The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-05-08

kicking bunch Of horses they went, ms.
sisted by Doc Casey. -Four Of the
horses received broken legs, and Pin.
gro, instead of shooting them, cut
their throats with a sharp dagger he
carried.
One of the negroes from the lower
hold staggered to the upper deck with
his face blanched almost white, and
his eyes popping out Of his head. BE.
tween gasps he Informed us that n
whole section Of stalls, II in all, had
been carried away between decks, and
that the horses were loose. He said
three negroes in his gang were caught
In this stampede.
The foreman mustered most Of the
men, and dividing them into three
groups. in charge of himself, the sec
ond foreman and Doc Casey. they went
below. l followed. An awful sight met
my eyes.
The ship was lurching in n horrible
manner. All ! could see was. one
minute n pile of kicking horses,
smashcd-up planks and the three ne.
grocs piled up in one corner of the
compartment. and then, with n lurch
Of the ship, they would slide into the
other. Nothing could be done by us.
II was madness to attempt anything.
The three negroes were dead.
That night and the following day
was n perfect he'll on the ship for men
and horses. The ship rode through
the squall, and when il became calm
we all got busy. Out of the ~ horses
between decks we had 10 shoot II on
account Of injuries. Besides the II
3 had died from broken necks. The
4 remaining horses were stlll alive
but hardly had n square foot of hide
left. They were a pltiful sight.
The next day the three negroes
were buried ut sea without q word Of
prayer.
I was heartily sick and disguised
with the rest Of the trip, because the
stencil was awful, there being about
twelve dead horses that we could not
get out.
Just outside OF the entrance Of the
river leading to Bordeaux, n small.
rnklsh boat, flying the tri.color Of
France. came alongside. We hove 10
and up the gangplank came three
French officers. They were closctcd
with the captain Of the ship ana our
foreman, and after about twenty min.
utes. left and we continued on our
course.
Going up the river In some places
the banks were only about twenty
feet away. We could sec the French
women tillIng their fields. As we
went by these workers stopped and
waved their hands In the mir to us, and
we waved back. II was my first sight
OF France, and | was not In any way
disappointed. 1t lived up to my expec.
tations.
A little farther up the river we came
10 a large dock where ships were load.
Ing and unloading g ana n Thrill,
passed through me as / saw INV first
batch OF German prisoners nj worl,
These were immense fellows. ncprlv
every n being six feet or over. They
were guarded by little French soldiers
averaging about five feet five inches,
with a long rifle, bayonct fixed. This
rihe' In comparison with the French.
man, looked Ike n telegraph pole. The
soldiers a on the old blue o%ycrcoats
me tails buttoned back, pattern of
1871. "
AS we passed tho German prisoners
they scowled at us, and we. fooI,n"
quite safe on the deck, yelled bacr in'
su,.s ut them One big Irishman!
,lght near me- took great glee In jump.
ing up IN down on the ~hatchway and
running his finger across his tbroo,
This seemed to enrage the prisoners
sno they yelled something In German