Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-01-25
BILLY WILSON'S GOAT.
A REMARKABLE ouADRUPeO THAT
LACKED RESPECT FOR RANK.
A Regimental Goat Whose Peculiar Tai
ents Were Frequently Somewhat En-
HANGED by the Disinterested Ef-
forts Of HIS Numerous Friends.

u never see a goat" remarked Col
Fred Martin, Of the Brooklyn elevated,
the other day, "hut | am reminded Of .
beautiful animal once owned by Billy
Wilson Of Billy Wilson'S zouaves. Icant
truthfuily assert that Billy owned the
goat; he didn't; 1t belonged TO the regi
ment. but AS Billy owned the regiment it's
pretty much the same thing. The goat
was joy forever, and his peculiar talents
were largely enhanced by the disinter-
ested efforts Of his numerous friends In
Billy Wilson's command.
ON SANTA ROSA ISLAND.
Il made his acquaintance while cam
paigning along the northern gulf shore.
Billy's crowd were penned up as garrison
in Fort Pickens, and the rebs held all the
Florida coast. so that the butternut
gunners at Fort Barrancas used to amuse
themselves Pumping shells into the sand
heap on which Pickens stood. Santa
Rosa islands its name, a real pretty name
for horrible locality. About the only
thing those shells accomplished besides
keeping the hands of the gunners in was
to spoil the parade ground. Every time
one exploded il would blow out hole
big enough TO hide four cows in, and this
just worried Gen. Israel Vogdez. who was
commandant 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 any way. You see about
500 of them had died or been killed of be-
fore they struck Pickens, but those left
were game chickens, and didn't take
kindly to shovelling.
at was hot on Santa Rosa-just the place
for Billy's men to get acclimated in.
Vogdez was the hest read man in the
army, and he didn't take kindly to the
boys social ways, and he took pains with
the able assistance Of the rebel gunners, to
keep down their exuberant spirits. One
day when a gang of 'em were toying with
a sand pit. and filling 1t at the rate Of
about one shovelful in two hours the
general rushes out from his easement,
hauls the lazy detachment mp in line, and
goes for them baldheaded. He wasn't
more'p 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.
MADE A LOVELY TARGET.
SAs 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 q
sudden, after many skips, jerks, and
prances, he let himself of. and hit the
general like 15-inch round shot, pilinR
him head first into the hole.
1T was an awful moment for Billy's
men, There's time to laugh, the Script
ure says, and Billy's men thought it was
there, but they didn't dare grasp the op,
portunity, and they feared for the goat,
whom they loved. VOgdez was awfu,
mad. He made Billy promise to have the
goat massacred, and Billy gave the order,
but il was never executed.
at wasn't long after that when the
enemy was swept from the Florida shore
Then Billy men and the goat went t.
Pensacola, where they had royal time OIL
the fat of the land and whisky until But
ler sent Neal Dow to watch over em. He
stopped the fun and the grog and set them
to hunting pianos for government pur,
poses Letters used to pour into head
quarters at New Orleans, and the tear
more'n dripped from them. all from the
gallant zouaves praying TO be sent to per
iition or anywhere away from Dow.
"By and by they did escape and came
marching home again. l 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 a spring beer sign, csvorting
and winking at the crowd, not whit the
worse for having butted his commanding
officer into sand pit. New York Sun.