The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-11-20
Tbc OttuMMa Courier.


A Good Day for Mules.
A good story is told of two of our soldiers
at Paducah, which will pay for ITS space in
repeating. When our troops first received
their teams, they were troubled to procure
forage; 50 the mules were turned loose on
setherds in the outskirts of the town. DC.
casionally a few would be missing, until
Uncle Sam found himself minus some TWEEN
ty-five or thirty Those which strayed
away were caught up by the rebcl specula.
tors and taken IT, Blanaville, back Of Column
LuS. where they had accumulated some fifty
stolen and purchased animals, which We're
under five or six keepers. The tw, private-
mentioned, (memhers If the 40!h Illinois
Volunteers hearing of the whereabouts of
the stock, asked General Smiths permits
sion to attempt their recapture. which,
with some missivings, was srtntei. The
boys, dressed in the garb of Kentucky far
mers, went and surveyed the field and fold
and set to work. They had whisky with
them--vhisky such as Kentucky rebels like
to get drunk on--good old Bourbon, and
the first object was to get them as comforta
bly, tight as possible which was not long in
being accomplished. Then the boys went
to the mule yard, let down the bars, noun
ted two Of the best, without saddle or bride
and started for Paiucah, the whole lot fol-
lowing at break. neck pace, and brayin
in the most hiabolical choru S. The keepers
were not long in discovering the trick. and
gave chase as far as they deemed prudent to.
ward our lines but to no purpose; and in
good season Saturday afternoon the boys
made their appearance at General Smiths
headquarters to report, their faces cleaning
with glow of satisfaction hard to describe.
Their report was condensation of laconism;
so will give the dialogue:
Gen. Smith-"Well, boys, what luck ?''
Soldier-"We got 'em, and more too"
Gen. Smith-"How many did you get ~
Soldier-"Forty, | rccokn-I han't coun.
ted EN-"
Gen. S,nith-"But that is more than we
lost You didn't steal any, l hope ~
Soldier "Steal christopher, steal Nc
Stree, but you see we didn't have time ia
pnt the bars up after we had got Uncle Sans
oct, and the Cd d--m things would
foller.'
Then the General drew on an elongated
countenance, and as sternly as though he
had been Judge and was sentencing a cul
prit to lifetime of imprisonment, lectured
the soldier roundly for using prcfane Ian.
guage m the quarters of the general officer
The soldier took the lecture unea SLY, twir!.
ing his hat nervously the while, and when
the General had "subSided' apolcgizcd as
fI!ows:
You see General, we have had TO cus.
the damned things all day to get EN- into
camp, and it's mighty hard to quit off all Of
i suddenly
Then the Generals rigidly relaxed; 4
smile or rather laugh came up from his
heart, and tried to escape from the corners
of his month; but discipline is discipline
with an old army officer, and it would not
do to allow such breach of decorum to pass
unnoticed but in consideration of the re
captured twenty five mules, "and more too, .
lie did not iniiict any severe castgation OF
put them under arrest, but, thanking them
for the services rendered dismissed them
with 4 caution to leave their profanity be-
hind when they came again to headquarters
and the boys left, declaring as they closed
the door, that ''such pious old cu*s
hadn't auy huFincss to be around among so
iar. "