The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-02-20
FIGHTING FRED"
FUNSTON DIES Of
HEART TROUBLE
Hero of PHILIPPINES and CON-
mander of Border Army
Stricken Monday
SUFFERED ATTACK OF
ACUTE INDIGESTION
Friends Thought He Was Well
and His Death Came as
Shock to Army Circles
Associated PreSsl


San Antonio, Feb 20.-General
Frederick Funston died here Monday
evening, following an attack of heart
trouble. .D.. -dy
Two weeks ago General Funston
had suffered an acute attack OF indi.
gestion, but according to his physl-
clan, had fully recovered. and was
apparently in the best of health yes.
terday. The heart affection, which
caused death, had first appeared in
1910, but had not been considered
alarming.
The body of General Funston will
be taken to San Francisco tonight for
burial. following short services at Ft.
Sam Houston this afternoon.
Mrs. Funston is at her home in San
Francisco, and requested the body to
be sent there for burial.
Heart Trouble Causes Death.
Pending arrival of Major General
J. J. Pershing from Ell Paso, and de-
tailed advices from Mrs. Funston,
who, with her three children is in San
Francisco, funeral arrangements will
not be completed for the late Major
General Frederick Funston, whose
sudden death occurred here last night
after an attack OF angina sclerosis.
At haIf.mast.
Flags are at half-mast and every
khaki clad man is in mourning here
today. The body of General Frederick
Funston lies at FIT. Sam Houston. To
night the body of ,thc greatast Two,
fisted fighter in the United States
army will be taken to San Francisco,
where it will be buried with full mil
itary honors at the Preside. There
are few men more popular with the
officers and mon Of the rank than
"Fighting Fred" .1 w 49, ''''', ~,
Practically the last official act OF
General Frederick Funston was the
designation of the date for the de-
Darture of the militia contingent I'M
der a recent order from the war de-.
partment, which will send 10000
guardsmen, now on the border to
their home stations.
Not until 1896, when the Cuban in
surrection was at it's height did Fred
erick Funston become known through
out the United States as first.class
fighting man, but his friends in Kan
sas-where he spent his early man.
hood-lOng had so classified him.
AS a student at the University OF
Kansas, when he weighed less than
100 pounds, he conquered 2OO-pound
bad man" who threatened him with
a razor. To add to the giants humil-
iation, Funston marched him through
the streets of Lawrence, Kansas, at
the point of revolver, to a police
station. ,-s .rrr, st..
Newspaper Man. sags
A few years later, while city editor
of paper in Fort Smith, Arkansas,
young Funston stirred up intense feel
ing by attacking editorially the pub.
lication's own political party leaders
during the absence of his editor-in-
chief Many threats are said to have
been made against Funston and the
newspaper property, but he remained
on guard until his superior returned
and then turned over the plant un-
harmed. Incidentally, Funston also
resigned.
Along the Santa Fe railroad they
papers still recall how Funston as
passenger train conductor, threw a
drunken cowboy off the train and
later, when he hurled rock through
a coach window. pursued him several
miles on foot while the train waited.
Funston's first experience on the
firing line came in Cuba, where ne
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