The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-07-24
A Chance For Els Life

Eureka had been with the battery Tor
over two years and had made two sue.
eessfuI Indian campaigns when traG.
edy came into his life. One OF his hind
legs began to swell. and In three or
four DAYS be was disabled from duty.
The veterinary took him In hand ut
once. but made no progress. THO limb
sweIIed to three times It's normal size,
md no remedy was found to be OF
avail. More than a dozen veterinaries,
soldier and cITizen. had look at the
aorse before q final verdict was pro
uounced, 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 fiat went forth that he
was TO be shot.
Corporal BrIxton and guard win
take the horse out on the prairie and
shoot him." read the order, and the
colonel added verbally, And do 1t as
decentIy as you would shoot n man"
When Eureka was ready to be led
forth to execution 800 men Insisted on
gathering to bid him Eoodby. lie was
everybody's horse to admire and praise,
but it was only the battery men who
had the privilege OF rubbing his arched
neck and smoothing his velvet nose
and telling him that he should never be
forgotten, though replaced. Strangely
enough, the aiImeEt had not affected
the horses general health His 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 muzzle against the. checks of the
men and whimpered for sugar. and
when he went limping away caps corns
of and men felt lump gathering in
their Threats.
The cortege wound over the hill n
quarter of 4 mile away and then de-
seconded into the valley. and the pace
was that OF a funeral procession. When
1t was out of sight of the fort Private
Daily asked of Corporal Brixton:
Corp, are ye man or 4 scoundrel?'
I'm n man, I'd have We know, and
I've proved it fifty times over" was
the answer.
"And have ye got heart in yer
bosom?"
"As big as a beer keg."
"And would ye murder q helpless
baby?"
you are driving at, and you leave it 10
me-"
Half mile across the valley they
came to the fringe of bushes and en-.
est use OF his leg, but he hODJ!ed OF
after fashion ana made no complaint.
On the contrary. he snortcd and sought
to dance around as in the days of his
strength. BY and. by n CLASSY glade
was reached. Here was food and wa
ter for n hundred horses, aud the cor
poral called halt.
Daily and Henderson, listen to me-"
he said. The orders are to shoot Eu-
reka. WON'T
Bully for you, old man. they shout
ed.
al shall have to report him dead, but
It will be lie, and If either of you
ever betray me I'll have n bullet ready
for you in the firnt slsirmlsh that takes
place If was cold bloodcd enough to
shoot down u horse like this I'd want
Uncle Sam to kick me out OF the army
and me own mother to 20 back on me.
Make ready now-aim-fre"
THE carbine shots rang ont. The
noise did not startle the horse in the
least, but 1t might have been heard
Mt the fort by any one listening. The
men had aimed above the horse, and
their bullets went singing through the
treetops.
rs he fnished?" asked the corporal
as he turned his back on the feeding
horse
He IS, SIR" answered Daily.
''Then heaven rest his soul for good
horse, and forward march,
FOR four or five days thereafter the
men OF the entire garrison looked
asknnce at the three men and drew
away from them. They had acted
under orders, but they had shot down
Eureka. They knew what allied their
comrades, but they kept their own
counsel. The report of the corporal
was accepted without question, and
the incident passed into history.
Had Eureka been well In limb he
would have made his way back TO the
fort before dark. AS 1t was. he fed
and drank and slept, They bad given
him his discharge from the service
had made an outlaw OF him, and he
had no further right on the lines or in
the stables. He did not move out of
the glade that day or night. About
midnight n big timber wolf came ont
of the foothills and circled around him
and glared and growled, and the horse
-ose up with painful effort and made
'eady to defend himself with teeth and
loof. The wolf did not attack, how
sveF, and when daylight came the Grip. |
de hobbled up the valley in search Of |
more secure retreat. That was ID
he last days OF May. The valley was
lot settled, and the horse had it all to
himself except for the few deer. buffa-
o and wild horses that strayed In occa-
ionaliy.