The Washington herald., 1908-04-14
BELL GONOUERS MUD
Chief of Staff Rescues Horse
from QuickSand.
WAR SECRETARY TAFT SMILES
Ride OF Mr. Taft and General Is
Merry Adventure Ia Potomac Park.
Ben Has the Adventure and Taft
Is Merry - Former saves Brute
from Death in the Mud.

Horses have very little sense. when it's
all figured out II the old days Of un-
restricted nature-faking. most everybody
thought that the horse WAS an ex-
eepuonally clever animal. but now-why,
aow hardly any one win say such Il
thing. even if he hasn't heard OF the way
one Of these dumb brutes treated Gen. J.
Franklin Bell. chief Of STAFF OF the
United States army.
OF course. there are cOnteptious people
who VIII insist that not all of these ani-
mails are without sense just because the
morse the Secretary Of War. William il.
raft stood still while the horse of Gen.
Bell-and Gen. Bell-loundered about in
i've feet of soft Potomac River mud yes
terday evening. Really. though. that isn't
an indication of sense, it's merely an in
Jlcation OF solidity-solidity on top OF the
horse.
How 1t Happened.
It all happened in this wise. Yesterday
icing graced with bright afternoon, and
being also enc of the few times when
the Secretary OF War was not busy about
tie country looking after the fortifca-
ions for Bill, he decided that he would
tide out
Perhaps he had forgotten that time, not
.0ng ago, when fate had played Gen. Bell
4 rather slouchy trick. That time, il viii
ae remembered, when the Secretary of
War. going out to Fort Myer with the
general. got the latter in range of NOV
ng-picture machine and was taken hOof,
horns. and all
But be that as it was fixed, il is certain
hat yesterday afternoon Gen, Bel, Mr.
Taft, and Charlie Taft started out riding
care free ana without apparent object
Down into the new Potomac Park they
trOtted gleefuily, down 10 where the old
Potomac River bed is being sucked up
1y hydraulic pumps % take its place as
"a portion of new driveway. The horse
1n which the Chief of staff was riding
seemed a bit skittish during the ride to
he new park, but the general. who could
axe forty riding tests" in forty min
ltes. minded not. but went his way.
Steed becomes FrnctiOus.
After the park was reached the party
turned into enc Of the paths and proceed
Cd toward the river Not many yards had
,hey gone, however. when the generals
steed became fractious, or an approxima-
lion of that
The general, seeing the nice, soft, black
mud close at hand. and not thinking that
K would be more than one foot deep.
turned his horse over a slight breaker at
lhe side of the path and landed-oh,
landed in five feet of mud and still going
down
II must be stated right here that Gen.
Sell is not the man TO curse, even If he
aoes find himself in four feet or more of
mud. with his horse going down furti er
every minute and his own feet sinking
III an alarming rate. The general left
his horse suddenly when the latter hit the
mud
Perhaps-onIy perhaps. mind you-the
general said a few words in condensed
German TO his horse. but he certainly did
not swear. Secretary Taft sat upon his
horse. Secretary Taft's horse stood in
the bridal path, because it couldn't well
move without the SecretaTy's permission.
General Struggles Hard.
Gen. Bell struggled and struggled. Sec
rstary Taft sat and sat. while his horse
was sat upon. Finally the general waded
out onto dry land and contemplated his
poor dumb friend with sad eye.
Upon the person OF the general there
was mud. Before his sudden bath he had
been Immaculate from his boots TO his
tat. but now he was mud from his collar
% his boots. and the only immaculate
things were his face and his hat The
mud lay upon him in layers and gobs and
mountains.
But il was not for long that he re-
NAMED upon the bank in safety. His
horse was still struggling TO get out
Back into the mire waded the general
AloIg came whoOping an automobile with
Griffin Halstead in IT, Halstead turned
TO the assistance of the generals horse
while Secretary Taft sat upen the bank
and smiled-to himself Of course.
Finally. after some hard work, in which
IN attempt was made TO pry the horse
out with a board. It was decided, after a
brief council of war, that the only way
TO get the brute out was either TO use
dynamite. dynamo. or dig.
'Dig." Was the Word.
Dig was the word. then, for half ar
hour At the end of that time the horse
came out. From his hoofs 10 within Z
few inches Of the top of his back he wa:
mud.
Gen. Bell was not a bit daunted, how
ever. He merriiy mounted the animal
took a last glance at the spot of his mis-
fortune. and started uptown, the secre
tary and Charlie going along.
rrrnnrn III ArrYAMnprA