The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-08-03
q CIance For His Lifs


over two years and had made two sue
eessful Indian campaigns when tTag.
edy came into his life. One OF hts hind
legs began to sven. and In three or
four days he was disabled from duty.
The veterinary took him in hand at
once, but made no progress The limb
swelled TO three times It's normal size,
and no remedy was found to be OF
avail More than dozen veterinarfes.
soldier and clIiZen, had a look at the
zorse before a fnal verdict was pro
bounced, and all knew what the end
would be, and all pitied him. at the
end OF three months the leg was no
better, and the nat went forth that he
was to be shot.
Corporal Brixton and guard win
take the horse out on the prairie ana
shoot him." read the order, and the
colonel added verbally, ''And do 1t as
decently as you would shoot a man."
When Eureka was ready to be led
forth to execution 300 men insisted on
gathering to bid him goodby. He was
everybody's horse 60 admire and praise
but it was only the battery men who
had the privilege of rubbing his arehed
neck and smoothing his velvet nose
aud telling him that he should never be
forgotten, though. replaced Strangely
enough. the aflment had not affected
the horses general health. BIS eye
was Just as bright and his spirits Just
as high as when able to move with the
swiftness of an antelope. he rubbed
his muzzIe against the checks Of the
men and whImpered for sugar, ana
when he went Iimp1ng away caps came
or and men felt a lump gathering In
their throats.
The cortege wound over the hill II
quarter OF a mile away and then de-
scended into the valley. and the pace
was that of funeral procession. When
1t was out of-sight of the fort Private
Daily asked OF Corporal Brixton:
Corp. nre We n man or scOundrel2"
'I'm a man, I'd have We know, and
I've proved 1t hfty times over" was
the answer.
and have ye got a heart In yer
bosom?H
GAS big as beer key"
''And would ye murder q helpless
aGuss me If would! 1 know what
you are driving at, and you leave 1t to
me-"
Half a mile across the valley they
came to the fringe of bushes and en-
tered them. Eurekn had but the slight
est use of his leg, but he hobbled on
after n fashion and made no complaint.
On the contrary, he snorted and sought
to dance around as in the days OF his
strength. By and by a CLASSY glade
was reached. Here was food and wa
ter for n hundred horses, and the cor
poraI called halt
DAILY and Henderson, listen to me,
he snId. THE orders are to shoot Eu-
reka 1 won't"
Bully for you, old man!'' they shout
81 shall have to report him dead, but
It will be n lie. and If either OF you
ever betray me I'll have a bullet ready
for you in the first sEirmish that taxes
place. II was cold bloOdcd enough to
shoot down a horse like this I'd want
Uncle Sam to kick me out of the army
and me own mother to go back on me.
Make ready now-afm-freH
The carbine shots rang out. The
noise did not stRrtIe the horse in the
least, but it might have been heard
at the fort by any one listening. The
men had aimed above the horse, and
their bullets went singing through the
treetops.
as he turned his back on the feeding
"IIe is. sir, answered Daily.
.aThen heaven rest his soul for GOOD
horse, and forward march"
FOR four or five days thereafter the
men of the entire garrison looked
askance at the three men and drew
away from them. They had acted
under orders. but they had shot down
Eureka. They knew what allied thelr
comrades, but they kept their own
counsel. The report of the corporal
was accepted without question: ana
the Incident passed into history.
Had Eureka been well in limb ne
vouId have made his way back to the
fort before dark AS It was, he ted
and drank and slept. They had given
him his discharge from the service
had made IN outlaw of him. ana ne
had no further right on the lines OF IN
the stables. He did not move OUT OF
the glade that day or night. ABOUT
midnight a big timber wolf came out
II the foothills and cIrcled around MN
and glared and growled. and the morse
rose mn with painful enort ana mace
ready to defend himself with teeth ana
hoof The wolf did not attack, now
ever. and when daylight came the Grip
ple hobbIed up the valley In search OF
n more secure retreat. Tint was IN
the Inst DAYS of May. The valley was
NOT settled and the horse had 1t all to
himself except for the few deer, puma
10 and wild horses that Btrnyed In oeca-
sionally.
June, July and August cnme and
,yon+ and ono day carly IN September