The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-02-20
Every Khaki-CIad Man a
MOurner on Border Today.
Flags at Half Mast as Body Lies
at TT. Sam Houston.
STRENUOUS DUTY KILLED HIM
Tireless Worker Until Life
Thread Snaps Like Shot.
Pershing, Biggest General, to
Succeed Smallest in Stature.

san Antonio. Tex. Feb. 2O.-tlags
half mast and every khaki-clad man
a mourner. the body of the late MAJ
Gen. Fred" Funston was in Fort
Sam Houston today. Tonight the re-
mains of the best two listed fighter
in the world for his inches will be
transferred to San Francisco. There
on Saturday he will be buried with
fuu military honors at the Preside.
Few men were more popular with
officers and men of the ranks than
the short fighting Fred" who died
suddenly last night prodigious
worker army officials said today. his
place will be difficult one to NIL II
was this tirelessness in work and close
application to his duties that caused
the generals death. He had become
greatly weakened by the steady grind
Of The details of the forces under him.
but it was like the fighting kansan to
make no complaint and to STICK out
his work just the same.
Major General Pershing. just back
from Mexico. assumed temporary
charge of the southern department to-
day in place of his late chief
Pershing Probable Successor.
Washington. Feb. 20-Maj. Gen.
N.
the United States army to attain that
rank. is expected here today to be
sriven permanent command of the de-
partment of the south, succeeding
Mai. Gen. Frederick Funston. PERISH
ing automatically passed into tenn
norarv command of the department,
with the death Of the picturesque gen
eral.
Standing slightly over five feet in
height-less than the army REQUIRE
ment-but a Virile soldier and fighting
man. Funston leaves record that will
make his place hard to fill. His life
was a succession of adventure and
Romance, in which he never failed to
play a glowing part.
Wanted To Be Botanist.
Born in Ohio and reared on a Kan
sas farm. Funston hitched his wagon
to star entirely different from the
one which finally brought him fame.
He wanted to be a botanist.
At one time he .journeyed thousands
of miles thru frozen Alaska with the
Death Valley agriculture department
expedition in an exploration of the
territory. In this trip he covered 8,
500 miles from the Mackenzie river
to the Boring sea. His work in this
section was closed with a trip in a
fragile canoe down the Yukon river
with no companion
Leaves Five Major Generals.
His death leaves five major gen.
t-als in the army, besides Hugh l.
Ecott. who is chief. They are General
Wood. commanding the department OF
the east; General Barry, commanding
the department of the middle west
General Bell, commanding the depart
ment of the west; General Pershine
and General Bliss, assistant chief Of
staff.
The fact that three of these off
GERS now command army department.
is believed to preclude the possibility
of one of them becoming commands
of the southern department. Bliss. a,
assistant chief-of-staff, pr b b l b,
would not be relieved. so Pershing i!
believed to be the logical man. Hi!
long experience on the border. it il
admitted. fits him peculiarly for th'
command.
Altho Secretary Baker is expected
to act quickly in view of present Mex
lean and European troubles, there ha
been no hint as to his probable de
cision.