Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-17
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

yesterday, IS a tall young man walked into
the Ebbitt lobby and made some inquiry at
the desk. Such a remark naturally made
him an object of interest There was moth
ing OF the dashingly picturesque about the
officer. His eyes were as blue and bright
as June sky, his cheeks were as rosy as
| those of girl. and blonde mustache fell
carelessly over a mouth half opened in a
charming smile.
He is Capt Matthias Day Of the ninth
cavalry" continued the older officer, "and
is here on leave. He has served by the
way, west of the Missouri river for seven
teen years and has seen continued hard
service. Days gallantry is dazzling. He
was the first officer to receive the medal
of honor for conspicuous bravery since the
close of the war, and there was really a
good deal of difficulty in getting for him
the medal he SO ma significantly earned. Since
then, however, the decorations have been
scattered with a more than liberal hand.
DO L know the circumstances of Day
medal winning? / am not likely ever to
forget them, nor will any other man who
has ever served with him. 1t was on the
18th day Of September, 1879. when down in
Las Animas canon, n. NJ, there were de
tachments of troops A and B. ninth cavalry,
ana ten Navajo scouts, the little body
commanded by Lieut.. Harry Wright, who,
by the way, Is Washington man. The
trail was hot, the pace was rapid; and just IS
the scouts who were in the advance started
to move out of the canon, they ran upon
anywhere from one hundred and seventy
five to two hundred Indians who were be-
mind breastworks in a pocket that afforded
admirable opportunities for defense. The
first volley from the Indians killed three
scouts and wounded five; the next volley
wounded two soldiers and a number of
horses. Then the shooting became general
and the nineteen men in Lieut.. Wright's
command had ali they could do to keep
up their end of the struggle. One of the
wounded soldiers was named Crump, and in
10 ha .pk ord t1roh ID,
extremely hot Indian fire, he was left be-
hind. That was about o'clock in the morn
ing, and for the two hours following the In
dams made things more than interesting,
succeeding finally in closing around the rear
of the little handful who represented Amer
lean civilization Things looked mighty dis
couraging at that time, when suddenly the
sound of trumpets was heard in the canon
and battalion of ninth cavalrymen, COM
manded by Capt. oyer, charged and was
driven back. Then an assault by the In
dams cut the little detachment. that had
been fighting for more than two hours. in
two pieces, and thus minimized their chances
for getting away. Up to this time every
body thought Crump was dead but he called
out, and was told to lie behind a horse near
him, in the saddle pockets Of whose saddle
he would find two canteens; and as the day
was blisteringly hot, water was an absolute
necessity. The struggle continued right
along, but after o'clock no sound was
heard from Crump, and il was concluded
that he dead Just before dusk neither
side having gained advantage it was de-
cided to retreat down the canon, and Wright
ordered Day, who was his junior, to retreat
with them. That was a difficult operation
but Day elected to do something much more
difficult. He disobeyed the order to retreat
succeeded in crawling to where Crump lay
took him on his back and moved toward
the battalion, then more than a quarter of a
mile away, on his hands and knees If
remember rightly, Days carbine, which was
on swivel, hit Crump somewhere in the
neighborhood of his wound. the weapon hav-
ing been caught by scrap of brush. The
pain was intense that Crump screamed
and that called the attention of the Indians
to that which had been concealed from them
previously-the escape of Day from the
angle in which they supposed they had him
imprisoned. There was no time to think
Day picked the wounded negro UP in his
arms and. amid such hail of bullets as
greatest possible speed. For go yards
he was exposed to a terrific fire and
then he dropped, still carrying the wounded
man some seven or eight feet. into compar-
alive shelter. But he was not yet out of
danger. For another hundred yards 4 large
percentage of bullets that were being sent
after him were dangerously close, and they
were getting closer, when he met two enlist
ed men of company A, who had left Wright's
retreating detachment and had turned back
to assist Day in rescuing Crump. Between
them they carried the desperately injured
man for a little distance, and then they
came across their horse, with but three
sound legs, the other having been broken
by a bullet The wounded man was then
put on horse, and one of the men, whose
name, l think, was Adams, jumped up be-
hind him. saying that Crump had been hit
once and probably couldn't stand another
injury. Then the lame animal was forced
into gallop, and after the little party had
been under fire for three four minutes
longer. they succeeded in reaching the bat
talon and shelter. A more plucky deed
than that done by Day in the Las Animas
canon is not to be found in the history Of
any army"
A tall, loose jo.nted, grizzly haired man
lounged into the lobby of the Metropolitan
last night and willingly talked horse with
the corridor man. He was Clint Shop
herd, the well-known trainer, and he was
on his way to Memphis to attend the COM
ing meeting there.
Il heard the other day that the Keenes
had been offered a hundred thousand dol
lars for Domino and had given the fellow
who did it the laugh" he remarked. Il
don't blame 'em a bit, II III colt keeps up
the promises he made as a two-year-old.
If he is the equal of Morello, and l think
he is. hundred thousand amt big money
for him. Domino has, 1 reckon, stage en-
gagementS this season that will loot up
s150,000 and If he has the speed that Mo
relic had he ought to win two-thirds of
that money anyhow. Somebody may say
that G. w. Johnson had Si30.0OO worth of
engagements last year and didn't win any,
thing, but that proves nothing. Look at
Tournament and Tammany. They won
over a hundred thousand each last year.
/ tell you. a great three-year-old Is fine
piece of property, and If Domino is the
king of 'em, as he is pretty apt to be, hell
win his oats money and big fat wad be-
sides.
Il do not attribute the recent rerlarka-
bic changes in municipal elections in the
north to dissatisfaction with the demo-
cratic party as much as l do 10 the in
creased public favor with which civil serv-
ice principles are being received said
Dawson Price of Buffalo at the Arlington
this morning. There is growing de-
mand everywhere for more economy IN the
conduct of public affairs The peorlc are
beginning to realize the fact that county
and municipal governments are primarily
business aSenc ies for the transaction of
the public business of the community and
not in any large sense governments eldow-
ed with political power. As county and
municipal organizations have no substan-
tial executive or legislative capacity. no
reason exists why considerations of party
politics should enter into the selection of
the officers of such organizations any more
than in the selection of employees for any
private business. The agitation in this di-
rection is now going on in may places, and
ii may result in conceived action in the
near future in many states to endsavor 10
withdraw all county and municipal offices
from partisan politics and TO make the
sole test for such cfficeS honesty and ca