The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-07
SECUTED WITH Mr.. DAVIS.
The Bonney Twins Were With Him at
Fort Gibson, ARK.
Eron a Basfon ~.

From the Boston Globe.
MANCHESTER, n. H., Feb. 25.-To-mor-
row Horace and Hannibal Bonney, twin
brothers, celebrate their 18th birthday by
keeping open house at the well-known
Bonney's Inn at Hooksett. They VIII be
assisted in the ceremonies by large dele
cation OF AmOskeag veterans, who will go
up from this city. The brothers are ma
tlVes OF winthrop, Me-, and in that vicinity
passed the first seventeen years of their
lives. Then they decided to strike out and
see the world for themselves, and, proceed
| ing TO Boston, both enlisted In the First
Regiment United States Dragons. The
company, when recruited, marched directly
to Jefferson barracks, Mo-, which was then
an outpost on the extreme frontier.
The two brothers passed the winter of
50 and "a at that point, and were then or
dered with their troops TO Fort Gibson
Ark. They were welcomed by body Of
fully 800 Indian warriors in the full glory
OF their native costumes. AT their head
rode man over feet in height, dressed oil
| In buckskin, and when Horace Bonney in
qulred who this white warrior was with all
these red men, he was informed that 1t was
! the redoubtable Capt. Sam Houston.
Shortly afterward they were Joined by
Lieut. jefferson Davis, who had just got his
s1oulder-straps from West Point, and
whose personal appearance foreshadOwed
little of the historic career there was before
him. The two brothers frequently secuted
over the plains in the young officers COM
pany, and often had cause to admire his
bravery aud discretion. The first i'm
portant campaign that the dragons
entered upon was that against the Co.
manches, who had just made a raid on
| planters in that section, carrying off blacks
and whites alike. The COmanches were
driven off with loss, their prisoners re-
,l.x,, 6
to their homes.
In scouting and foraging the Borneys
passed the rest of their time during their
stay at Fort Gibson. Game was about them
| in all its primitive abundance, Horace Bon
ney stating that he had seen !, 900 acres of
buffalo in a herd at time, and that the
| soldiers were never without the tenderest of
fried meat, as only young buffalo were
killed, and the juciest of stakes were Sc
lected from them.
In the fall of 1886, their three years
| having expired the brothers received an
| honorable discharge. They were far from
being free to go where they pleased, as their
| headquarters was SO greatly removed from
the center Of civilization that its only COM
munlcation with the outside world was
once or twice year. when the government
| steamer brought supplies to the fort
| Nothing daunted, they bought ponies, and
on their backs rode 500 miles to Bonneville,
No, where they disposed of their mus
tangs and took the river steamer for New
Orleans.
On reaching the Crescent City they saw
the proclamations posted and signed with
| Houston'S name, inviting all able-bodied
| men who could bring a rifle to enlist in the
| Texan war, and promising them for their
| service unlimited quantities of land of the
new III Dorado They were at once struck
| with the proposition and beholding a com
| many of armed man inst diSar1 harlyiDor from,
a river vessel who had enlisted in the Texan
| army for the war; they at once Joined
them. The trip to Texas in a coastiug yes
sci was stormy, and on one occasion the
captain freely predicted that the bark would
go to the bottom. But it didn't.
Again a privateer flying the Mexican
| flag, overhauled them and fired a shot
across their bows. Death of the most lgno-
minious character was expected, as the
| ship was loaded down with arms and sup
plies for the Texas rebels, but what was the
astonishment and delight of the men, when
a few moments after the officers of the
vessel had gone aboard their captor, to see
the latter run up flag of the new Texan
republic
1t appeared that the vessel had left its
| harbor in Mexican control, but that it had
been captured by Texans, and that for the
purpose of safety they had kept the Mex
lean banner aloft until they had run their
they found the battle of Alamo had been
| fought. The next June they were granted
an unlimited furlough but were not dis
charged.
They heard about this time that there
was chance for fighting in Florida, where
United States troops were putting down the
Seminole rebellion, and so they enlisted in
that war for six months campaign They
got their discharge from Houston i'll 1888,
and that from the government about the
| same time, but they had not had fighting
enough yet, SO they went back to New
York and enlisted in the dragons for five
years more.
They were first put on recruiting service,
and then Horace was sent to Fort Leaveu-
worth and Hannibal to Fort Gibson, the
first time in their lives they had been sepa-
rated for any length of time.
When in 1916 their enlistment expired
the two brothers concluded that they had
enough of army life and they returned to
New York and opened a hotel at Saltwater.
Later they went into the book canvassing
business, in which they made money, but,
firing of tramping about, Horace bought
the American house in this city, where the
Windsor now stands, and kept it for three
years. In 1854 he removed to Hooksett,
where Bonney's famous inn has been q
landmark not only for the townsDeople, but
in all Southern New Hampshire ever since
His brother Hannibal also came to New
Hanshire and embarked in hotel business
securing a stand at Penacook, known as the
Penacook house, in which hotel has been
conducted continuously for more than ono
hundred years. the house being thrown
open to the public in this capacity in 1887
While in this city Horace served in the
city councils in 1890 Both brothers
have belonged to the Amoskeag Veterans
for many years, Horace for thirty-two and
Hannibal for fifteen. They have resigned
from active service now, but no forms are
more welcomed in the ranks of the center
company to-day than the gray-haired and
boyish-Spirited 75-year-old twins.
Looked for the Devil and Found Coon.
From the st. Louis Republic.
TEXARKANA, ARK, Feb. PA colored
family living in Swampoodle have been