The Dillon tribune., 1885-07-11
p,~uey, the Mine Mule.

-. n.rney. the Mine Mule.
,,o.rs ago, writes Coalbrook
Three yea yeaaondent to the New York
Pa: . eu mule known as ..Old barney. barney,
Ssa, son. spent thirty-five successive ...
having drawing coal-cars in the tun-
years III .he % Old Hickory collery, was
nels OF ,,t ,11 If the mine by his owner
taken ued oue A. ont to do as he pleased.
and r;ur tu.i breathed any fresh air nor
NO. NO. glimpse Of daylight since INC loHG, l;,
G'd nad Rarnev 3 did not take kindly 70 ms ;
Ola I 1;fe and for weeks hung around
ne" .;ne lnos recognizing the voices OF the
the mus a. thew went in and came out,
miners r;,;no IN every evidence that he was
ana ssI;cL sL and wanted to go back to the
ho%esd snd gloomy chambers where he
nsa d ~ 3 DAYTIME for several days, but
u u. 'ss sieht gradually adapted itself to
nIs y 1sw conditions. After Barney
the td ~ hat they were not disposed to
iouhs I;,n back into the mine, he quit go
~. -. I,.s ne.r Il. and spent his time wander
ing !ng As alone about the neighborhood,
m:skine ny no spot his particular habita-
S, ,;"n but being welcome everywhere:
=. .Oi' h. was known for miles around and
- ssss,nscted ~ as the mule that had lived
.s;lty.fiye years in coal mine.
liz =: acted as if he felt that he had
Inv n' tnrned out as a useless append
.cs . and he had a perpetual look OF
%nslsncholy on his face. and chose the
most solitary spots, where he would
n,u,s aomstimes remain for days at q time
ssOommuning with himself. In spite Of
I I;s melancholy and his years, his eyes
mere ,,s bright, his coat soft and glossy,
snd " his BODY in good flesh. Whenever
~ ssN .npeared in the mining villages,
which be did frequently, he was al
wsys surrounded and followed by
troons ro Of miners children, tugging his
stubby tail, hanging to his mouse-col-
ored ears, and straddling his round
h.ck He tolerated children without a
nrotest. ur no matter what they did to
Kim. but their merriment never dis
pelled his melancholy for second.
For q week or so past workmen have
heen blasting in ledge Of rocks near
Old Hickory colliery for the purpose Of
cutting a roadway through it. Last
Thursday Old Barney came sauntering
along from some place in the hills, and
stopped to watch the men at work in
the ledge. He evidently remembered
the DAYS of blasting in the mines, for
every time the men made a charge
ready and sought place of safety to
await the explosion, Old Barney would
take himself of, too, returning after
the blast had gone of.
After half an hour of solemn enjoy
ment Of this kind, Old Barney walked
of and disappeared behind the ledge,
and the men soon forgot all about him.
An hour later they put in an extra
large blast and retired as usual to their
safe retreat. About the time they ex-
pected to hear the report and see the
fragments of rock flying about, what
was their astonishment to see Old Bar
ney reappear around the ledge and
walk deliberately up to within six feet
Of the burning fuse. 1t was too late to
drive him away, for tho fuse would be
burned to the powder before the men
could 20 ten feet toward the mule.
They turned their heads. The blast
went of like cannon, and poor Old
Barney was thrown q rod away and
torn 10 pieces by the mass of rocks the
concussion hurled from the ledge. No
one can convince any one who ever
knew Old Barney that he did not place
himself in the way of the blast, know
ing we'll what the result would be, for
the purpose of ending a life that had
become burdensome to him.