Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-17
SNUFFS UP SLY YER.
Mules In the Colorado Mines whose Bow
els are Small-sixed Banks.

The teamsters driving up Aspen
mountain early yesterday morning, to
take advantage of the hard frozen
road before the thaw, were surprised
TO see a dago, as they called him,
opening old Pete, says The aspen
Chronicle. The latter is the old bay
mule that, it is claimed, has been
working in and around silver mines
for many years, and which fell down
Aspen mountain week ago and broke
his neck. Old Pete was pretty hard to
cut open, and he was frozen as stiff as
the proverbial poker, and the dago
hacked at him with an ak for two
hours before he mined into his maw
He did the opening act with an ak.
but when he got into the bowels he
drew butcher-knife from sheath at
his side, and commenced to cut in
with it.
Two teamsters who were passing o
down the mountain with load of ore.
at this time. were so much interested
at this juncture that they stopped to
see the end of it. Their curiosity was
not long deferred, for they soon saw
the Italian throw the knife to one side,
make dive into the beasts belly with
his right hand and produce an oblong
black ball, which he held up near his
face and examined critically. The
mule-skinners could stand it no longer,
so tying the reins to the breaks, thew
jumped down from their wagons and
made their way down the mountain to
the place where the dago held up his
treasure-some twelve pounds of sill
yer that looked like it had come out of
retort instead of a mules stomach.
"Who told you that mule had bar
of silver in his bellyP" asked one of
the transfers.
''Mula worka in silva always has q
balla silva in a bella" replied the
dago.
"Who gave you the pointer" urged
the teamster.
''Mea worka in silva nina in His
pania Tonga TINA, always killa mula,
take silva balla outa bello."
"But who told you old Pete had thi.
bonanza in his bellyP"
'.Mea knowa old Peter Tonga time
In San Juan compana, me knowa he
snutfa upa heapa silva in his bella,
keepa there tilla you killa him, cutta
open, take out bello. He Worka in a
heapa damno lengo, richa tunnello,
where breath silva, keepa, in bello.
tilla he expire. He no usa longer
nova, mea knOwa; cutta hima open.
take Outa bello. In Hispania de Cas-
tilla mula no Iva hundred ammo, lka
in Colorado. He worka in silva nina
deem ammo. He geta killa fora silva
in hisa beilo. In Hispania man knowa
heapa more as ina Colorado; heapa
namno much more smarta in His
pania."
The teamsters insisted the heapo
damnO mueho smarter Spaniard should
ride down to the Rust Sampler with
them, where the ball of silver was
weighed by Mr.. Vary, and sized up
twelve pounds and four ounces. 1t
was there examined by a representa-
tive of the Chronicle, and was very
interesting subject to the student in
curiosities. The dago wanted to sell
it to Vary, at its par value, but an
other man came up and advised the
Spanard to take it east and sell to
some museum; where he could prob
ably realize large price from it as
curiosity. This the Spaniard de-
termined to do, and took his treasure
trove with him to his cabin, where lie
will conceal it until he can dispose of
it to better advantage.