Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-17
NO ONE WAS HURT
Fortunate Escape Of District Soldiers
at Tampa Last Night.
HORSES AND MULES STAMPEDE
They Rush Through the Camp Like
a Western Cyclone.
ROUNDED UP BY COWBOYS

Special From Staff Correspondent.
| TAMPA, Fla, June 17.-"Corporal Of the
guard, post No. Z, turn out the guard" sang
out the guard on the carral post shortly af-
| ter taps had sounded last night.
MY God, the horses are out, and it is a
| stampede" he added later.
| In moment the whole camp was in an
uproar. Men were leaving their tents.
| Wild excitement reigned supreme The
noise made by the horses and mules as they
| c1rcled around preparatory to their long
| run sounded like the roar of cannon in the
| distance. They started in the direction of
| the camp of the District men, like a troop
of cavalry on the army of an enemy.
| The guards Of the New York regiment
| lost their heads and commenced firing wild
ly. Fortunately no one was hurt by the fly
Ing bullets, but the noise of the guns excit-
| ed the now wild horses all the more.
| Stallion in the Lead.
| With handsome gray stallion in the lead
they dashed through the District camp,
down one company street and up another
Only two tents were knocked down and
not single man was hurt. The assembly
was sounded, and the men stood up In front
of their tents for more than an hour while
|
and forth.
When they made tkefr first dash at the
| camp they went through the headquarters
| o. the first battalion and down by the head
| quarters of the regin ent. At the hospital
| they played havoc with the tents but no
| one was hurt. They were a pretty badly
| scared lot. however and the surgeons and
| others who could do took to the trees
! and climbed them with agility. There were
| nor enough trees to go around the entire
| regiment, or every man would have had
| one.
Grand, but Horrible Sight.
stamp ede, especially at night, is
| grand, but horrible, sight. 1t was long
| after midnight before the cowboys had
| succeeded in getting the horses anything
| like controlled The horses were scared,
and nothing could stop them. At midnight
the men were turned back to their quar-
| ters, but it is safe to say they did not get
| to sleep for an hour or more. The boys are
| more than fortunate, flor they had close
| slave. Had they been Sleeping in their
| little dog tents it is safe to say that many
| OF them would have been seriously hurt, Il
not killed.
The gleat coo-ness Of Col. Harries during
| the tlrle of great excitement was remarked,
L
| Mates. The officers handled the men like
veterans.
| 1t appears that the horses and mules in the
governments corral just back of the Dis
trict camp had been restless all the after
noon and evening. The cowpunchers had
used every effort to quiet them, but with
out success. At 10 O'Clock they stampeded
ard made wild dash for the frail board
| ferce that surrounds the corral. Before
| they could be stopped fully 1,O00 horses
and mules had gotten out. After they mad
gone through the District camp they went
| into the Maryland camp, where some little
| damage was done. They then started for
Tampa and went up the main street like
| cyclone. On they went, with men, wo-
| men and children hurryng out of their
houses to see what it all meant.
Got Them Turned Back.
On the way the cowboys succeeded in
| getting them turned back toward the cor
| raj, and on the return trip they paid the
| District camp second visit. While it
| was a terrible sight, there were many
amusing scenes connected with it. Digni-
| fed surgeons. thinly clad, scrambled up
| trees, while others rushed wildly into
Tampa bay. Still others hid themselves
| under boxes of roast beef In the commits
| sary tent, and others stood absolutely still.
| One man thought the Spaniards were upon
| the camp and ordered his squad to load
| tEeir guns.
Today the horses got little unruly, but
were soon quieted down. 1t is believed that
| fully 300 horses got away, and 1t will take
| several days to catch them.
| Capt. SimOnsOn Resigns.
Captain Otto G. Simonson of Company F
has rendered his reSippatiOn Colonel
| Harries, to take effect at once. The great
| strain incident to organizating his COM
pany undermined his constitution, and this
climate did not agree with him. He has
been growing steadily worse. Company +
Is one Of the best companies in the regi-
| ment and Captain Simonson one Of the
most popular officers.
Everybody will be sorry to see him leave.
Capt Simonsop will probably leave for
Washington tonight, reaching there Sun
day.
Lieut.. Clarence Gayer will probably be
| made captain Of the company.
The men OF Company are looking for
ward to an elegant dirner today. While in
| swimming this morning several men from
this company captured a mammoth sea
turtle. They succeeded In bringing It
ashore after considerable hard work.
Eight men from Company F got boat
yesterday about 2 O'Clock and started on
fishing trip. When about two miles out
| the boat struck sand bar and broke the
rudder. What to do they did not know. So
| they let her drift. hoping for assistance,
but no other boat passed. 1t was past
| midnight when the boat drifted ashore
about nine miles from camp. The boys
started on their weary walk home, and
reached camp at an early hour this morn
ing.
There is no sickness in camp of any i'm
portance today.
Mrs. Dudley, the Chaplain's wife, started
for Washington last night. B.