Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-02-08

noise ana tumult. Inc horses
neighed and squealed and you could
hear boards splintering and timbers
falling. Blazes had kicked herself
loose, laid up two horses, Scared for
life half dozen more, and paved neT
way right through the back Of that
place to liberty. She was pointing for
home. too, when Jeb saw her.
Here, you'll" he yelled, and she
stopped and waited while he went W
and caught her.
We fixed up the stable, but we passed
. unanimous resolution that Blazes
couldn't tarry there any more, so the
parson took her about 20 rods away aDo
tied her to a fence. Then he gave her
some oats, and you'd have thought she
was the three graces rolled into one she
was so quiet; but it didn't last long.
She finished her oats, and maybe she
got tired or thirsty, or something. Any
how, she pulled away one section of the
fence, and broke loose from that, and
then she started for the stable again
Some of us heard the horses squealing
and kicking, and we went down to see
what was the matter, and I'm blessed
II Blazes wasn't trying TO eat them.
She'd reach in and take moutbful
of loose flesh, set her teeth on II and
pull, and then, when the horse she was
biting Kicked, she'd wheel and kick
too. After that we made Jeb tie her
with a chain and always to something
that she could not pull aapart.
She ruined ten horses, kicked one
mule to death and another one so that
we had to kill him, and she tore the
clothes all off of darby who tried to
feed her one day; but it got to be an old
story after awhile, and we didn't pay
much attention.
Nobody will ever forget the first time
she was seen in fight. You'd have
thought she was human, from the sense
she showed, and fiend incarnate from
The way she fought.
Our company had been out on sor-
he and we were on our way home, every
body giving Jeb and Blazes a wide
berth, for she'd kick and bite every
Ahing in reach on the road as well as in
the stable, when we came upon a de-
tachment of rebel cavalry between us
and home. They had more men than
we did, but there was only one thing to
do, and that was to charge-and we did
II.
was abreast of Jeb when we got the
word, and 1 never saw anything made
of flesh and blood do what Blazes did
then. Jeb couldn't hold her any more
than you could hold cyclone, and she
ran like q streak of lightning. In the 80
or 40 rods between US and the confed-
crates she got more than two rods
ahead of the rest of US, so she struck the
line first. I'll bet she covered 80 feet at
every jump, and finally she took an adj
mighty plunge into the air, and landed
plump on top of confederate sergeant
and his horse, knocking them both
down as easily as she would blade OF
grass.
She reared and plunged, struck with
her forefeet, kicked with her hind ones,
and she used her teeth like a tiger
She'd grab a rebel horse by the throat
and tear out a chunk of flesh; she'd
seize man by the leg or the arm, and
pull him out of the saddle and trample
upon him quicker than you could knock
him out with a saber, and every time
she had a chance she'd jump into the air
and land right on top of horse and
yider, and then bite and tear and strike
Der way through or past the next one
Ehe met.
don't see how Jeb ever stayed on her
back, but he did, and he came out With
out a scratch, too. Nobody ever made
fun of Blazes after that brush, but hel
greatest fight was her last one.
We'd been out on a scouting and for
aging expedition and were on our way
back when we had that set-to. There
were only ten of us, and we thought we
had got past the point where we were
likely to fall in with any rebs, when
we saw a full company Of confederate
cavalry come over the top OF knoll
not a quarter of mile away.
There was no use for us to try to run
for we would only have run into their
lines, and there wasn't man there
who wanted to surrender, so we yelled
back and started to meet them.
We came together, and in a SECOND
we were all mixed up. They surround
ed us like flies around honey pot. We
were so few that we could not keel
together, and every man fought fol
himself, regardless of the others. Still
everybody could tell where Blazes was
all the time, by the commotion sh'
kicked up; and when in fight like tha
one thing kicks up enough extra com
motion to be noticed, you can bet it,
moving.
l got bullet through my right shout
der and another one in my left arm, anC
I was helpless; and just then my horse
got a saber clip on the side of his heat
which sent him crazy, and somehow, h'
managed to kick himself out of th'
melee before he dropped. which he die
with one of my legs under him; bu
l was where I could see the fight, and
kept my eyes on Blazes.
Just as 1 discovered her, l saw Jel
Smith pitch head first out of his saddle
and l knew that the parson was don
for.
Blazes seemed to know 1t, too. Sh
bad been wild before, but she became
perfect demon then. She must hav'
known that she had no rider, and mos
horses quit fighting when the man il
gone off from their backs; but sh'
didn't. She only got wilder andlwent il
for vengeance.
She no longer paid any attention Il
the horses, but she went for the men
and whenever she grabbed one she liter
ally tore him apart. Hundreds OF shot
were fired at her, and her body wa
covered with blood from the saber cut
she had received, but she paved ant
kicked, and tore with her hoofs AM
teeth, turning like a cat, and boundlni
about with the ease and grace OF
Na14bar