The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-19

J0Sn Dill brock'S ExP0S0uoes1
There is one street In Atlanta Which
,swarmsy with all sprts and Varieties Of
.crackers" and darkies. There moon
shine" is warranted straight from
blockade stills" pawnshops are found
with old silver and gold inscribed with
the names of some OF the best known
families OF the state; score after score
OF fruit stands with gorgeous coiored
peaches piled mound on mound flourish
along the curbstone. Atlanta's curb
stones, by the way, are all the market
house she has. 1t is there that the
battered old countrymen run their
CRACKER" wagons and sell their water
melons, pine wood and cracker" chick
ems. This one street, where SO many
elements mix, Is known as Decatur
street or '.The Bowery" at one end. az
Marietta street in the middle and as
tougher than the toughest" at the
other end.
Several Atlanta streets have this cu-
rious and crooked quality. Middle
Marietta" runs a pretty lively business
gait through the central part OF the
city. and after passing Henry w.
Grady's statue, nears the railroad track
and turns into the mule market. NOW
the mule market is an immensely inter-
esting place. Not every city can boast
OF having a mule market
"Once you get in 1t you can't possibly
get out" remarked one Of the owners
in the row. Next to poker, II y the
Like all business In Atlanta, It is
phenomenAlly fiourishing. Everything
in Atlanta is phenomenal In success
from Atlanta's point OF view. Her muie
market is the largest In the world.
Statistics go to show that Sc. Louis
takes first place and Kansas City runs
a close second, but ATLANTA doesn't re-
gard statistics. Strange to say, she
doesn't confine herself to Georgia
mules. She gathers them in from all
the states-long ones, short ones, heavy
ones. gaunt ones. wise ones, foolisn
ones, black. brown, white, sorrel-ali
stubborn and all mules. A mule has
generally been supposed to be mule
the world over. but since the establish
ment Of mule markets men know more.
"I tell We, thar's nothin' mo unsttddy
an unlike his neeber than one of these
here mules" announced Josh Bill
Brock, the oldest cracker of the mule
market, as he slowly opened one OF the
pens where Is pairs of long ears sol
emnly arose bolt upright They'e
nothin' like mules 70 KNOWN. They'd
sense yo' min befo' you knowed you
made IT up. these ha'ar critters would"
West Marietta street-or the mule
market region-has three big stables.
! two backing up to the freight track.
| They are clean, airy, prosperous look
ing buildings, red brick with stone
| trimmings, and big arched doorways
leading into planked floors checkered
with sawdust. With capacity from 1900
| to 1900 head. all utilizing two floors and
cellar floor" and in "mule season.
| taking in from $40, 900 to $4,000 a day.
| they present for fact one OF the lead
| ing industries of the state. ~
The Atlanta mule market is the dis
| tributing points for most of the south
ern states, selling ITO dealers from
| North Carolina, South Carolina,
| Georgia and Florida by the wholesale.
I'VE look right hard on a mules
| quality afo we take him." said Josh
| Bill, drawing his pipe from his mouth.
"Our boss can sense a good Kentucky
| mule when he sees him. We looks TO
| big bone an big foot; fo' mos weight
| an leas' height, nice head an neck.
| Then he senses a durn fine animal"
| The price of mules averages from $S6
| to S4O0 Eighty dollars is the standard
| price for good mule. The trade does
not open until December 15, when the
market for cotton Is over and the plant.
ers have collected their bills. Then 1t
starts with boom-a regular Georgia
boom.
| ment has patronized the mule markets
| OF the country to large extent.
| To haul the big transport wagons
l three kinds Of mules are necessary
wheel mules" big. strong fellows,
| standing higher than the Georgia kind;
Swing mules" medium sized. heavy
bodied animals; Headers" smaller sized
mules. The pack mule is also small,
but a heavy, stout. well built little ami
| NAL. In the market here the pens. built
| of rough timber, are large enough to-
| hold % or more.
Mules knows a heap mo- n horses"
continued Cracker Josh. "an' to tell We
truth. the Georgy mules Is the best In
the country They got mo- character,
rale downright character in them heels
i of their'n than all the rest in this here
| Unitin' States."-The Sun.