Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-04-25
HORSES IN HISTORY.
SOME OF THE NOBLE STEEDS THAT
H.. HAVE ACHIEVED FAME.
She -Four Footed Friend For Whom Q
City Was Named-Roman Horses That
Lived Like Princes-Chargers Who Won
Renown Amid the Carnage Of War.

Lived Like Princes-Chargers Who Won
Renown Amid the Carnage OF War.
I 1t Is hard to say with any near up
proach to accuracy how long the horse
has been dolnesticated animal. We
can only say that he has been SO from
time immemorial-that is, from the
| earliest times of which we have any
records. The Assyrian sculptures-and
| they are about the most ancient Of which
we know anything, for some of them
are estimated to date from 1900 B. c.
contain more representations of capari-
| soned horses than even men. Still, we
Go not get any examples of favorite
horses until long time after this.
Even the first examples. indeed, are
only legendary, for, though there is no
doubt that Hector of Troy existed, it is
not improbable that Homer invented
the names of his three favorite horses,
Poderse, the cream colored Galathe and
the fiery Ethon. But the horse of Alex
ander the Great, Bucephalus, is an indi-
vidual as historically real as his master.
This famous horse was, says Plutarch,
offered to Philip for Is talents (about
e2,5lS), but he displayed so much vi
ciousness that Alexander's father was
about to send him away when the
young prince offered to tame him. He
agreed, i'll the event Of failure, to for
felt the price of the horse and began by
turning his head to the sun, as he OBJ
| served that the horse was frightened at
his own shadow. In the end he COM
p!etely tanned him-so completely, in
deed, that Bucephalus, though he would
permit nobody except Alexander to
mount him, always knelt down for that
purpose to his master. He died at the
age of 30, and his master built as his
mausoleum the city of Bucephala.
Readers Of Macaulay will remember
the famous black Auster, the horse Of
Merminius, and the dark gray charger
Of Mamilius, whose sudden appearance
in the city of Tusculum without his
| master brought the news of the defeat
OF the allies at Lake Regillus. Connect
ed with that battle, too, were the horses
OF the great twin brethren, Castor
| and Pollux, coal black, with white legs
| and tails. But those are legendary. Not
so, however, the well known horse Of
Caligula, Incitatus. This animal had q
stable CT marble; his stall was Of ivory,
his clothing OF purple and his halters
stiff with gems. He had set Of golden
plates and was presented with palace,
furniture and slaves complete, in order
| that guests invited in his name should
be properly entertained. His diet was
| tie most costly that could be imagined,
the finest grapes that Asia could provide
being reserved for him. Verus, another
Roman emperor about a century later,
| treated his horse almost as extravaganza
| II. He fed him with raisins and almonds
| with his own hands, and when ne died
erected statue of gold to him, while
all the dignitarics Of the empire attend
| ed the funeral.
AS we come to later times, SO we get
more examples of favorite horses. Will
liam the Conqueror had one which he
rode at the battle of Hastings, about
which almost everything seems to be
known except his name. He was of
huge size and was present from King
| Alfonso of Spain-'such gift as a
prince might give and prince receive. "
This gallant horse, however, did not
survive the hottie. for Gvrtb, Harold's
butcher, ''cloye him with bill, and he
died. Richard rs horse was called
Maleck, and was jet black. He bore his
master through the holy war and ar
rived in England before him. In fact,
he survived the king several years. The
second Richard, too, had a favorite
horse, called Roam Barbary, which was
supposed to be the finest horse in Europe
at that time, and it was on Roam Bar
barry that the young king was mounted
when the incident wherein Wat Tyler
was stabbed by the mayor Of Walworth
took place.
About a century later we get the
Wars of the Roses, and in the many
battles Of that civil disturbance o cou-
pie OF horses played important parts.
These belonged to the great Earl OF
Warwick, the kingmaker. His first
was Maleck, beautiful gray, which
he rode at the battle of Towton. 1t was
this horse whose death turned the for
tunes Of the battle. for Warwick, seeing
that his men were giving ground, de-
liberately sprang from his favorite horse
and killed him. Then his men knew
that the kingmaker was prepared to
conquer, but not to fly. They rallied
and finally won the battle.
There were two horses belonging to
highwaymen which were famous in
their time. One of them belonged to
the celebrated knight of the road, Paul
Clifford He was called Robin and was
Irish. In color iron gray, he was re.
puted by judges of horseflesh - and
there were some who were quite as com.
petent to gre an opinion, if not more
so, rs any of the present day-to be alb.
solutely without blemish and to be sec.
ond to none. Another famous horse, OF
rather mare. was Black Bess. Her own.
er, Dick Turpin, or, to give him hi:
correct name, Nicks, committed a rob.
berry in London at o'clock in the
morning, and, fearing discovery, made
for Gravesend, ferried across the river
and appeared at the bowling green in
York the same evening, having accom-.
plished his ride of 800 miles in l6 hour:
m, hnr a al, l.