The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-17
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ANEL CANEYpIG.
Escape and Rccapturc, While Span:
isl TrDons were IIpdcr Fire ffyN

Escape anu ltccipturc htlc span.
ish Troops were Under Fire.
Youths Companion: On July l, 1898,
when the battle at I'll caney was hot
test, curious commotien among the
Spanish soldiers was visible In one Of
the trenches which defended the town.
These trenches were all on the outskirts
OF the town. and frequently were I'M
,mediately In front OF buildings. The
place was Inhabited at the time OF the
attack. and bullets and shells went NY
Ing through the fimsy kS.Ees. There
were few cattle, including a superb
bull. kept for the performances in the
bull.ring. at Santiago, near by. This
i1ne animal was uninjured during the
light; but hewas looted" by the Gu
bans aftcrthe town was taken, and ig-
nominiously!led by the nose 10 the main
cuban camp, 10 be slaughtered for food
FOR the insurgent soldiers.
There were also animals OF another
sort. as the Incident TO which allusion
has been made proved. Toward the mid
Ole or the day the watching American
soldiers on the nearest line saw half
grown pig come running out OF low
matched building inside the Spanish
trenches, and rounding corner of the
ditch. take TO fight outside the
trenches. In the direction Of the AhlerI-
can position.
|. Evidently he had been lodged under
the thatch.roofed house Just behind the
trench, In the free-and-easy domestic,
manner In which Cuban pigs are gen.
orally taken care OF. : A bullet or q
shell had Invaded. his retreat, shattered
ms Enclosure, set him free, and scared
him almost to death at the same time.
The Spanish soldiers ceased their
firing as the pig escaped, and there was
commotion among them. Presently
this commotlond resolved itself into u
rush Of several soldiers out OF the
trench In the direction OF the pig. Soon
there were fifteen Of them out In the
open, In the full sweep OF the American
fire.
Some OF them ran to head off the pig,
and Others rushed up behind to catch
ihim. The pig wheeled and lodged.
and the soldiers wheeled and lodged
after him. Their voices rose in n cho-'
rus of Spanish shouts. Up and down
went the pig: when Il soldiers hands
were upon him heiwould makea twist
and wriggle himself away.
once he made long run straight to-
ward the American lines. but it did not
help him, for the soldiers were after,
him, entirely unregardlng the battle.
Some: OF them headed him off again,
and In another moment nn athletic
young soldier had seized his tail and
then his legs. Still another moment,
and the pig. firmly held, was on his
way back to the trenches, riding on the
shoulder OF this young man., his fore
legs gripped by one hand and his hind
legs by the other.
The soldiers resumed their places IN
the trench; the one who had the pig
put him back into the thatched-roofed
building. and presently returned to his
own place.. and took up his gun.
1t Is safe to say that during the chase
OF the pig no American soldier who
saw. the affair discharged his gun at
the group. The Americans who saw 1t
were too full of admiration and aston
ishment 10 add to the dangers which
the audacious Spaniards were under;
but thousands of Americans who could
: net see the incident were blazing away
In that direction. and the Spaniards
who We're chasing the pig must have
heard a great many bullets whfstllng
about their ears during their perform
ance. VI j
The Americans who we're in view Of
the occurrence were confirmed by 1t In
the opinion which they had begun TO
form. that the people at home who had
told them that the Spaniards We're cow
ards didn't know what they were talk.
lug about, ~