Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1872-12-06
Shoeing a Mule.

A Winchester, Tenn., correspond
ent of the New York Herald, thus de-
scribes recent attempt to shoe mule
in that village;
F'Six negroes on the common road,
opposite blacksmith's shop, for over
an hour were trying to persuade a
young, tall, robust country mule to al
low himself to be shod. They put q
rope collar round his neck, and to
that attached line which, thrown out
between his hind legs, was intended to
trip up each in turn and hold it in po-
sition while the blacksmith-Sam by
name-operated on the hoof. For O.
yer an hour this extraordinary mule
fought the six men, kicking away the
trap laid for his enslavement as easily
as he might a cobweb, and describing
high up in the air forked lightning
diagrams with his heels-a sight fear
full to behold. Painting, yet patient,
their hats kicked off their heads, their
tshins bruised and their pants torn, the
six gallant darkies stuck to that super
natural mule until finally they secur-
ed his right hind leg and had his hoof
laid ON Sam the blacksmith's lap rea-
dy for the sacrifice. By this time all
the surrounding points Of vantage
were occupied by spectators wrought
up to the most intense pitch of excite
ment-Johnson men cheering on the
mule, Maynard men cheering on the
darkies. Sam the Blacksmith was a
tall, well-built fellow. He had his
back to the mules head and was in a
STOPPING position over the hoof. In
front of him, about six feet from the
mules tail Ga perilous distance), was
a circle of about twenty darkies await
ing the operation of putting the shoe
on with the most solemn interest,"
Never did mule draw such pious rev.
erence from a like audience.
'Pd ha' let him be-" said one; "dar's
no use afussin' with such good for
muffin meule as dat"
"Fo' God,,' exclaimed another, in a
low and cautious tone, 81 do b'lieve
in my So de ole debbel hisself is in
dat dar meule."
"Wot you speak alike dat fo'?" said
third turning on the previous speak
er. "Dat meule hears everytin you
say and thinks it insultin'. Don't
know wedder the debbel is in him; but
l do consequentially believe dar's
heap of kick in his hind legs STILL
Guess whoever gets him will tink so
too. l wants my head insured when
Ise axed to nurse him."
In the meantime Sam had his impIe-
ments ready, and an assistant farrier
approached and laid the shoe tenderly
upon the virgin hoof. A nail was in
serted, while Sam elevated his ham,
mef to deliver the pregnant blow that
was to drive it safely home. It was
a moment of breathless and agonizing
suspense with whites and blacks alike.
The latter anticipated triumph for
their race; the former prepared to keep
their sides from splitting asunder.-
Sam's legs shook, but he brought
down the hammer with all his might,
and at the same moment an explosion
occurred that fairly baftled description.
A trip hammer falling on ton weight
of nitro-glycerine immured in a tin
box could hardly have produced any
more sudden and bewildering results.
Quicker than thought the mule drew
his hind leg forward, and springing it
back with incredible force, struck the
still stopping Sam square in the bull
bous center of his hind section, pro-
jecting him forward in the air like a
cannon ball from catapault. AS
Sam disappeared in space he knocked
all the darkies in front of him down
like ninepins, scattering them over the
road in all directions and landing him
self on top of a snake fence twenty feet
away"
h~A tender-hearted widow tainted
at the funeral of his third-beloyed.
"What shall we do with him." ask
ed a friend of his. s~.
''Let him alone" said waggish BY