Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-11-22
Good DaY for RGules.

i A good story is told of two of our soldier
at Paducah, which will pay for its space in n
peating. When our troops first received thei
teams they were troubled to procure forage; S
the mules were turned loose or tethered in tn
outskirts Of town. OccasiOnly few would b
missing until Uncle Sam found himself minu
some twenty-five or thirty. Those which stray
ed away were caught up by the rebel specula
tors and taken to BlandviIle, back of CnIum
bus where they had accumulated some so stO
| len and purchased animals, which were unde
FIVE or six keepers. The two privates mention
ed, (msmbers of the fourteenth Illineis Volun
| teers,) hearing of the whereabouts of the stock
asked General Smiths permission to attempt
! their recapture, which, with some misgivingS
was granted. The boys dressed in the garb o.
Kentucky farmers, went and surveyed the field
ard fold, and set to work. They had whiskey
| with them-Svhi-izr,y such as Kentucky rebell
like to get drunk on-gOOd old Bourbon, and
the first object was to get them as tight as pos
sible, which was not long in being accomplish
ed. Then the boys went to the mule yard, let
down the bars mounted two Of the best. with
out brEie or saddle, and started for PaducAh,
the whole lot following at a break neck pace,
and hraying in a most diabOlical chorus. The
keepers were not long in discovering the trick,
and gave chase as far as they deemed prudent
towards the lines, but to no purpose; and in
good scason Saturday morning the boys made
their appearance at General Smiths headG Guar-
tiers to report, their faces oeaming with glow
of satisfaction hard to describe. Their report
was condensation of lacoDsm; so will give
the dialogue:
Gen. Smith-"Well, boys, what luck?'
Soldier-"We got EN-. and more too"
Gen. S-"IIow many did You get?"
SoIdier-"Forty, recon, haint counted EN-.
Gen. S.-"But that is more than We have
lost. You didn't steal ary l hope"
Soldier -"Steal! Kristopher, steal! No, sir
rec, but you see We didn't have time to put the
bars up after we had got Uncle Sans out, and
the Cd id things would fOller.'
Then the General drew on an elongated
countenance, and as sternly as though he had
been Judge and was sentencing culprit to
a lifetime of imPriaQnWent, lecturel the soldier
roundIy for using profane language in the quar-
tcrs of .fhe general offiocr. The soldier took
the lecture uneasily. twirling his hat nervously
all theswliIe, and when the General had 'su5si-
ded aTelogzed as follows:
"Y0u s.e, General, we have had to GUS the
id things all day to gpt EN- into camp and it's
might hard TO qlit off all of a suddenly"
Then the Generals rigidity relaxed; smilo,
or rather laugh, came up from his heart, and
tried to escape from the corners of HE mouth;
but discipline is discipline with an old army Of
ic r, and it would not do to allow such
breach of decorum TO pass unnoticed, but incon-
sidcra'ion of the rccapture Of twenty-five
mules, land more too" he did not inA:ct any
severe castigation or put them under an arrest.
but thanking item for the services rendered.
dismissed them with a caution to leave their
profanity behind them when they came again
to headquarters, and the bays left, declaring,
as they closed the door. that ''such pious old
cuss hadcn't any business to be around among
sojers."