The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22
DRILL OF THE PACK MULES.
$500 Of Them DoinE Service in the Ams ri.
can Army.

$500 of Thorn DoipE Service in the Amsri-
can Army.
| JEFFERSON BARRACKS, Mo. Oct 20. The
| army mule is much slandered animal" said
| ". W. Witt, chief packer and trainer OF pack
! mules for the United States Army, who Is now
| organizing and drilling at this post three mule
| trains for the service in tho Philippines II you
treat him right the mule shows gentemauly
, qualities Mules ore good deal like men, teach
> them what to do and give them to understand
they've got to do 1t, and they soon come 10 time
| You've got TO kick some men, and you've got to
/ kick come mules, but not all by long shot
! have had nine years experience in this business
/ for the army, and grew up mule farm in
| Missouri; 80 reckon know a little about mules
/ and have learned that the animal Is capable Of
! being educated into almost anything you care
/ to make him DO, always recognizing the fact that
/ he Is n mute and not n man Discipline takes
the multshness out OF him, in spite Of the general
| belief that is bred in the bone"
| jefferson Barracks is the army mule headquar-
| ters the natural place Of mule mobilization. All
! pack mules for the army are trained here There
! are now more than $3.50 mules in the services
! and they doing duty not only on the plain,
Of the West and in Alaska but also in Porto Rico,
! Cuba and the Philippine Islands There are thirty
] seven trains Of siXty-thrce mules each on duty
I now, ana Air W III mas organized anu IL UhlnlnR
, Nos 80, 80 and 40. Later he expects to be sent
10 the Philippines 10 take charge of the pack trains.
Each train has fifty pack mules and thirteen
. saddle mules Thirteen men comprise the train
crew. One man Is blacksmith and must keep
| the animals properly shod. One Is selected as
pack master to command the train, and another
is responsible for the goods carried and is known
| as the caIgadore. A rough and ready cook is
| an important member Of tho crew All the men
are supposed to know every crook and kink OF
mule nature, and they drilled in tho handling
Of the animals Just as the army recruit Is drilled
in the Use Of a rife None OF the mule handlers
Is enlisted. the service being civilian.
A necessary part Of the makeup of a mule train
is the bell horse This animal leads the caravan
and is the drum major OF the outfit He carries
no burden except that OF great responsibility and
a clear sounding bell The mules are trained
to follow the bell horse and go where heesds
Usually select a white animal for bell horse"
said Mr.. Witt. though dun. Cuored horse makes
good one. The mules will follow white horse
better They seem to like white. Pack mules
become very much attached to the bell horse OF
their train, and appear uneasy when he is not at
hand They will Jump the corral 10 get with him.
Some Of the mules TO like him better than the
others and when We fall in line for the march
these fellows scramble for places near the head
OF the caravan, so as TO be near their iavorite.
Then there are other mules who prefer to lag be-
hind: they take their time for falling in, and al
ways get the tail end unless we prod them
up. Generally respect their inclinations for
they work better ii we humor them some,
1T takes about three months hard training 10
get mule company ready for the field We drill
every day. The animals at first are as awkward
as d raw recruit handling a musket, hut after a
few weeks they know their lessons and grad
ually get ii into their heads that they are each
part Of an organization You see that corrall full
Of uneasy mules They have recently arrived
and don like confinement; they are Texas mules
and have been used 10 running on the range.
Those mules that persisted in the typhoon off
Manila tho other day were from Texas too. When
they first came here they were as wild as hyenas
Whenever they took n notion to do ii they Just
Jumped over that fcIce--t's six feet highland
went bucking over the parade ground. But when
they had been here a month or SO and got toned
down by hard work every day they were different
animals. They soon learned TO act like gentle
men, ana YOU could depend upon them ltsagreat
pity to have lost SO much good mule flesh and
Cduratiun as that storm cost us.
"! III MlsSourlGn myself and proud Of the fame
OF tie Missouri mule but in my opinion the Texas
mule makes better pack animal. The Missouri
mule, as general thing has been babicd all his
life he has lived u stable and had his feed served
the range and fOraGeS for himself, and Collsc-
qu"niy, when nc comes hero 10 get his education
~ Il WIN AfNll anu nara 10 control AZ lTSt nut,
as say. ne soon gets toned down and learns his
lesson, Ike good litte bow With a big aprajoc
strapped on him, and two bundles Of cargo weigh.
ing about hundred pounds each. bound on over
u" hprhlpc, nc Is in heavy marching order and
a!Icr marching around tn" reservation or out
across country for h?li day, IN line with three
score other mules he has tat" for prairie capcrs
when turned loose But il Is Mt the fatiguc that
. brings him To time: II : nothing less than disri.
pine y rlulc train sufficiently drilled to pass in.
sp'r'on is Just aT orderly and systematic as an in
fantry company: and mulr never PLAYS oil sick
uF tfFS to ShIFk MS duty Keen his feet we'll 81,
ana his belly fuI! and he il wIl!ing servant al.
/ WAYS that is after he graduates from Jefferson
| BARRACKS I'm not speaking % tho mule as a
| raw recruit
1T Is wonderful how many hard,hps mule
parcntiE doesn't affect linn in the eas; Early
in 1885 took mule train 10 Nlnska in connection
d,Gc. Wc la some hard travelling about out Dyca
and were bound for Dawson over the trail but
sent To Porto Rico | brought every one Of th"ss
sixty three mules out Of the ice country sound
and wei, and aitrr nearly six months of the rough
st k1nd q service IN Porto i{ico-thc other .,
tTrm" OF cltMfir thought all but one haCk to
,nr LG'ri S'gl"S Fhc worst thing to fear in
TROPICAL c"'!n'T!rS Is hooi ret In Porto Rico ~,
r2ilc, 81. I'd lpt Ga's al q time in wet ground and
thrsr hoois sot"0,u and somr oi them care Of
Wu!' would b. led up for duty in the morning
an simply walk out OF rs hoof, leaving thorn
sticking IN NE ground, len the only thing to
good mules in other trans there after ns1ectiou
vs. tran had an expert blacksmith ard he kept
the mrrs prIpe1y ,hoi, and this rendered them
lhs pa.I, satdc l,r army, u,c is made W Of
hanI through round hole lett in the l'sthcr '
,cHt T." the mule and removes III" hs" from the
-.Yn. tr, ssfr SPOT a chance To- heal 'I n" e,,dI
ia McSlr'n creation. Nr witt uses he Gianund
,n'"a y" - NJ" the cargo Ia IN" hprH'oc and once
laSh"d in tbs manner the bundles cannot rnmr
~ unless the ropr breaks oT the null" falls to
p ps 0S III" n'"jnS wnsrr AZ, ne SECimg j.
tropical "orh'rcS sbou' two hundred pounds is