The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-10-18

agar cost MIN Englunu. NOT until tne
day of his death on st. Helena did he
cease to berate the unfortunate Ad-
miral villeneuve. who lost the day,
lost his fleet and In losing the latter
lost for Napoleon all chance Of trans
porting safely across the channel the
great French army which lay Mt
Boulogne ready for the crossing In
fiatbonts the moment the menace Of
the British navy could be removed.
Nelson, having chased the allied
French and Spanish feet to the West
Indies and back, was doing watchdog
duty of Cadlz wherein lay the French
and the Spanlards. 81 sail If the line
and frigates. velleneuve was
d~istrustful Of the skill Of his crews
and the equipment Of his vessels. Ma
poleon vas In a rage ut Villeneuve.
whom he denounced for excessive
pusillnnimlty" and to replace whom he
started Rosily for Cndlz. Vllleneuve,
hearing of his intended successors
approach and possessing certain dis
%cretionnry orders which directed him
TO proceed to Naples. fighting the
English should he encounter them In
inferior number, put IN sea, leaving
n of his ships behind hin. Thercup-
on Nelson. with 81 sail Of the line and
four frlgates, sprnng mt his throat.
The actor was fought on the TWEEN
ty-frst Of October, 1905. Nelson, ON
Ing on deck at daylight, could see the
aVn,,.y tn laa - Aa.,I. ~ ,lt.. a.
leeward. His captains already pos
sessed his memorandum of battle
which called for attack In two columns,
one led by Collingwood In the Royal
Sovereign and n by Nelson himself
in the Victory. Nelson, however, was
far tool able a man to expect rigid nd.
herence TO any rule Of thumb pro-
gram. His memorandum made broad
provisions. mo captain" he wrote,
''can do wrong II he places his ship
alongside that Of IN enemy"
To meet the attack V~illeneuve
formed in double column, his line curv.
ing something after the fashion OF n
crescent. Nelson observed this dlspo-
sition with approval. Attack ut once,
he directed. and ho!sted his famous last
signal: England expects every man
to do his duty"
To cut the enemy's escape, Nelson's
column was headed about two points
farther north than was Colllngwood's.
In consequence 1t was this latter OFF,
Ger In his fast-sailing flagship who
first came into action. The Royal Sow
erelgn plunged into the enemy line
just astern of the Spanish Admiral
Alava's craft, the big three decker,
Santa Anna. which caught the Sover-
elgn's %starboard %brondside.
Colllngwood was In his element.
"What would Nelson give to be here !"
he cried to Rotterdam, his captain.
Nelson for his part called C~ollingwood
n mobile fellow" as the Victory, flying
every battle ensign her flag locker
would yield, plunged into the fighting.
The admiral headed for his old ac-
quaintance, the Santissima Trinidad. a
huge craft Of no less than four decks,
which greeted him with n terrific blast
from her tiers Of annon Scott, the
II ,miral's secretary. fell at the first
fire. A double-headed shot moved
eight marines. drawn up with the
guard close by the Admiral's side. An
other shot whizzed between Nelson and
Hardy, the vlctory's commander.
Warm work." said Nelson; TOO
warm to last long"
In the tops OF the enemy's ships
soldier rlllelnan were busily ut work.
To them Nelson. In his admiral's uni
form, with four stars of the orders
with which he was invested on his
left breast, was a shining mark. Beat
ty, the Nictory's surgeon, and Scott,
her chaplain, begged him to remove
these decorations, hut Nelson an
swered: 'In honor I gained them and
10 honor l will die with them"
No less than 80 men aboard the VIC
tory had been killed before she fired II
gun. Then she was laid along side
the ~Redoubtable, her guns touching
the French ship through the timber OF
which their shot went crashing. Her
larboard battery. meanwhile. was
Justly tlpuStu VIII tie buttlltuuTt,
N~illeneuvc's flagship, and the Saints
sima Trinidad. Harvey, who saw her
thus engaged from the Temeraire, de-
clnred hfterwnrd that she seemed to
belch fire. All the other British ships
were similarly occupied. The cannon
ade was terrific, the slaughter dread
full. The French and Spanish, who for
the most part had gone into action
without flags, were now producing
them In order to surrender. VII
lencuvc's fleet was being knocked to
pieces about him.
Twice Nelson gave the order TO cease
firing upon the Redouhtable. believing
she had struck, but 1t was from this
vessel that he received his death. An
infantryman In her imizzen top took
careful aim at the gallant figure on
the Nlctory's quarterback and sen Il
musket ball through the epaulet on his
left shoulder. lie fell upon his face in
the pool Of blood left by Scott, his dead
secretary. Admir- and his marines
sprang to the stricken admiral'S side.