Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1921-04-30
She did H
Soldiers Tribute to r
Dumb Buddy.
viii Appeal to Others Besides
Who in France Made The
Deeds immortal.

When | first saw Joan If
writes Major F. n. Lund In tb
don Times Magazine. she was
an old soldier, standing In al
bleak field near the ruined Will
ElvcrGnghe. She was only
English shire cart horse thai
come through the retreat wit
eral other horses in our string
remember seeing little OF her
Ing those first strange weeks In
forward billet; but when we mo
back into rest saw at the end o.
column Of steaming horses Joan
her team mate, Darby. That SUNNI
We lost horses. We moved slowl
forward and sometimes backward, day
and night In action, with the horses
never far away in open fields.
With the autumn came rain, mu
and cracked heels, and In the villag
Of Souastre Darby had to be led awe
with open gashes on both hind fe It.
Joan worked badly that day
ate scarcely anything. The next
she stayed In and fed out Of my ha
The following day she seemed
again; but Darby's place had b
hard to fill. Through that VIII
and summer OF defensive var
ratlons were seldom late, though the
were often delivered under fire. Joa
maintained her old gait, apparent,
caring little about the going or whetb
or she drew more than her share OF
the load.
The winter Of 1917-1S found us
Potijze. and the horses in a. ruiz
Ypres. There was a lot of hard
but no action. One day Joan's
and her driver were struck down
her side at feeding time, and,
was the only one left of our
horses.
Then the tide turned, and we be
to advance-Arras to Cambria h
week. When we pulled out " Can.
brai the Huns were in full retreat
and we were told to keep up with
the advance" At dusk, footsore, tire
and hungry we pulled our few
manning carts into small field n
the ruined chateau OF Escaudoeuvr
We unlocked. tied our famishe
horses, unrolled our blankets and fel.
into ditches-but for once the rations
we're not up.
And there was no sleep that night.
A battery OF SOS had pulled into the
chateau drive In front, an airplane
had seen their flashes and had spotted
the transport on the road. All night
long we were carrying and tying up
wounded. At last daylight came, but
no rations; where were they-ai =
Joan?
Finally the Smelling stopped,
out of the mass of transport on
road came battered wagon,
high with food. drawn by a soil
horse bleeding from the hind leg
nostrils-merely staggering alo
with the driver wearing red
where his helmet should have
A great cry went up from the weary
hungry men.
But AT once I saw the wagon stop
inside the field and great horse
sway for an instant. sink TO her knees,
topple over and lie still.
.
They say that In some devastated
parts of France women at night have
seen ghosts OF their loved ones rise
and walk with them. If this is so,
then some OF my lost men may march
with me once more And in peace
meadow that l know OF, near
built chateau, may one night h
the creaking of wagon and
sound of wheels. and / shall sec
horse that I once knew, driven whe.,
there should be two; and she shall be
covered with foam and bleeding at the
nostrils and lame. And l shall hear
a well-known voice shout, "Ratious
up" and ghosts of weary fighting
men shall echo THANK God and
ms stumble away l shall murmur