The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-12-14
A STAMPEDE OF CAVALRY.
Wild Destruction of Beast and Property
Caused by Running Horses.

Wild Destruction of Beast and Property
Caused by Running Horses.
A stampede among cavalry horses is
always troublesome thing, and may
easily become a terrible one. The re-
cent stampede of one thousand horses
near Southampton, England, was sim
gularly exciting, and had serious re-
suits. Several soldiers were danger
ously trampled, and two hussar regi-
ments were rendered unfit to partici-
pate in the Essex maneuvres, and had
to be sent back to Aldershot where,
too, whole trainload of wounded
horses was dispatched for surgical
treatm
The stampede began at 2 in the
morning. A horse, plunging about in
the horse lines, was thrown and broke
its leg, and an officer shot it where it
lay. The sudden flash and report SO
terrified the neighboring animals that
they broke loose, pulled up the pegs
to which they were tethered, and
stampeded more and more of the other
horses as the sound of their laundering
through the camp. Straight through
the tents of the sleeping troopers they
charged, overthrowing and trampling
everything before them, while the iron
shod picket-pegs, swinging free at the
end Of their loose ropes as they ran,
cruelty wounded many, and goaded the
horde to madness.
From Baddesley Common, where the
camp was, they dashed away in droves
of fifties and hundreds in all directions.
One great squadron galloped wildly
through the streets of Southampton,
and brought the sleeping citizens half
clad to their doors and windows.
Through the ancient Bargate the
horses dashed. Many were crushed
against the masonry Of the narrow
passage; others met death by crashing
into trolley poles, against walls, or
into trench where the road was under
repair. But the greater number kept
on unhurt until they reached the har-
Dor, and, never halting in their terror,
plunged straight into it's waters. Many
were drowned; many others were res
cued by men who put out in boats and
rounded them up as they swan, driving
them ashore as soon as other men had
broken down the steep landing stages
enough to permit them to scramble up.
The next day search parties Of troop
ers went horse hunting over a radius Of
twenty miles. They brought in their
mounts from field, farm and forest by
ones and twOs and dozens-limping
weary, sorely battered beasts. Many
could not be brought in; they were
found dead OF hopelessly hurt by the
roadside
Some five years ago an American
cavalry camp near San Antonio, Texas,
met with an experience similar to this,
although less disastrous More than
eight hundred horses, led by beauti-
full wild dun mare, broke from their
corral at Fort Sam Houston. Part
were trained mounts, part unbroken
cowponies. AS they dashed across
the parade ground, a bugle call rang
out from the officers quarters, and the
trained chargers slackened their pace
Immediately. Again the bugle sound
ed; the wild mare and third of her
followers kept on; the other two-thirds
turned squarely at right angles. The.
bugle sounded once more, Columns
rightv and they turned still again at
right angles, and galloped back in the
direction whence they had come. At
another call the gallop slackened, and
fell to trot. A last time it rang out
"Haltv' and the riderless squadron,
painting and trembling yet, but obedient
to the summons they knew, halted and
stood still.
AS for the wild horses that kept on
through the city of San Antonio, they
killed no one, for a wonder; but the
property loss was great, and the trail
Of the stampede was as plain as the
path Of a cyclone. sah9~~