Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-04-05
Kicked into Notoriety.

farmers of Macon, Georgia. led AN oil
mule to the front gate and bade him g,
his way and sin no more. For NOR,
than two years he had lavishe6 time ant
affection on the animal, in the nope tha
on some future day he could pronounce
him cured of the habit of kicking, AL
mules kick more or less, but this par
teular mule was the boss kicker in
fact, he did nothing else but kick. Col.
b. worked on him faithfully, and tried
hard to bring him around to a CON-
sciousness that such indiscriminate and
continued kicking was not only out of
ali reason but dangerous. These efforts
were unavailing. Finally, after ex-
hausting every means. he took him to
the front gate rs aforesaid and bade him
seek other fields and pastures new.
1t may be said chat in thus parting
with mule that cost him some two
hundred dollars in money and the fu-
ture salvation of his soul in profanity,
Col. b. let fall more than one tear, and, ],
more than that, returned to the house
with bowed head and wept. But the
mule seemed to bave OWNED the true
intent of the former owner, snd III the
exuberance of Joy a. being released from
bondage; to say nothing of the plow
line, sent his heels high into the air and
whickered n whicker that favored of
real happiness. He nibbled now md
then at some tempting patch of green
grass along the borders of the road-the
same sweet patches that had, perhaps,
made the mouths of other mules bound
TO heavy loads of wood and cot
ton water, as they hurried along under
the lash of the driver.
But with such feast before him, our
mule was something Of an aesthetic, and
nunched here and there. ..after the man.
mel of dainty lady at banquet. For
miles did he scamper and nibble, not
knowing or caring where he was going,
forgetting In his exhilaration that it is
long lane that has no turning.
Hence it was not long before freed
man spied the happy animal. He had
acquired his forty acres. and to COM
plete his complement of this worlds
goods he needed the mule And to see
a fine fat animal ambIing along the road
without any visible owner was temp
tation he could not withstand, and he
took the stranger within his gates. The
mule saw more bondage and began to
kick against the proceeding. After he
had kicked against the proceeding ne
kicked against the house and everything
that came within range, and after de-
molishing everything standing he could
wound up the circus by kicking the
owner of the premises and then kicking
down the fence. He sought the road
once more, and met man with a team
and load of cotton. The man saw a stray
mule and took him up. tying him to the
rear of the wagon. 1t was tho work of
moment only for our mule to turn
around and kick theleft hand wheel into
pieces. leaving the wagon at standstill
in the road. The man turned him loose
with benediction.
His next venture was Lear Colum-
bus. How much damage he had done
In the interim, We hsvs not as yet been
informed, as the returns are not all in;
but when near Columbus, he struck
drove of cattle. The idea occurred to
him that there was picnic, and if he
ever did any kicking, now was his op-
portunity. We were not present, but
they tel ms that he carved q way through
that drove of cattle as a cannon ball
ploughs its way through an army; but
when he had gone through the ranks
triumphantly, he struck a big black bull
that was bringing up the rear and there
he found his match. HIS heels went
flying against the bulls head, but the
bull was always sharp enough to take
advantage of the uplifted heels and put
in his work with his horns in the mules
stomach, and few passes of this kind
resulted in a complete victory for the
bull.
The cattle driver, who had looked on
the encounter in dazed sort of way. |
now came forward and after a gaze on
the dead mule concluded to bring his
hind legs along as a trophy, as the
Indian brings the scalp of his victim.
As he neared Macon, Col. b. happened |
to be looking out, probably wishing for
a return of his animal, and saw the |
drover and his cattle. and also the hind
legs which he recognized at ouce as
those belonging to the boss kicker. The |
drover told him Of the encounter, where
upon the mule owner waxed wroth, and
will sue the cattle drover for damages,
placing the amount at two hundred dol
la-s. As counter suit the drover brings
in list OF damages which includes a
fearful lump on twenty cdd head of cat
tie, The case will probably cone up at
the snrlnp term of cDurt