The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-01-28
Billy Wilson's Goat.

Il never see a goat, remarked Col.
Fred Martin, of the Brooklyn elevated,
the other day, "but | am reminded of a
beautiful animal once owned by Billy
Wilson, of Billy Wilson's zouaves. /
can't truthfully assert that Billy owned
the goat; he didn't; it belonged to the
regiment; but as Billy owned the regi-
ment it's pretty much the same thing.
The goat was a JOY forever. and his
peculiar talents were largely enhanced
by the disinterested efforts of his numer-
Gus friends in Billy Wilson's command.
Il made his acquaintance while cam
paigning along the northern gulf shore
Billys crowd was penned up as garrison
in Fort Pickens, and the rebs held all
the Florida coast so that the butternLt
gunners at Fort Barrancas used to
amuse themselves Pumping shells into
the sand-heap on which Pickens stood.
Santa Rosa islands is its name-a real
pretty name for a horrible locality.
About the only thing those shells accom-
plished besides keeping the hands of the
gunners in was to spoil the parade
ground. Every time one exploded it
would blow out hole big enough to
hide four cows in, and this just worried
Gen. Israel Vogdez, who was command
ant there, until he couldn't stand it any
longer, and he set Billy's men TO work
with shovels filling up the holes, and as
there was fresh crop every day Billy's
men got pretty tired. They weren't
fond of work, anyway. You see, about
five hundred of them had died or been
killed off before they struck Pickens,
but those left were game chickens, and
didn't take kindly to shoveling.
''lt was hot on Santa Rosa-iust the
place for Billy's men to get acelimated
in. Vogdez was the best-read man in
the army and he didn't take kindly to
the boys social ways, and he took
pains, with the assistance of the rebel
gunners. to keep down their exuberant
spirits. One day, when gang of 'em
were toying with a sand pit and filling
it at the rate OF one shovelful in two
hours, the general rushes out from his
casemate, hauls the lazy detachment up
in line, and goes for them baldheaded.
He wasn't more'n five feet tall. Israel
wasn't, but as he was most as thick and
as wide, he made up for it. Standing
on the edge of the crater in a costume
that was mostly trousers, he lectured,
STOPPING lower with every point laid
down.
''As it was, he made a lovely target,
and that cussed goat. who was loafing
in the parade, got on to the range, and
all OF sudden, after many skips, Jerks,
and prances, he let himself off and hit
the general like a 15-inch round shot,
piling him head first into the hole.
at was an awful moment for Biily's
men. There's a time to laugh, the
scripture says, and Billy's men thought
the opportunity, and they feared for the
goat, whom they loved. Vogdez was
awful mad. He made Billy promise to
have the goat massacred, and Billy gave
the order, but it was never executed.
'1t wasn't long after that when the
enemy were swept from the Florida
shore. Then BilIy's men and the goat
went to Pensacola, where they had a
royal time on the fat OF the land and
whisky until Butler sent Neal Dow to
watch over 'em. He stopped the fun
and the grog and set them to hunting
pianos for government purposes. Let
ters used to pour into headquarters at
New Orleans, and the tears more'n
dripped from them, all from the gallant
zouaves praying to be sent to perdition
or anywhere away from Dow
by and by they did escape and came
marching home again. was in New
York when they tramped up Broadway,
and there, at the head of the column,
pranced Billy Wilson's goat, for all the
world like spring beer sign, cavorting
and winking at the crowd, not a whit
the worse for having butted his COM
manding officer into a sand-pit. ~
7. Sun.