The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-01-17
PASSING
OF B OK
fOrfginal.1


death shot on the field of battle that
cost me a bitter pang."
"TelI me about it"
81 began my military career OF what
was then frontier ground, b plains
which was covered with Indians. and.
since l occasionally had to tax to my
heels to save my scalp. 1 made a spe-
cial effort to secure a fast horse. l
happened to find a thoroughbred among
the horses in the quartermaster's hands.
made a requisition for him II finally
bought him. How he got in with the
common herd / never knew. He was
feet as the wind and had more intelli-
gence han many a man. l asked my
fancee-now my wife-to name him.
md, being from the Buckeye State, she
called him Buck.
IF ever man loved horse or horse
loved man l loved Buck, and Buck
loved me. l had owned him a year
before 1 realized his speed and endur-
ance as we'll as his intelligence. One
morning a messenger rode from Fort
c., his horse falling dead as soon as
he reached us. to say that the Indians
had surrounded the post and would IN
doubtedly take it before sunset. Ny
fancee, the daughter of the N
dant of Fort c.. was there. and you
can imagine the condition of my feel
ings, knowing the barbarity of the In
dams. who would murder every man.
woman and child they captured. We
had no force to send. but at Fort l..
fifty miles to the north of us and some
thirty miles from c.. were four com
panies of the til cavalry.
81 begged the colonel to send me to L.
with orders for the c-ommandant to
gallop to the relief of c. He assented,
and, mounting Buck, 1 made the run.
I was beside myself with terror at the
probable fate of my love. and L begged
Buck to do his best for me. Do you
know, that horse understood me as well
as if he had learned English. He knew
he had a long run, and in the beginning
kept himself well together, as if hus-
banding his strength, out with every
ten miles he Topped off the distance
he increased his speed, making the last
part of the journey in quicker time
than the first. We reached L. In six
hours, and in twenty minutes more 300
men were riding to the relief of c.
When they arrived the garrison was
about to surrender. but our men dash
ed in on the Indians and scattered them
to the four winds.
You may imagine that Buck, having
saved a garrison, and especially the
one nearest my heart, became very dear
to me. After that 1 was caught out
alone ON several occasions, had to run
for it, and Buck always left the In
dianS behind. Then the civil war came
IN, and Buck carried me down over
Kentucky and Tennessee, taking me
through Donelson and Shiloh. At
Stone River l fell from his back shot
through the shoulder and would have
been left in hands of the enemy had
he not seized me by the coat with his
teeth and helped me back to our men.
Poor Bucks end came uC Perryville.
In q retreat 1 hard got separated from
my command and had run into a rebel
regiment. They called on me to sur
render. but turning Buck l lay fat Oh
his neck, and he carried me safely
away, receiving several bullets that
were intended for me. He might have
recovered from these, but on jumping
a gully he came down with his fore leg
in a hole. and the leg snapped.
Il suppose if we had been in garri-
son 1 might have been foolish enough
to strap him up and try to save him.
But in any event you can't keep a
horse still long enough to enable a bro
ken bone to knit, and Buck must be
put out of his misery. Everybody was
busy at the time, but seeing a drummer
boy pass me I stopped him, hande
him my revolver and told him to put a
ball into Bucks brain. 1 couldn't bear
to see him do 1T. so 1 started away. l
heard a Whitney and. turning, saw
Buck looking after me-. saying with his
eyes more plainly than a man could
have said in words, You aren't going
to desert me after all I've done for you. |
are you?
II went back, and, seeing that the
boys hand was trembling from the ex-
element of the fight that was on. 1 took
the pistol from him and. sitting on the
ground, laid Bucks head in my lap. l
gave him a hug, saying to him at the
came time:
Buck. it nearly kills me to do it.
You've done me more real service than
any living being. You've often saved
my life. and one you saved a life dear
err to me than my own. And now I've
to render you a last service I've
to put o out of your misery
Il have always believed the horse I'M
me. He laid his head down on
lap n waited. l put the muzzle
OF the pistol against his forehead, and
never WINGED, though he new as
about a pistol as I did. Anxious
to have it over both for his sake and
mine. / pulled the trigger. and Buck
passed away unconscious.