Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-09-16
FnoY|d'I4|1 IT 9A1l'h||ll'|1|| : ]

said William Platt, the Mianus OK shoel.
the other day as he drove the last nail
into the hoof of 9 particularly nervous
OK. Then MI: Platt 'unloosed the big
swing by which the OK was suspended,
unfastened the chains that bound the
animals dangerous legs, opened the
neck pen, and with curious colloquial-
isms backed the newly shod "critter'
out. Then; ;MEsPRH washed Hs grimy
hands in the bigtub Of wster that so
often sizzled ind Esea4a / xith the
suddenly developed energy ot red hot
iron thrust into it, took his dinner pail,
and sat down on a nail keg 10 eat his
frugal meal. But Mr.. Platt did not eat.
He fell into: q meditative n16od,a with
his eyes fixed abstractedly upon horse
shoe on the foor.,t3s Ga.t.f s4sssyd ss%@
t'What are you dreaming about. Un- :
Gle BillP" asked one. of the men. al
"Me! heh" said Mr.. Platt, appear
ing suddenly to awaken. "Oh, l was
thinking what narrow line it is that
les between us and glory. It's just
twenty-five years since Joe Hooker
fought at Charlottesville, and some
how or other it always seems to mo
that if I'd had the chance might have
won some glory there ~ ,j..:
Here MIR. Platt seemed to have lost
his usual vivacity and rollicking good
nature, and to have become touched
with sadness.
Il enlisted in the old Seventeenth
Connecticut Regiment said he. mo
man was in such constant danger. Yet
l never was in a battle, never fired 4
gun in all the three years l served. If
I'd been killed there would not have
been any glory in it, yet I'll warrant
there wasn't a man in the regiment
Who Went into battle that need ell more
courage than l did, ,anetz i'll could have
had n chance to show little mite of tho
bravery on the field that l had to dis
play every day in another way, might
have won some shoulder straps for it.
But they'd never let me go into battle,
never" Here Mr.. Platt sadly shook
his head, and gazcd mournfully upon
the horseshoe.
what were you doing Uncle Bill,
that required so much bravcryp'
Doing? 5Shocing army mules"
said he with look expressive of tho
courage required for that occupation.
"Whcn went into the service" he
continued, Il enlisted for three years,
sooner shot or dead and expected to
show them that l had a little grit in nc.
/ hankercd alter a battle to let 'em SEQ
that could fight. But as soon as we
got to the front it began to be whis-
pered about that Uncle Bill-that's me
was to be detailed to shoe mules l
didn't enlist to shoe mules. But at
last it came. They detailed me at brig
ade headquarters to shoe mules.
:'Boys, a park of artillery in front of
you. and shells bristlng about you, is
nothing to the risk of that business. l
had narrow escapes enough every
dier had closer call than did, and
never got any glory for it. The worst
was at Charlottesville. 1t made me
feel bad to see the boys going to the
trout, with chance to win glory with
out half so much risk as l was put to
to shoe mules back at the headquarters.
But had to do it. There was COM
pany stationed near by, perhaps twenty
yards rom the place where was shoe
ing. They were guarding the road
that way, and were taking it easy.
The battle was going on in front, but
we were out of reach of the bullets.
had one solemn looking mule to tackcl,
and knew from that calm look that
he was deccitful animal, and he had n
powerful leg. Thinks to myself. asI
approached him, 'Unclc Bill, there's
more danger lurking in that air leg
than in the red hottest hand-to-hand
fight out in front, but thee amt any
glory in the dangcr.'
"Howevcr: tackled the job. ! got
the shoe on all right, and, suppose,
got a little needless. All of a sudden l
thought there'd come a flash of light
Diug. All l knew was that laid some
where on my back, with a cold chill on
my breast, and recolIected hearing q
sharp, whizzing noise. Then it occur
red 10 me that stray shell from, the
battle had landed 'twixt me and the
mule, and kinder laughed to think how
it must have scarf the animal. But |
raised up, and there, ten feet away, he
was as demure as a deacon. But /
heard noise over where the company
was stationed, and when looked sec
that they had scattered and were run
ming as though pretty badly frightened.
Thinks l, Uncle Bill, the rebs are COM
ing up that way, and you'll be pris-
oner. Well, do you know what did it9
Twas that pesky mule. He'd Kicked,
that's ALL He di.ln' bit me. Oh, no.
If he had wouldn't have been here to
tell Of it. Twas the wind from the
blow that fired me ten feet, and his
hoof just grazed my clothes in front,
cutting them off as clean as though he'd
used razor. But the curiousest thing
about it was this, and it shows what
power a mules got in his hind leg. L
was just putting the nail into the shoe
when he kicked. Well, sir, the force
of that kick threw the shoe off clear
across the field toward where that
company was. They heard it whirring
along in the air, and thought it was
shell. They ducked. The shoe struck
the door of an old shed, alongside of
| which the company was, and fastened
itself onto the door as slick as slicing
cuc'lmbers. The company though the
shell had lodged there and was going
to burst right away, and didn't they
skeddadle! Some of the main line
saw EN- running, and thought Lee was
coming up to flank 'em, and that
scarf EN- all the more so that was the
beginning of the. whole trouble with
| Joe Hooker's army. l don't know
| about that. Now, that'n give you
some idea Of what mule can do,s and
whether it needed any grit or not to
shoe 'em.
"Twjce besides during the war got
so near to kingdom come by way Of a
mules hoof that it makes me draw my
breath to think of it now; on James
island and once in Virginia. But
what glory do get for it? l begged
'em to let me 60 into fight. They
wouldn't t do it. So there l was, three