Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-03-18
Shoeing the Broncho.

tions of Texas, Mexico, and in mining
localities of the Rocky and Sierra Ne
vada mountains, does not need TO have
the broucho mule described to him. A
thousand accounts have been written
of his peculiar virtues as saddle ami
NAL. Language has been stained ia
description of his "bucking" propensi-
ties and the height and frequency of
the asceuts into ether's space Of the
uninitiated who unluckily ventures on
the back of the broncho. No one &c
quainted with his family ever, In his
widest imaginings, pictured the bron-
cho as being brought east Of the cow
boy reservations. Sitting Bull might
| be civilized into a dime museum In
dian exhibit; "Buffalo Bill" and Tex
as Jack" were admitted not dangerous
if showing In a fifty acre open field
theatre, and the buffalo and cayote wolf
have been taken into Eastern geological
gardens. But the broncho to "buck"
his way into city life Never.
And yet that same has the bloncho
done. The street railroad companies
OF st. Louis, with temerity worthy of
cowboys, having harnessed him to their
cars-in fact, one hundred Of them.
The cObble stones of the street being
rougher than the sod Of his native
heath, the animal needs must lie shod,
and reporter Of th3 "Globe Demo
crat" describes the incident Of that un-
der;aking. After giving pen portrait
of the broncho, the reporter proceeds
10 say that there are some remarkably
strong objections to him, one OF the
most important of these beiLg his re-
fusal to make friends with those who
ought to be nearest and dearest to him.
The men working around the car
stables he seems to absolutely detest,
and the drivers Of cars he has no Lse
for. 10 short time after getting him
into harness he will learn to stop when
car bell is rung. but he starts again
only at his own sweet pleasure, aud he
is just as liable to break away into his
little tick. tack trot while fat woman
is getting off at the baca of the Car as
be is to stay at the crossing and refuse
to bulge for whole hour. This is his
quality of stubb ornness, and it is men.
toned in connection with his selfish
and unfriendly nature merely as one OF
its embellishing features. He never al.
lows himself to lose caste, and will not
mingle with anybody but Texas mules,
no matter what the rewards or induce
ments are that are offered him. He is
never curried, because he won't allow
anybody to approach near enough to
do the currying, and the only attention
he. gets besides his rations is u rubbing
off OF his back. which is accomplished
with a long-handled brush, such as
they use in washing windows.
he will kick just for amusement, and
never waits for any provocation. And
when he does kick he sends both hind
legs quIvering in the air like the strik-
ing hammer Of the small gong bell
which you hear when friend rings
you up for the telephone. He can give
more kicks in rapid succession than a
lightning calculator can count, and he
is such an adept in the business that he
can follow man mile, and catch up
with him, wheel suddenly and plant
succession of kicks between the buttons
on his coat tails. before the man can
gather his thoughts sufficiently to tell
his own name.
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 their street corporations g
farriers +; they bit too promiscuously !;
they wouldn't stand still, and when
knocked down, wouldn't stay down,
even though ton weight was placed
on top of them. One OF the mules con-
tinued his recalcltrant giddiness until
be kicked his own leg of, and the other
broke his own neck with kick. Then
the board OF directors held meeting
and offered the work to Ed. Butler.
Ed. Butler took the job at 81 per
mule, and the directors chuckled glee-
fully as they signed the contract.
" hen 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 him, and
finally succumbed only to strategy ; he
was lassoed and dragged 20 the bar
where horses and mules are tied while
being shod. Now this mule, just like
the 40 others which were regarding his
treatment from afar, have been accus-
toned to going barefooted in Texas,
and as the cactus didn't hurt his feet
any, he thought the streets of St. Louis