Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-16
Horse, With no Medical
Diploma, Helps Doctor
Cure American Captain,

One of the Associated Press men
with the American army in France
sends home this story:
An American captain of artillery ly-
ing wounded in an American hospital
at the rear of our sector northwest Of
Toul called his nurse to his bedside
the other day and said:
I'm feeling pretty good now. but I'd
feel whole lot better if only I could
sec old Bill, my horse
The orderly spoke to the ward ply
stefan. the surgeon in charge OF the
hospital telephoned to artillery head
quarters and soon afterward an order
~ came galloping up the road to the
hospital and d!smounted.
Here's Captain Won Blanks horse
said he. The captain wants to see
him
SO orderly and horse were led around
70 q window in long low building.
Three windows down they stopped.
The orderly looked in and saw his
captain lying on a cot just inside.
Good morning captain" he said, Il
have brought Bill around
The wounded captains face broke
into smile.
Have him stick his head in" he
ordered
But the horse had heard a voice he
knew and he put his head inside the
ward window without any urging.
There was his master lying fiat on his
back. small bandage around his head
where tust little piece of rock hit.
And pinned to the pillow of his cot
was a little sronzei cross. suspended
from a green and red sritbon--the croix
de guerrc. E-iift~
For half an hour the wounded cap
tain talked to the horse. calling him
old Boy and "Old Man ana feebiy
stroking the animals soft nose. The
horse apparently understood. for he
kept his nose as close as possible and
stood perfectly STILL He only moved his
head once or twice and then it was TO
rub his nose against his masters palm.
The surgeon standing nearby
motoned to the orderly after a while
and the hors2s head was withdrawn
from the window. The orderly rode
him away-back toward the batteries.
The captain watched the window for
minute or two and then said to the
surgeon:
well I feel better. II Bill can
come round every day I ought to
be moving about in week or So
SO Bil-he isn't one Of the kind of
horses that the army calls an artillery
plug: he's a real American horse and
looks it-probably will be a regular
hospital visitor for some days to come.
For some months the captain had
affectionately cared for his mount. Be-
fore the artillery unit to which the
! officer belongs moved up to the line
he and the honse were together every
day and sometimes all night. They
understood each other perfectly.
Then came the move to the front
and for several weeks the officer did
not get many chances to ride, there
| being work to do with batteries trained
on the Germans. Then there was an
| American raid on the enemy lines,
with its barrage and enemy counter
| battery work. The captain was in the
thick Of it and during the time when
| German shells were falling heaviest
around our guns. he was obliged to go
out into the open to give orders to
some of his men.
A shell dropped near and exploded
and a splinter tore into the captain
chest. Three days later he was in an
evacuation hospital within sound OF
his own guns and declared to be In
dangerous condition. 1t was feared by
his friends that he would die.
However, his strength and excellent
medical attention have pulled him thru
until today. when, according to the
surgeon, he is on the road to recovery.