino
insurrecto leader.
Funston had been in the volunteer
service from the outbreak OF the
Spanish American war, when he re-
cruited the Twentieth Kansas among
the same kind of men forming the
backbone of the Rough Riders. Before
he engaged in the enterprise he had
been for about two years soldier in
the Cuban army Of liberation, and so
big a factor was he in the warfare that
Butcher" Weyler, the Spanish gener-
alissimo, set price upon his head.
Funston is a product Of the Univer-
sity of Kansas. After his student days
he became a newspaper man, then en-
tered the service Of the United States
department Of agriculture and was
sent to Alaska to study the flora. He
showed the stuff of which he Is made
by floating down the Yukon alone in
a canoe in '93.
He was wounded ten times in bat
tie. During his Cuban experience he
took part in twenty-five engagements
and he kept that pace after entering
the American volunteers. Once he
was arrested in Cuba by spaniards as
he was trying to reach the sea coast.
He represented himself as a deserter
from the patriot army, having swal-
lowed his passport, which Indicated
his rank. He was condemned to death,
but eventually was liberated and got
back to this country.
His Kansas regiment was assigned
to Philippine duty and or his way he
met and married his present wife, in
San Francisco. He Joined Gen. Mer-
rift before Manila. which he aided in
reducing. Leading the pursuit OF
Aguinaldo in April 1899, he came to the
Murilac river on the other side Of
which was a considerable force Of the
enemy. The bridge had been destroy
ed, but Funston, with twenty Of the
many men who volunteered, swan the
river. drove the hostiles back and took
eighty prisoners.
A few days later he crossed the Rio
Grande at Calumpit on a raft and
drove the enemy, $500 strong, from an
intrenched position. This feat won his
brigadiership Of volunteers.
It was in 1901 that he made his big
mark. From his hiding place in the
Province of Isabella, Aguinaldo had
called the insurgents to rendevouZ
near his headquarters. Funston cap
tured the messenger who carried this
command. He and several comrades
made their way through the thick of
a hostile country with eighty Cacabe-
bes, who passed as insurgent Tagalogs
who had captured the Americans.
Word was sent to Aguinaldo and or
ders were given for the prisoners to be
brought to him.
Before the strategy was suspected
Funston had entered the rebels house
and taken him prisoner That act
broke the neck of the insurrection and
peace negotiations were at once begun.
Funston Is a little man, with limp,
a memento Of several wounds. He
possesses a bubbling sense OF humor.
He Ia now commanding the Second di-
vision Of the army, with headquar-
ters at Texas City, Tex, in the heart
of the country that will be affected II
the constitutIonalists take mp Huerta's
fight.