The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-20

tween FL Caney and Santiago with great
bravery and wonderful pertinacity.
When at last the enemy surrendered, it
was found that of 1900 who had resisted
the first assault only 200 survived and were
flt for action. one of the dead was Gen
Vera del Rey. His body was discovered
a few hundred yards distant from the
place where most of the casualties had
occurred, it having been hastily removed
thither by few of the dead heros faith
full soldiers.
During most of the fighting around Ell
Caney. Gen. del Rey had ridden a small
white horse which had made him a good
target for the Americans. From the back
of this horse he was finally picked off bv
a sharpshooter
A short time after the close of bostul-
ties in Santiago province a surgeon of the
Seventy-first New York, DR.. II. Eugene
Stafford, was fortunate enough to receive
this same little white horse in trade with
Spanish soldier. The animal was at
once led into the camp, where he was
given the name of Baby" and soon he
came the friend and pet of all the poor
fellows who were lying about sick and
suffering. But in the surgeon the horse
seemed TO recognize his master. and 10
him his devotion grew by degrees until n
became almost human. Day and night
the horse kept his eyes on the surgeon
and wherever the latter hung his ham
mock in the hope af getting a little rest
and sleep, there Baby" would be also.
He followed the surgeon around as a child
his father. r.
When this friendship was first formed
the surgeon had given up his tent to some
of the boys who had been stricken with
fever or felled with Spanish bullets. and
! he took his rest on the grass with his
white sentinel always near him. When
! finally, he was given another tent Baby
was very much concerned and nearly de-
molished the tent in trying to force an
entrance.
The horse seemed to try to show in all
his actions how sorry he was to have be-
! gun his army career on the wrong side
Of the firing line, yet. though he bore
many ugly wounds from American bullets
| he bore our boys no malice. As the wound
cd and sick troopers grew worse, and the
surgeon himself became too weak to
mount Baby the surgeon and the little
white horse made the rounds of the camps
together, Baby" walking very carefully
with the surgeons arm over his neck
the surgeon carrying what cheer he could
| to the boys in the hospitals and almost
! beside himself at the thought that his
| medicine chest was nearly empty Owing
to the intense heat, the only covering the
surgeon could bear over the upper part
Of his body was a very thin gauze under
| shirt of a yel,owish color, but even so, the
sight of the yellow shirt and Baby COM
ing up the hill put new life into the suffer-
| ing soldier boys
A few lessons in going TO the river for
! water We're enough for Baby" to know
what was wanted, and when the weakened
men We're unable to make the trip on ac-
count of the heat they would tie impro-
vised water carriers to "Babys" back
and off he would go to the river, get a
| drink for himself and ask, in his own
way, of course. some one TO fill his bags
for him; that done, the horses would go
| galloping back to camp. carrying life to
some of those burning fever patients.
There was also a humorous side TO
! "Baby's' nature. Ii is well known that
to a pack Of mules a white horse Is a great
attraction. When the boys of the Seven
ty-flrst were In great ne,d of extra mules,
! Baby would disappear for a time and
presently come back 10 camp followed by
one, two or three rfiules which were put
into immediate use and kept at work, until
their rlghtful owner came forward and