Frank Kavanaugh

The available paperwork says that Francis Joseph (Frank) Kavanaugh was born in Galveston, Texas, on May 25, 1876. This may or may not be accurate as his original birth certificate was lost in a courthouse fire. His father, Albin Kavanaugh of Dublin, Ireland, listed his profession as “railroader.” His mother, Mary (nee Stanley), from Near Hearne, Texas, listed hers as “housewife.”

Frank left home at 15. He lied about his age and enlisted in the US Army in Nocogdoches, Texas. At induction, the Army described Frank as 24 years old, 5 foot 6 inches in height, light complexion, blue eyes, light hair, occupation of machinist, and single.

Frank served in Companies K and B of the 2nd Regiment Texas Infantry Volunteers and saw action in the Philippines in the Spanish American War, which later earned him a war pension of $60 per month. He was honorably discharged on November 9, 1898 after suffering a bout of malaria which left him near death and permanently damaged his vocal cords. This is where the book begins.

Frank’s parents had died. He lost what was left of his family in the great Galveston hurricane of 1900, leaving him essentially an orphan. He had only distant relatives in Ireland.

After his Army service, he became a hobo and soldier of fortune traveling throughout the US and Central America in a "thousand mile shirt." Union telegrapher. Linotype repairman. Railroad manager. Machine gun expert. Grifter running scams. Smuggler. Colonel in the Guatemalan Army. Presidential bodyguard. Opera singer manager. Fugitive. Deputy US Marshal. Accused mutineer. South of the border, he was known as El Diablo—the devil.

After the events described here plus more, Frank married, settled down in Kansas City, got a regular job, and raised a family. It was the exact opposite of his previous life of travel and adventure.

Frank wrote about his experiences for adventure and railroad magazines of the day. He also published and mailed out The Kavanaugh Kronikle, a weekly humor and family news sheet, from 1940 to 1946 that was sent free to hundreds of service members. He was frequently quoted in national publications such as Colliers, Readers Digest, and many others. Major magazines of the day called him the “Kansas Philosopher.”

After all his adventures, Frank died peacefully in his sleep on April 23, 1946 in Kansas City, Kansas.