Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-06-30
Very Pronounced Mule.


district, in Arizona, early in its history
He was mule. Very pronounced mule
Joe Singleton brought HIM into the district
He said he gave 800 for him in California
He expected to get some work out of Jerry
in the mines. He didn't.
Jerry was the color of a sunbeam buffalo
robe, large and angular, and knock-kneed
before and behind. Very, behind. He
had only one ear, the other had probably
been cut of by some one in fit of anger.
1t was, no doubt, the last mules ear tina;
man ever cut off. Jerry was a mule that
would resent anything of that kind. When
he was going to sleep his surviving ear
would nod, and sink lower and lower until
it hung down over his eyes. Jerry was
dreaming then of his childhood days. He
was an old mule in meanness.
Joe tried Jerry at various kinds of work
Tried him at whIm for raising ore Jerry
didn't work long until he had misunder-
standing with his driver. He kicked the
driver, and drove him off the hill Jerry
was so certain that no miner would work
in the shaft when he was at the whim. To
do so would be taking chances with the ore
bucket. He was harnessed to water cart,
but kicked the head out of the water barrel.
Next he was placed in team. His habits
were demoralizing to the other mules in
the team, and he was removed from their
society. o: e evening he and another mule
were tied together to keep them from wan
dering too far, and turned out to browse for
the night. The next morning one of them
was dead. Jerry wouldn't work at any
thing He Just wanted to wander around
and enjoy himself.
1t got so he had nearly all his time to
himself. He roamed about the camp and
vicinity. One day lie fell into an aban-
doned shaft thirty feet deep. No one tried
to get him out. 1t was thought he might
end his useless existence in there. He
could be seen at the bottom nodding.
Finally. after he had been in five days,
Tom kerrigan took pity on him, Tom was
kind to animals. He said Jerry was a
bad mule but he ought not to be allowed
to starve. Tom rigged ropes, got help and
hoisted him out. Then he walked up to
Jerry, and patting him asectionately, said:
Had pooty rough time, didn't you,
old boyl"
Tom disappeared in the shaft, Jerry had
Strengthened out one of his hind legs Tom
was taken out very seriously injured. He
linge-ed between life and death for long
time. He had to have one of his legs am
putated, and finally got up with stiff arm.
He is making his living as musician in
San Francisco now. \ hand organ
Jerry did not have a paint-brush tail.
His owners had always seemed to like just
his natural tail. They loved life.
Jerry was getting to be prominent in
Ivanpaugh. He was a rising mule His
conduct, however, was beginning TO tell on
his owner Joe Singleton had come into
Camp a steady young man, but he was get
ting little reckless and disipated. Trouble
on his mind.
Joe was getting poorer and he needed his
mules assistance. He tried Jerry once
more, drawing the car in and out of the
tunnel, Jerry drew the car out once, in q
kicking manner. Just as he returned from
the mouth of the tunnel TO the face of it a
big blast went off prematurely. Outside
parties went into the tunnel, peering
anxiously through the smoke to see if the
five men working at the face were injured.
The blast had made an Unexpectedly large
hole in the floor of the tunnel. When the
smoke grew less dense, Jerry was discov-
cred standing at the bottom of this hole,
unhurt, chewing piece of fuse. Jerry
would eat almost anything. He was par
tial to pieces of bacon rind, wagon covers
and colors. He could make IA comfortable
meal on axle grease. At one time he was
stealing barley from sack; there were
some giant cartridges mixed IN with the
barley; he picked up one of the cartridges;
a number of men were watching him, ex-
pecting to see him diea most horrible death;
they thought it would be a fit ending of
his career. Jerry ehewed and the car
fridge exploded. His tail made little
tremulous moye-that was all. He spit
out the shell and took another cartridge.
A new man from California came into
the camp He Recognized Jerry and Joe.
He said Joe had not given a hundred dol
lars for the mule. That Jerry was from
the San Joaquin valley, where he had been
a prominent leading mule. That there had
been mass meetings of the citizens there to
determine how to get rid of Jerry. He
vps thinning out the farming community.
That finally the county court of Mercer
county gave joe Singleton, who was pass
ing through the county, ten dollars to take
the mule to Arizona Joe's hundred dol
lar story was exploded. He was joked
about it. He drank harder.
Jerry wandered further and further away
from the camp. Joe had despaired of him.
Other mules would not associate with him.
They felt constrained in his presence. He
disappeared.
One day an Iyanpaugh Indian came into
camp. His band made their headquarters
on the little creek twenty miles away. He
was IN trouble. He wanted to go to Wash
ington to see the great father. He said !:
''Me want talk great father. Mclean man
mean. Let mule go-mule eat tent. Pa
poose he hit mule-mule he kill papoose-
kill squaws. Me big chief-hit mule
mule hit me-he big chief"
1t was Jerry.
Joe Singleton died in an insane asylum.