Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-14
BRAVE, BUT IN VAIN.
Trying to Hold n Mule Back from a
Frightful Death by the Tail.
From the Philadelphia Times.

| From the Philadelphia Times
| Mrs. Elizabeth. Furst, middle-aged woman
| from the country, with strong face and hard,
| sinewy hands, mad suit in Judge Felrs COM
mon pleas court yesterday against the Pennsyl-
vania railroad company to recover for the loss
| OF mule. The animal had been broken down
physically and was sent to her farm to be killed.
Fresh air and good grass, however, reused it up
a bit, and Mrs. Furst thought it's lite was worth
preservingfor while longer. The creature was
hers by right of gift, and she put it at work
| drawing her milk wagon and cart In which
| she carried her garden truck. The tempera-
ment of the mule was amazingly even. Nothing
ever excited or disturbed him.
| Mrs Furst lived near TacOny. In the after
| noon of May %, 1882. the mule was jogging
along with the milk wagon and Mrs. Furst and
| her 11-year-old son behind him. AS the mules
head emerged from a clump of bushes the shrek
of locomotive whistle startled the animal and
Mrs. Furst and the boy. New York express
was bearing down on them. The whistle was
for down brakes and the engine, which had
| been coming at rapid rate suddenly slackened
| its speed. 1t could not be brought at once to
| standstilI and came smoothly gliding on. Mrs.
Furst jumped out at one side Of the wagon.
! The boy scampered out at the other. The
mule walked right on till it's nose was over the
| track.
'Oh! Johnnie, where are the reins?" cried Mrs
| Furst.
"Down under the mules feet, nanny LOOK
outmhe will run over you.' screamed the boy.
Then he is lost" cried the woman with tears.
''He will be crushed. No; have it. lean save
| him."
! AS she spoke she leaned over the shaft and
with her strong, brown hands firmly seized the
mule by the tail.
| "Whoa-up, whoa-up," she cried
! The mule raised his eyes in surprise for an in
| slant, then gathered himself together, and
bEndly strained straight on again.
| obstinate mule" cried Mrs. Furst. Chow
| stubborn you are but you must not die; You
shall not die" She planted her toes in the
| roadway. threw back her shoulders and pulled
with all her might. Little by little she felt her
| strength give way and the mule seemed always
| fresh 80
oh Johnnie" she cried as the massive en-
CINE rolled up; "here it is and l am going,
am going"
Hold for minute more" cried Johnnie
Hold and / will help you"
The boy threw his arms round his mamma and
| fell on his knees and tugged like Turk Grad
uay the tail came backwards but only two
! inches; hardly enough. The catcher caught
him up bodily. He was carried foot or two
/ and the engine came to a standstil.
| "ls he injured? Is he hurt?" cried Mrs. Furst
gaz ng at the mule standing very complacently
on the engines front.
| Not bit Of it," answered brakeman as he
assisted the mule to alight. His nerves are
| little shaken maybe, that's ALL
| died. The jury thought, however. that the
| locomotive engineer was not to blame and gave
verdict for the railroad company.
| The Great Unknown Registers.
From the Chicago News
| He was large man, who wore good clothes
and looked as if he had been away from home
before. As he walked up to thelalr of the hotel
clerk in the Grand Pacific he was Closely OBJ
served by the hundred men who stood around
looking for something big to float in. He took
up pen, and everybody in sight breathed
heavily with excitement. There was no doubt
about 1t; he was going to register.
Things will boom from now on" whispered
Blaine man to Logan sympathizer "Oh,
| they'll hum since that fellows got here"
''Who is he!''
Cant think of his name Just at this minute.
But he's the man to capture the delegates as
they come in. He's got his own state in his vest
pocket"
(Which Is his state?"
"Dont remember. But hurry up and We'll
look"
The prominent man from abroad had dashed
off his signature with easy haste, while eleven
men tried to read 1t over his shoulder He laid
down the pen and turned away. Instantly there
was rush for the register. Amid the general
scramble. nobody could decipher the blotted
scrawl.
"Wat, gentlemen. and I'll read it to YOU"
said the clerk. "He's Jones, Of Evanston, and
he's going to stay to dinner"