The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-31
MISCELLANY.
Atlanta's Mule Market.

swarms with all sorts and varieties OF
"crackers" and darkies. There "moon-
shine" is warranted straight from
BLOCKADE STILLS" pawnshops are found
with old silver and god inscribed with
the names of some of the best known
families of the State; score after score
of fruit stands with orgous-colored
peaches piled mound on mound -four
ish along the curbstone. Atlanta's
curbstones, by the way, are all the mar
ket house she has. II is there that the
battered old countrymen run their
"cracker" wagons and sell their water
melons, pine wood and "cracker"
chickens. This one street, where 30
many elements mix, is known as De-
catur street or "The Bowery" at one
end, as Marietta street in the middle,
and as "tougher than the toughest at
the other end.
Several Atlanta streets have this Gu
rious and crooked quality. middle
Marietta" runs pretty lively business
gait through the central part of the
city, and after passing Henry W. Ora
dy's statue nears the railroad track and
turns into the "mule market" Now
the mule markell an immensely inter-
esting place. Not every city can boast
Of having mule market.
"Once you get in it you can't posi-
bly, get out" remarked one of the own
ers in the row. "Next to poker, il is
the most fascinating thing in the world"
Like all business in Atlanta, it is
phenomenally furnishing. Everything
in Atlanta is phenomenal in success
from Atlanta's point of view. Her
mule market is the "largest in the
world" Statistics go to show that 81.
Louis takes first place and Kansas City
runs close second, but Atlanta doesn't
regard statistics. Strange to say, she
doesn't confne herself to Georgia
mules. She gathers them in from all
the States - long ones, short ones,
heavy ones, gaunt ones, wise ones,
foolish ones, black, brown, white, sor-
rel-all stubborn and all mules. A
mule has generally been supposed to be
a mule the world over, but since the
establishment Of mule markets men
know more.
81 tell We thar's nothin' mo- unstiddy
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 fifteen pairs OF long cars
solemnly arose bolt upright. "They's
nothin' like mules TO 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 trim
mings, and big arched doorways lead
ing into planked floors checkered with
sawdust. With capacity from 1900
to $500 head, all utilizing two floors
and cellar floor" and in "mule sea-
son" taking in from $4,000 to $50, 600
day, they present for fact one of the
leading industries of the State.
The Atlanta mule market is the dis.
tributing point for most of the South
ern States, selling to dealers from
North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor.
gia and Florida by the wholesale.
1--WE 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 fo
big bone and big foot; TO- mos weigh,
an leas' height, nice head an neck
Then he senses durn fine animal"
The price of mules averages from
$50 to $500. Eighty dollars is the
standard price for good mule. The
trade does not open until December 10
when the market for cotton is over and
the planters have collected their bills
Then it starts with a boom-a regular
Georgia boom.
During the present war the Govern
ment has patronized the mule markets
of the country to large extent.
To haul the big transport wagons
three kinds of mules are necessary
"wheel mules" big, strong fellows
standing higher than the Georgia kind
Sewing mules" medium-sized heavy
bodied animals; leaders," smaller
sized mules, The pack mule is also
small, but heavy, stout, wellbuilt lit
tie animal. In the market here the
pens, built of rough timber, are large
enough TO hold twenty-five or more.
"Mules knows heap mo- N horses,
continued Cracker Josh, IAN to tell VI
truth, the Georgy mules is the best il
the country. They got mo- character
rale downright character in them heel
of their'n than all the rest in this her,
Unitin' States, New York Sun.