The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-01
MAJ. BROWN on ARMY MULES.

BuMaIO ExPresa.

Their Har0on1po.
Buffalo Express.
Mai Ira C. Brown, whose success in the
medical department OF the army has at
tracted widespread attention, says the
most interesting things In the army are
the negro teansters and the army mule
You know there Is no part of an army
more necessary than its wagon tram.
said Maj. Brown yesterday. And the
wagon train OF an army in this country
Is just about the queerest thing in the
world, While / was down at Tampa
made q study Of the wagon train Cepart-
ment, because 1t was all new and there
fore interesting TO me.
THE wagons that the army uses are
made 10 run through bitches, over rocks
and logs and everything else that isn't
higher than the wheels You couda't
OF s-inch shell. believe. Each wagon is
hauled by six musee, and those mules are
the greatest institution on earth Talk
about horses! Why, one army mule Is
worth more than whole drove OF horses.
I've seen a team OF six army mules at
Tampa haul a load over tree trunks and
bitches that you would think nothing short
OF i0-wheel freight locomotive could
bulge.
1.-The army mule never perspires He
HASN'T any nerve. He never worries. He'll
haul away for hours to get a wagon q
mile through sand up TO the hubs. He'll
take a wagon round corners that would
puzzle cyclist and up hills that an Alpine
climber would walk around. He knows as
inucD as n good ANY men In the army,
and he isn't afraid of man or the devil.
why, you couldn't have war without
a mule,
"A mule. an army mule. knows enough
not 10 work unless he has TO do so. /
wouldn't attempt to pot harness on an
army mule for a major-generaps commits
sion. Every time a teamster down at Tam
pa attempted TO harness a mule he became
hero. II was foss-up every time
whether he'd get the harness on or go to
the hospital. Nobody but an old mule
driver or negro can harness an army
mule. He's a pretty slow kind OF beast
when IL comes to covering ground. but he
can swing his rear end around into the
firing lire quicker than anything I ever
saw. and when he lands with both feet. he
bits the solar piexus nine times out OF
ten. The army mule knows where the
weak spot Is. After You get the harness
on the army mule realizes that It's all Off
and he settles down to business.
I'm bet that there were as many men
injured by army mules ns were killed and
injured by bullets all during the war I've
seen as many as twenty-four Transfers
by. army mules. Ard they didn't always
get we'll, either. know of one case
that happened during the short time /
was al Tampa where negro teamster
was Killed tnstantane0usly by an army
mule Ard IL furnished q good Illustration
of the wonderful memory a mule has. too
That negro teanEter used TO pound that
mule numerically. Instead OF US ng STRAIT
egy and coaxing hls mule into submission
he used to beat II hard enough to XIII a
horse. Well. for two months that team
ster didn't drive shat mule. But the mule
never forgot him. He never made any at
tempt To inJurs his new driver who knew
enough to treat him decently. But one
day the Old tea'Dster came back The mule
RENE fnnered him. He waited with as mud,
docsiity and patience as an OK until hs, was
harnesscd and then. when the old team
ster was or his guard. he le, ay with ho,,
heels. caught that negro IN the nit of TIA
stomach and stretched him out as dead a.
hammer. The other tean1s,er was stand
ine right there by him. but that mule
didn't make any attempt 10 kick him. Ifa
mad tust been laying for the fellow who
wsaioped nm, two months before, and when
ne mad finished him ne was "a tfsftei
The Transfers down at ramna wera .ha
toughest iot OF men ever met When I
say tough, | mean that they could Stand
more 6ar''sh'ns and 10 more fighting than
ANYBODY Else IN camp. Most OF the team
siers are negroes. \ negro loves npuIa
He thinks as much OF his mules a 6 he tyoas
or his wife and family ana I don't know
bat ne thinks more Of the mule. Those
negroes are great. strarninx fellows ana
they stick together through thick and hi,
~ Son hit one negro teauster yos, hava
III every one Of them In "a rsp V734an a
gang or them gets lighting it's gcod iaea
70 run and keep running until yeur wind
Il gone. They'll fight az the sifon Of ~
hat and don't fear anything.
The day before we came away from
ieiiksa ,ffs tesnsstefS got together and hEls
n meeting. Then they disappeared Thar
night they swoorcd down on the S,sani.f,
settlement there ana wiped IL OF the man
They DESTROYED everything vahlshie or
worthless thrashef mast OF the mon ard
F'ose all they could carry TThe NEXT asv
81 course. We started away from T,a.sna
ard before an Investigation could ~ ael3
or anybGdy srrns.e1 We were s,it ar ~
state. l heard 90 # after W.. had s.ar+a,I
and tried 80 nnfs cut who were T., ,As
affair ana what was done hit no, a team
ster ~ealf omen his uouih hn1i We had
reached NNntauk Point Tthef, a vrr-~n
teams.er named George. who acted as NV
servant tcfa '8e all about l. p~ safs .hrS-
had been manning far a week ;n wsy,~ ,,,.
fhe Snsrfsfs settlement ana had made ~,
Their minds - DO Il On she night before We
hrs1kn camp
''t>a YOU destroy evPryshsnx2" / asked
George
. No, quite. sab no, quite. bat mostly
sa-f George
The arrav tssmsters srsva team, ~
sis mules w'sh onN rein called 80, ja~lx-
hGe. y " fastened - Gaze n .he Iezsrvs
ana ire te7ms.sr ste On ora -yesl'e v.ffl,
fHe fgTs-iine y ere hau7 ara sa,r ka.
rop@ a't s1s other. when ~ wants ne
'@a1a 81 turn - ne ~seat he Jerks fNree ~
fonr ,iffsss an ;Ar i.s~ We -ss--s t,,.
a''sss~s - f7Fn 90 fhv 'efs 30 re}te ~.0aav
go fNe fefs ftra ,es ~>StF~ can e.aEr
nefss So al kiei~ ~ stunts vtsh t&.+
ierS-i'ns aos TIRE aauies never make 4 mis-
take sithev~