Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-15
SHOOTING TEXAS MULES.
Animals That Have Been Accustomed
TO Going Darefooted.
ia Butier Takes Contract to shoe Fifry
OF Ihen and Regrets II.
$, Louis Globe democrat.


Bernard dor, is quEint and picturesque
little anirnsl. He IL likewise a'poyelty In
this section OF country, and as ne racks
along the street here, nose down and ears
up. like pointer, In front ola Jefferson
avenue or Union Line street car, he at
tracts oitizens' attention, who laugh
at tbs incongruity 0i his work
and size, anf are inctned TO re-
gard bis connection With the street car
service as something bordering ON the
ridiculous. Rat he IS u hardy geological
midget and the street.car officials VIII
furnish him 81 the testimonials he wants
as 30 capacity In the matter Of pulling
bobtail cars They viii also recommend
his appetite as properly adjusted 10 tho
economies of large Boney-maklng cor
porations, for the Texas mule, accua-
toned all dis life 30 picking up bis living
as he goes, has an exceedingly accom-
modatiug stomach, and Is such n
small eRer that he Is overwhelmed
In the presence Of three oat
and twocut-feed Nealsa day, such "a the
average strect-car horse gets. As a
worker aud an eater he suits the car com
panles to II, but personally there are
some remarkably strong objections 70
him, One OF the most important Of these
~ itN IiiuhtA W hAhh illhAN1 WIN hAARnh
who ought % be nearest aud dearest to
him. The men working around the cur
stables he seems 20 absolutely dctest,
and the drivers OF cars lac has no use for.
la short time after getting him into
harness he viii learn TO stop when car
bell Is rung, but he starts again only at
his own sweet pleasure, and he Is
Just as liable 10 break away
Into his little tick-tack trot while
fat woman Is getting off the
back OF the car as he Is TO stay at the
crossing aud refuse 90 bulge for "a whole
hour. This is his quality Of stubbornness,
and IL IL mentioned In connection with
his selfish aud untriendly nature merely
as one OF its embellishing features. He
never allows himself to lose CASTE and
will not mingie with anybody but Texas
mules, no matter what tho rewards or
inducements that are offered him. At the
Jefferson avenue stables he prefers n cor
raj TO u satn.lined stall, aud ut the Union
stables, though he consents 10 20 into Il
stall, he will not let either man or horse
near him. He Is never curried, because
he won't allow anybody 10 approach near
enough TO do the currying, and the only
attention he gets besides his ratlOns IL a
rubbing off Of his back, which Is accom-
pllshcd with long handled brush such as
they use in washing windows.
IlE WILL KICK
Just for amusement, and never waits for
any provUcation. And when he does
kick he sends both hind heels quivcring
in the air like the striking hammer OF a
small gong-bell which you hear when a
friend rings you up for the telephone. lie
can give more kicks In rapid succession
he is such an adept In the business that he
can follow man mile, catch up with
hlmt wheel suddenly aud plant success
sion of kicks between the buttons on his
cuat-tails before the man can gather his
thoughts sufficiently TO tell his own name,
There are over 100 OF those tiny mules
now In this city owned by the street-car
companies. They are purchased In Job
lots In Texas and then shipped here,
Some arr 80 very small that they cannot
be used on the cars, and are sold TO the
mining companies Of this neighborhood,
who work them under ground. They can
he bought In lots no Sl4 II team, and will
work harder than horse, many OF them
making three trips day, where the larger
and, 10 all appearances, the stronger, ami
mai makes only two trips daily.
Their owners are highly delighted
with them on this account,
and for others that have been mentioned
The only people who have trouble with
them are the hostlers, the drivers and
Ed Butler's horse-shoers. Mr.. Butler
has the biggest hOrse-ahoelng establish
ment In tho city, and the day after the
last big sleet put new shoes on exactly
AS horses. His regular force of men
accomplished this work and they did not
do any blowing about II, either but the
other day fifty of the Texas mules were
sent 10 the shop from one OF the car
stables, and these fifty little mules
gave the ten or eleven men en-
gagged IN shooting them more trouble
than an old maid would have III handling
an armful OF cats. The car companies
had tried TO shoe the mules at their own
shops, but they found it impossible to
shoe more than two OF them a day. The
mules kicked too hard for the corpora
TONS farriers; they bit too promiscuous-
lyi they wlu dnt stand still, and when
Knocked down wouldn't stay down, even
though II ton weight was placed on top OF
them. One Of the mules continued his
recalcltrant glddiness until he kicked mis-
own leg OF, aud the other broke his own
neck with a kick. Then the board OF
directors held a meeting and offered the
work to ed Butler.
Ri BUTLER TOOK THE jon
at 81 per mule, aud the directors chuckled
gleetully as they sIgned the contract.
When the mules were driven into the rear
OF Buffers shop the next morning the fun
began, The force selected one Of the
meekest looking Of the mules for their
first victim. The excitement started when
an attempt was made TO throw rope
around this mule. He resisted every
effort to coax II m, and flually succumhed
only tn strategy; ho was lassoed and
dragged 10 the bar whore horses and
mules are tied while being shod, Now this
mule, Just Ike the forty.nne others which
were regarding his treatment from afar,
had been accustomed TO going barefoot Ia
Texas, and as the cactus didn't hurt his
feet any, he thought the streets of st.
Louis couldn't do him any damage. In.
stinct seemed to prompt him To knowl-
edge OF the fact that he was going 10
be torn from his bar, footedness, and he
made a preliminary kick against putting
on the iron slippers. He kicked with all
four feet at once, and the men scattered
hurrledly 10 every corner Of the shop.
After moment or two they cautiously
returned 10 the attack, aud between