Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-02-03
A War Memorial to Animals
BY Frederic j. Haskin

many indications that a drive for sim
liar project will soon be started over here.
The first indication is the recent
turn of Mr.. Ernest Harold Baynes from
Europe, with the report of the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, which clearly and enthusiastically
shows what horses, dogs, mules, camels,
elephants, oxen, mice reindeer, pigeons,
canares, cats and goldfish did to help win
the war, and how many of them lost their
lives.
In addition to this report, Mr.. Baynes,
who is slightly connected with the Museum
of Natural History and very much con-
nected with the New York Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has
report all of his own, based upon a per-
sonal investigation made along the but re
Gently vacated path of battle on the west
ern front. AS a result of these two re-
ports Mr.. Baynes has come to this con-
clusion, namely, that while animals may
not have won the war, the war could not
have been won without them.
Thus, with all the talk about motor
cars and tanks and airplanes, horses have
scarcely received honorable mention, yet
it is now asserted that American horses
accomplished much more for an allied vic
tory than did American airpIanes Alto
gether, six million horses served in the
war, in addition to millions of mules. The
allies alone put ten million horses into &C
ton, while Germany used up a million
horses in one drive. In fact, it now seems
out, the might have been prolonged,
for when the armistice was signed hardly
a horse was left in the German lines and
mich COWS were being used to draw Ger
man cannon
A Menagerie of Heroes
On the eastern front hundreds of ele-
plants lost their lives hauling heavy mu-
milton wagons and cannon, while 10 fewer
than pools camels died to make the
world safe for democracy. Reindeer proved
Of inv nah a in no ma on
but they may be left out of the European
war memorial because they are now giving
equally valuable assistance to the Bolshe
viks. Pigeons, however, will be generously
represented, for the pigeon did heroic work
everywhere they were needed. In the bat
tie of the Somme alone it is estimated that
5000 pigeons were used, only two per
cent of which failed to come through with
their messages.
The fact that goldfish aided in the war
comes as a distinct surprise to most OF
us but it seems that they did, in quite
subtle and clever way. When the allies
wanted to find out the secrets of the Ger
mans chemical gas, they put the gas he'll
NETS of the allied soldiers into tank
containing goldfish. The goldfish then alb
sorbed into their small bodies the various
chemicals that had been employed in the
preparation of the German gas, and from
the analysis of their bodies the allied
chemists were able to tell the approximate
deadly formula the Germans had used and
invent an antidote for it.
But if these facts do not convert you
to the idea of war memorial to animals,
Mr. Baynes' bravery incidents would There
is the incident of Satan, for instance
"It was evening in small town which
held a very important position IN the
allies line, near Verdun," according to Mr..
Baynes. "The town was garrisoned by
only few hundred French soldiers, who
had received orders to hold out at all costs
until they we're relieved The Germans
had succeeded in cutting them Off from
the rest of the army, and just as their
ammunition ran low, they had placed
battery to their left, which was pouring
deadly fire into the town. If the garrison
could only let the French army, now TWO
miles away, know the position of that Ger
man battery, they might yet hold the
town!
''The last telephones had been de-
stroyed; the last homing pigeon had oeen
killed by a shell-it looked hopeless.
"But in the garrison was dog trainer
named Duval Duval sought his command
ing officer, and spoke of Satan: Satan was
the trainers dog which he had brought
from the dog school with him.
"'If l only had Satan said Duval, L
could get a message to the main lines, or
if they would only send Satan to us:
am sure he could make it. He has been
over the ground with me hundreds Oh
times.
"Once more, the young man raised his
glasses and searched the space which
stretched between the lines.
"Tf they would only send him he re-
peated, then all at once he started FOR
ward Mon Dieu!' he cried excitedly, he
comes VOLTA! Satan, Satan
1.-THE commanding officer and several
others stepped forward, too, but all they
could see was a black speck moving rapidly
forward from a distance; then, it took on
the form of a dog, a large black one, that
seemed to be leaping through the air
Some of the men swore that ne new
Others declared they could see his wings.
But only Duval believed that he would
reach them-past the barrage fire-al1Ye.
'Then, suddenly, it seemed as II DuVal
were wrong. In the midst of his apparent
flight, the dog FELL as a missile struck him,
then staggered to his feet, confused and
faltering The precious message seemed
lost. But at this point, Duval, facing GER
tain death, leaped quickly to the top or
the trench wall.
"'Satan, come, mon ami, come
''That was all. The sentence was never
finished But it was enough; the dog had
seen and heard With an answering yelp,
he took up his miraculous flight and swept
triumphantly into town three legs, the
fourth swinging helplessly behind. Not,
however to the hand that had beckoned
to him. for Duval, his beloved master, had
paid the price of the messages safety.
For Gods sake hold on the message
read. Will relieve you tomorrow But
the dog also brought something else What
the men had mistaken for wings were two
little baskets, strapped to his sides, each
of which contained homing pigeon. Com
mlnicatiOn was once more eStabllShed BE-
tween the lines, and early the next morn
ing the German battery was s1lenced, the
garrison relieved"