Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-12-03
a cnnhi,nx for Mules.

A good story is told Of two of our SOL
diers, at Paducah, which will iay for its
space Of repeating. When our troops hrsi
received their teams they were troub ed 10
procure forage 50 the mules we're turned
loose or tethered III the outskirts If the
town. Occasionally few wcul! be miss
ing, until Uncle Sam found himself minus
some twenty i've or thirty, Those which
strayed away were caught up by the rebel
specuiators and taken to Blapdville, back
OF Columbus, where they had accumulated
some fly stolen ard purchased animals,
which were ulder five or six keepers. The
two privates mentioned (memhers of the
Fourtieth liliuois VUlunteers) hearing Of
the whereabouts Of tha stock asked Cen.
Smiths permission to attempt their re cap
lure, which, with soms misgivipgs was
granted The boys dressed in the gerb of
Kentucky farmers went and surveyed the
field and fold, and set TO work. They had
whiskey with them whiskey such as X en-
lucky rebel, like ~ get drusk on, coed old
B1urb5n. and the frst object was to get
them as comfortably tight as possible,
which was DOT long on being accom- plished
Then tie boys went to the mule yard let
down the bars, mnnnted two Of the best,
without saddle or bride, and started for
4
neck pace, and braying in the most diabol>
zeal chorus. The keepers we're not long in
discovering the trick, aud gave chase as tar
as they deemed prudent toward our lines,
but to 10 purpose; and in good season Sat
urday afternoon the boys made their APP
pearance at Gen. Smiths headquarters to
report, their faces beaming witt. glow of
satisfaction there to describe. Their report
was a condensation of Lqconism so i will
give the dialogue:
Gen. Smith-"Well, boys, what luck ?"
SuldIer-"We got 'em, and more too"
Gen. Smith-"How many did YOU get?"
Soldier-"FOrty, | recon. haint counted
en-"
Gen. Smith-"But that is more than we
have lost. You didn't steal any, | hope /"
Solder-"Steal Keristopher, steal! No
siree, but you see we didn't have time to
put the bars up after we had got Uncle
Sans ont, and the Cd id things
would fo,ler.
Then the General drew en- an elongated
counienance, ard as steruly as though he
had been q judge and was sentencing cul-
prit to life time of imprisuument, lee
tured the soldier roundly for using prolane
language in the quarters If the general
officer. The soldier took the lecture un-
easily, twirlirg his hat nervousIy the while
and the General had subsidized, ap,l 'gized
as follows:
"You see, General, we have had to GUS
the ID things all day to git 'em into
camp aud it's mighty hard to quit off all of
a sudden"
Then the Generals rightly relaxed a
smile or rather Laugh, came up from his
heart and tried to escape from the corners
Of his mouth but discipline il discipline
with an CID army officer, aud it would not
do to allow such a breech Of dec0rum to
Iass unnoticed, buC in consideration of the
recapture Of twenty-five mules. and more
too ne did not inhlct any severe castga-
tim or put them under arrest, but thank
ing them for the services rendered, dis,
missed them with caution TO leave their
profanity behind when they came agap to
headquarters, ard the boys left. declaring,
a. they cl,sed the door, that such piuus
oil cLss hadn't any business to be around
among FRS.