The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-02-10
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3 HELEN BLAZES Z
= q, Frederick Van Rensselaer,.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


Petersburg and Bermuda Hundred.
She lost her life in a scrimmage in
which she was nearly the whole thing,
for she had way Of taking matters
into her own control and carrying her
rider into the thickest of the fight,
whether he liked il or not.
She was such a warrior herself that
when she got worked up 10 the proper
pitch she paid no attention TO bugle
calls or orders, and always started in to
thrash the enemy single handed. That
was one reason why she was called
Helen Blnzes. But there was another
her temper.
The name was not spelled just that
way by the boys OF the Third New York
cavalry but Jeb Smith, the man who
rode her-and the only man who ever
could ride her-was minister before
the war broke out, so he changed the
original three words OF her pane into
two. thus quieting his conscience and
satisfying "the boys" at the same time.
She was picked up one night on a
scouting expedition. Wink Tomkins
brought her into camp the next morn
ing, and he was sight. You could hear
him swearing at Blazes when they were
mile away, and between his curses
and the laughter of his companions,
and the plunging and kicking, biting
and striking of the mare as they APP
preached, IL made n pretty sight for
tired cavnlrymen.
'There. by thunder!" said Wink
ave landed her here, COS I said
4 m. - -. l. /.
can have her. for all / care" and he
pitched the lead rope TO me.
Blazes was a beauty, there was no de-
nying that. and old McNamara--our
.captain--had his eye on her from the
momcnt he saw her.
Well, there's no use in describing all
that happened then. II took six of us
20 get n saddle and bride on her, and
three out OF the six were laid up unfit
for duty for a week after IT.; and after
that she threw, one after another
pretty near the whole company.
Nobody could ride her until Jeb Smith
came along. He had just been relieved
from guard and was tired, but when
his eyes lighted on the mare, he bright
,cned up.
"That's beauty, boys" he said, for
ne was a great lover of horseflesh, If
nc was parson. The mare was stand
ing idle at that moment, as docile as
kitten, and nobody in the world would
have guessed what devil there was in
her. Tompkins drawled out:
"Get on her back, parson, and try
her"
Mind you, there was not one in the
crowd who had not tried her, and who
could not show substantial bruise
for his temerity. But the parson never
caught on al all, and we all stood back
while he handed his piece TO a com
rade, and without n moments hesita
tionf walked straight up to the mare
and began 10 rub her nose; and what's
more, she seemed to like il.
You could have purchased the whole
company for a very small sum at that
moment, for we felt mighty cheap. We
didn't know whether il was iugglery,
or what il was. but the fact remained
that the mare did not treat him as she
had treated us.
''Say. parson," bawled Wink Temp
INins, shave you ever seen the critter
bcfore?"
Certainly not" was the calm reply.
"why?"
"Well, I'm blowed Boys, there's
suthin' in religion after ALL"
While he was thus expressing him
self, Jeb leaped into the saddle, and in a
moment more he was riding around the
place as easy as you please. Blazes
single-footed dog-trotted and can
tered, and you'd have thought she was
Christmas-tree-rock g-horse, for all
he ugliness she showed then.
''Who owns her?" asked the parson.
you do, Jeb; you've earned her"
said old Mac; and he walked away with
a scowl on his face.
We'll, Jeb was delighted, and he lis
tened with amazement when we told
him what circus we'd been having. IL
was plain that he did not believe all OF
it, and presently he led her away TO the
stable took the saddle of and tied her.
There was only a pole between the
horses, and Jeb hadn't got half way
back 20 where we were sitting, when
there was the worst racket in that sta
bic you ever heard. You'd have thought
the rebs were after us for the
noise and tumult. The horses
ncighed and squealed and you could
hear boards splntering and timbers
falling. Bazes had kicked herself
uoose, laid up two horses, Scared for
life half dozen more, and paved her
way right through the back of that
place to liberty. She was pointing for
home, too, when Jeb saw her.
~'lIere, you'll" he yelled, and she
stopped and waited while he went up
and caught her.
We fixed up the stable, but we passed
n unanimous resolution that Blazes
couldn't tarry there any more, so the
parson took her about 20 rods away and
tied her TO fence. Then he gave her
some oats, ard you'd have thought she