The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-09-13


Known on the Rio Grande, Gen.
Frederick Funston has command
- of an army of something like
| q, 900 men, and his job Is to keep order
on the Mexican border. 1t is even posi-
BILE that he will join In disorder for the
| sake of order. He's level-headed man,
| as has been proven on many historic occa-
| sions, and the people at Washington
aren't afraid to delegate to him lot Of
| authority for use in case of emergency.
The public has heard of him many times
before-he captured Aguinaldo. and per-
| formed many other notable exploits In the
days of the Filipino insurrection. Then
there was the San Francisco fire and
earthquake. And lately. Vera Cruz. OF
course this is skipping a great deal of
interesting biography.
| Funston has been a fighter all his life,
and odds we're never great enough, to dis
may him. His first charge against an en-
| envy overwhelming in numbers occurred
| in 1884, before he rounded out his eight
zenith year. His father had been pomi-
| mated by the republicans of southeastern
Kansas as candidate for representative
| in Congress. His opponent was an able
campeigner named Riggs. who had, by
| his vigorous canvass of the district.
thrown the adherents of the Farmer"
as he nicknamed Funston, into consrer-
nation. One night in February a rouslng
Riggs meeting was held in the opera
house in Fort Scott Enthusiasm had
been aroused to wild pitch by the last
speaker, and the crowd was making
ready to depart. when a smooth-faced boy,
a little chap Of not more than Ave feet
three inches. clambered upon the stase
and shouted, "Sit down.
| Every one turned to see what it was
all about, and amazement was expressed
in every face when the boy, without a
trace of embarrassment in his attitude or
voice. said: II am Frederick Funston. sen
of the Farmer I want you to listen
| to me-"
Young Funston looked into the faces Of
those men and knew that nine out of
10 were opposed to his father. without
finching. he began with a short story Of
his fathers life on the farm near lola
He was witty, and as his anecdote turned
upon joke at his fathers expense, he
soon had his hearers in excellent humor.
In another moment Funston was we'll
launched into a political speech. discuss
! ing the Issues of the campaign with al
| the knowledge of veteran. The crowd
| listened to him for 80 minutes, and VIXEN
he ceased speaking the occasion had been
turned into a republican love feast.
From that moment the democrats were
beaten, e. H. Funston being elected by
the largest majority the district had ever
given.
| But before that, Of couree, Frederick
Funston was born--in Ohio, in 1865. He
was raised" on the farm In Kansas 10
which the family moved when the boy
was 4 years old For two years he at
tended Kansas university, but was not
fond enough of his studies to stay any
longer. Be it said that he left entirely
Of his own volition. After some sxpsr-
fence at reporting he secured a Job az
city editor of a paper In Fort Smith. Ark.
| One day the editor-in-chief went away
and left Funston In charge. Funs'on
opened UP on crooked politics in an edi-
torial that brought mob down on the
Tribune office. He organized the stan
tor defense and once again showed his
capacity as fighter
Tho agricultural department at Wash
inston wanted somebody to collect botani-
cal specimens In Alaska A friend got
him the job. He said at the time that
Ihe didn't know the difference between
a violet and sunnower, but he went &c
work to learn practical botany and quail
lined with honors. 1t was in 1897 he went
to Alaska
He went over Chilkoot pass In = late
blizzard, struck for tho interior. reached
the spot where Dawson City now 10. aasl
sta ted down the Yukon alone in q canoe
which he had built. The canoe We,
caught in rapids split on a rock. and that
would have been the end Of Fred FRI
Eton but for missionary who CHANGED
to be going along with some Indians ant
! saved him. That winter he spent wisf
| the Indians, hunting and exploring, and
when he returned 1t was with a store Of
highly comprehensive and valuable bot
, anical material. His one criticism Of
Alaska was that 1t was a magnificent
|, county, but pretty lonely.
His next venture was in Cuba wh.'s
he went filibustering. Gomez gave hin
q commission. and he became second II
!, command of artillery under Osgood. the
famous Cornell football halfback. HI
made a record for bravery at Guimaro
lin october, 1896. where his chief was killed
| ana he took command. At the head o
his artillerymen and with a dynamite
! bomb in his hand he charged the Span
/ ish works, in the assault which terini
} mated in their surrender At Bayamo h
> became a cavalry officer temporarily. be
l..,~. tharA van more for cavalry thai
for artillery to do there, and was sho
three times, - but such was his endur
ance and physique that he was ready TO
more fighting in a short time. At La
q runas he managed the Cuban dynamite
guns which wrought such havoc amen.
the Spanish troops, and was agaiz
wounded. At the same time his .hors
was shot and fell upon him. badly in1urinI
his hips Wounded ~ he was. be hob
blSd TO hsadquarters on learning that .