The sun., 1917-02-20
GEN. FUNSTON
+. DIES SUDDENLY
Stricken While Playing
With Child After Dinner
With Friends.
WORN BY BORDER STRAIN
A Born Soldier, He Won Chief
Recognition and His Stars
in Philippines.
WORN BY BORDER STRAIN

Southern Department of the United
States army and one of the leading fig
ures in the country's military history
since his capture of Aguinaldo. died OF
acute indigestion tonight He collapsed
in a hotel soon after dining with friends
and did not regain consciousness before
his death, short time aftcrward.
Gen. Funston was at his office to-day
with no sign Of Ill health. During Dime,
he seemed in his usual good spirits. and
after the meal began to play with
child Of one Of the guests. He fell over
unconscious before any one could reach
MIN. Lieut.. Col. NJ. w. ireland. Medical
Corps. U. 8. A., Gen. Funston's physician.
said tonight:
Gen. Funston's death was caused by
angina sclerosis of the arteries Of the
heart Death was almost immediate and
without pain"
Under Care Several Weeks.
Col ireland said Gen. Funston had
been under his care for the last two
weeks and for several days had been
virtually well. Two weeks ago he had
an attack Of acute indigestion. Gen.
Funston was 81 years old.
placed in command of all United States
forces OH the Mexican border Gen.
Funston had worked unusually hard. AT
critical times in border developments he
frequently remained on duty continuously
for twenty-four hours The Pershing ex
pedition and Of late rearrangement Of
regular troops while providing the return
OF National Guardsmen exacted an enor-
nous amount Of detail work. proba bly,
exceeding that which fell to any other
commanding General of the United States
army since the civil war. Because OF
the amount of work which had fallen to
him Gen. Funston's only recreation or
relaxation for nearly a year had been
occasional dinner parties with friends.
Ate Only sparinGly.
Two weeks ago when Gen. Funston
suffered an attack Of indigestion he
fought it out alone" to use Ihis own
expression. Later he placed himself
under the care of Col. Ireland and re-
gained normal health and spirits. Never
theless at dinner tonight Gen. Funston
was particularly abstemious and ate only
sparingly OF the simplest dishes.
News was sent tonight to Mrs. Funs-
ton. who is visiting in California. No
arrangements for the funeral have been
made.
II am very much shocked and
grieved," said Major-Gen. Leonard
Wood, commander Of the Department OF
, the East. in a statement issued last
night after he had been informed Of the
death Of Major-Gen. Funston. THE
country has lost one of its most eff
cient and valuable officers at time
when he can i'll be spared. He won his
way to the highest rank in our army
through the gallant and efficient per-
formance of duty wherever assigned
The army will mourn his loss very
deeply
severe strain ON Border.
While Funston gained the greater
share Of his brilliant fame as a dar-
ing soldier by his numerous exploits in
the Philippines. his mettle never was
more severely tried than in the months
after Francisco Villa with his band Of
cutthroats made the bloody raid upon
Columbus. N. NJ, last March.
Placed in supreme command Of the
campaign against Villa, with orders to
exterminate or disperse the bandits
forces, he nevertheless was SO hanpered
and restricted by the possibility that his
tACtlSltloS WAT WlIn TIC
de factO Government OF Mexico that he
was able to move only with the utmost
caution and circumspectfon.
Dispatches to the War Department
repeatedly carried the indication that he
was chafing mdghtily under the COM
parative inaction and that he would
have been pleased by nothing else so
well as being permitted to conduct the
campaign in his own decisive fashion
Ia v,Ia
fldence in the good faith Of the Carranza
military authorities and much better
would have liked to dash boldly into the
barren Businesses of the southern repub-
lie after Villa regardless OF the feelings
Of Carranza
A Career Of Adventure.
Funston had been accustomed to get
ting what he went after whether II was
bad men or imperative results, from the
time he graduated into long trousers He
was born in New Carlisle, Ohio. and would
| have been SO years old the 9Th day OF
next November. His career, known to
every reader Of the newspapers. has been
crammed with adventurous episodes.
He was 16 when his father. Foghorn
Funston. moved from Carlisle. Ohio, to
southwestern Kansas. In 1885 young
Fred entered the State University of
Kansas. where he had for a classmate
| William Allen White. There was a ne
gro in the college town who started for
! Funston one day with cleaning razor.
The negro weighed 200 pounds. Funston
barely 100. The negro was 8 feet tall.
Funston feet inches. In fifteen min
utes Funston had tho half crazy black
man in the lookup and hadn't even
mussed his own clothing.
When he left college Funston got Job
as city editor of a paper in Fort Smith.
1t was Democratic. The day before an
election the editor In chief left town and
he was temporarily the boss. Next day
the paper appeared as a red hot Repub-
lican sheet, revilinG all things Demo-
cratic As crowd gathered at the front
door young Funston, retired by the back
and from Journalism. He explained later
that he was weary pf newspaper work.
"tired Of q rotten town. rottener sheet
and its rotten politics. and l thought 1
would wake things up bit before ! left
Just to show them was alive"
Always Looked for Action.
His next Job was as q conductor ON
| the Santa Fe Railroad. A cowpuncher
passenger. fred by whiskey, shot holes
In car ceiling. Funston took his pistol
away and threw him on the train, then