Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-04-22

The Four Footed Friend For Whom B
 City Was Named-Roman Horses That
 Lived Like Princes--Chargers Who Won
 Renown Amid the Carnage of War.
 It is hard to say with any near ap- proach to accuracy how long the horse has been domesticated 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 seulptures-and they are about the most ancient of which we know anything, for some of them are estimated to date from 4200 B. G. contain more representations of capari- soned horses than even men. Still, we do not get any examples of favorite horses until a 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 Poderge, 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 Plutareh, offered to Philip for 13 talents (about 2,518), but he displayed so much vi ciousness that Alexander's father was about to send him away when the young prince offered to tame hlm. He agreed, in the event of failure, to for felt the price of the horse and began by turning his head to the sun, as he ob- served that the horse was frightened at his own shadow In the end he com pletely tanned him-so completely, in- deed, that Bueephalus, 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 Buoephala.
 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 50, however, the we'll known horse of Caligula, Ineitatus. This animal had a stable of 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 i'll his name should be properly entertained. His diet was the 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 extravagant- ly. He fed him with raisins and almonds with his own hands, and when he died erected a statue of gold to him, while all the dignitaries 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 a prince receive. , This gallant horse, however, did not survive the battle, for Gyrth, Harold s butcher, "elove him with bill, and he died" Richard Is 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 Roan Barbary, which was supposed to be the finest horse in Europe at that time, and 1t was on Roan Bar barry that the young king was mounted when the incident wherein Wat Tyler was stabbed by the mayor of Walworth took place.
 About century later we get the Wars of the Roses, and in the many battles of that civil disturbance ecu pie of horses played important parts These belonged to the great Earl of Warwick, the kingmaker. His first was Maleel1, 8 beautiful gray, which he rode at the battle of Towton. It 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 fayorite horse aud killed him. Then his men knew that the kingmaker was prepared to conquer, but not to fly. They rallied and finally won the battle.