The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-11

Stampeding Cavalry Horses Obey the
Familiar Command.

San Antonio Letter in st. Louis Globe Dem
ocrat.
The blasts from one lone bugle moment
arily checked the stampede of 500 loose cav
the entrance to Fort Sam Houston this
morning Five hundred obedient animals
iimnp p,,lt LOB o9eyed the bugle commands Of
The remaining three hundred, however
dashed Oft toward the city, overrunning the
streets and coliiding with vehicles and Pc
destrians.
The animals were to have been taken to
the cavalry target range for days graz
ing the arrival of the officers in charge
when a cavalryman entered the Enclosure,
carelessiy leaving the gate ajar. The ami
malS almost Immediately began to file out
OF the corral three or four abreast In the
commotion and excitement that followed
the animals broke down a portion of the
corral fence, and through this they
charged, until in a few minutes the wide
street was filled with mass of confused
loose cavalry horses.
1t is distance of three blocks from the
corral to the adjutants headquarters, and
In this direction the stampeded cavalcade
surged. At the first alarm Capt. John
Green, of Troop ]. and two men mounted
their horses, and at one bound cleared the
short cut to the corral. Riding before the
stampede the three men wildly shook their
hats in the faces of the leaders OF the herd,
and sought, after the usual cowboy mode,
to yell and whoop the wild cavalcade into
control But their mounts were borne and
driven forward by the irresistible surge of
the eight hundred stampeding horses.
AT this juncture Bugler McIlhenny, of K
troop with splendid presence of mind
rushed t. the gate ate and , sounded the com
ical Column left had been trumpeted
at that particular spot every day for near
brought the regiment in column formation
through the wide gateway into the upper
drill grounds The effect. of this familiar
bugle call was instantly discernible. There
was a sudden checking up, a shifting, rear
ing and piunging into one another among
the dense mass of horses Many of the an
imals were too wildly excited either to hear
or obey the bugle call, but five hundred
free, riderless, stampeding horses check I'd
up and fought their way out of the demon
allied cavalcade. and as implicitly obeyed
the command as if saddled and mounted.
First there came a dozen or so shy lead
ers. .trotting through the gateway. followed
by frequent punches of from forty to fifty
each, until five hundred cavalry horses were
running at large over the parade ground.
Three hundred of the animals, however,
madly rushed past the gate and the bugler
A cloud of dust which hung long in their
wake marked the route that the animals
took AS the stampede reached the more
densely populated section of the city. it di-
yided into punches, running into vehicles,
damaging fences. and setting the inhab-
itants momentarily wild with fright. One
bunch was run into by passenger train.
and three horses were killed. One horse
dashed out its brains against u telephone
pole, and another in collding with a car
riage became lmpaled on the shafts. Sew
eral pedestrians We're run down and more
. or less injured. detail of fifty men was
at once sent out. and in the course of the
day they rounded up all save thirty-five of
the runaWayS
While che uncomfortable horses were
dashing toward the city Bugler McIlhenny
turned to the five hundred obedient animals
tom" We're bugIed over the parade field.
with wonderfully successful results, and in
few minutes small detail of men rode up
and easily drove the disciplined steeds back
into the corral.