Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-09-02

REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF MEMORY
IN HoRsE. About fortnight
ago, says the Bristol, (England) Times,
Mr.. King, carrying on the business Of
a baker at Sibland, near Thornbury,
went, IN the morning of the day, to
field in which his horse had been graz
ing, for the purpose Of getting it home,
aud, as he had been in the habit OF
doing, opened the gate and allowed
the animal to proceed home by itself,
but on his return shortly after, he found
it had passed Gravcsend, which is near
to Sibland, and appeared to be proceed
ing towards Lexington. MIR. King
being nccessitatcd to attend to his
business, dispatched man to trace,
and If possible, ovcrtakc the horse
The man succeeded in tracing it for
some distance, and was informed it WAS
proceeding at a gallop. Mr.. King, for
upwards Of a week, used every means,
by advertising in the Hue and Cry
and otherwise, to recover his missing
horse, but without avail. a few DAYS
since he received letter from a gen
tlcman residing at st. George, near
Bristol, giving him the welcome news
that the animal was safe. This gentle
man owned the horse for some time,
and parted with it four years SINCE
From inquiries made, it appears that
the horse proceeded the most direct
road across the country, and with its
best speed arriAed at its old quarters,
which it had not visited for four years,
in the afternoon Of the day it straycd
from Mr.. King.
Instances of like sagacity in the
horse arc not uncommon. A friend
of ours hired horse in Jacksonville,
ILL.,, to 90 to the Southern part of the
county, a neighborhood where the
horse had never been before. While
there, he escaped from the stable, leap
cd the fence and disappeared. 1t wa,
supposed he had returned to Jackson
vile where he had been stabbed, and
used for three years. On inquiry, nc
trace was found of him in that direc.
ton. A rumor was brought by trav
clcr who knew the horse, that he had
been seen making his way toward the
Southern part OF the State-Ec some
times kept the public road leading
toward Nandalia, and sometimes tool
to the trackless prairie, but Away.
bent Southwark. At one place ht
was headed off in lane mile long
between two farms. He turned short
g..lloped north to the end of the farm
shot down to the open prairie, huggins
the fence all the way, and then held OF
his way sonth again. He was bounC
for home-the place of his colt hood
where he had not been for severa
years, and guided by his instinct h,
. trsversed the State, going q route un
known to him, but unerringly reachin.
,, his old range. He was recovered there
. sometime after his escape, when it wa
ascertained that he had taken almost
: Decline from his strange quarters il
Morgan county, to the home wher
he was foaled in the Southern part G
the State.
\ gentleman from Tennessee relates
{ to us story Of horse of his own, il
Illustrative Of this remarkable instinc
l. in this noble animal. He purchase
horse in q portion Of the State sepa
rated from his own region, BY noun
tains and rivers, and took him hom
i, by route extending nearly an hume
red and fifty miles. He placed him i
pasture lot for the night, but in til
:, morning the horse was gone. In fe'
days it was asccrtaiDed that he had r
!. turned that very night to his old hom
: reaching there by day light. He ha
!, taken straight course across tn
country, swimming rivers and crossin
the mountain. On his arrival he shove
signs Of great fatigue, having travelle
distance Of sixty or seventy mile
) during the night, following unerringl
the point Of the compass to which /
desired to 60. Ills memory would
: course have served him in rctracin
.. the route by which he had come. b.
" guided BY the same instinct which Co
!. ducts the bee after long wanderin
and laden with his sweet burden, in
At line mathematically straight from Il
6 last flower he ravishes to his cell, III
!, horse, in the darkness Of the nigh
b over unknown psths, returned by q
shortest course to his home. No. Re