The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-30
DRILL OF THE PACK MULES
$500 OF THEN DOING SERTICE IN
THE AMERICAN ARMY.
J efferson barracks Is the Army Mule
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Mules Make the
Best Pack Animals.

| Best Pack Animals.
1.-THE army mule Is much slandered
animal" said w. w. Witt chief pack
I err and trainer of pack mules for the
United States Army, who is now Or
sanizlng and drilling three mule trains
for the service in the Philippines. IF
you treat him right, .he mule shows
gentlemanly qualities. Mules are
| good deal like men: teach them what
to do and give them to understand
| they've got to do it, and they soon
come to time. You've got to kick some
men, and you've got to KICK some
mules, but not all, by long shot
| had had nine years experience in this
| business for the army, and l grew up
on mule farm in Missouri; so L reck-
| on I know little about mules and L
have learned that tho animal is capa-
Bile of being educated into almost any
thing YOU care to make him do, always
recognizing the fact that he is nNle
and not a man. Discipline fakes the
mulishness out of him. in spite of the
general belief that it's bred in the
bone
Jefferson Barracks is the army mule
headquarters the natural place of
mule mobilization. All pack mules for
the army are trained here. There are
now more than 1850 mules in the ser
vices and they are 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-three mules each
on duty now and Mr.. Witt has organic
ed and is training Nos. SO, 80, and 40.
Later he expects to be sent to the
Philippines to 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
cargadore. A rough and ready cook Is
an important member of the crew. All
the men are supposed to know every
crook and kink of mule nature, and
they are drilled in the 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 ser
vice being civilian.
A necessary part of the makeup of
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 re-
sponsibility and a clear sounding bell
The mules are trained to follow the
bell horse and go where he leads.
Usually we select a white animal
for bell horse" said Mr.. Witt though
a. dun-colored horse makes a 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 APP
pear uneasy when he is not at hand.
They will jump the corral to get with
him. Some of the mules seem to like
him better than the others, and when
we fall in line for the march these fell
lows scramble for places near the head
of the caravan, so as to be near their
favorite. Then there are other mules
who prefer to lag behind; they take
their time for falling in, and always
get near the tail end unless, we prod
them up. Generally, we respect their
humor them some.
ut takes about three months hard |
training to get a mule company ready |
for the field. We drill every day. The |
animals at first are as awkward as a |
raw recruit handling musket, but |
after few weeks they know their |
lessons and gradually get 1t into their |
heads that they are each a part of an
You see that corral full |
of uneasy mules? They have recently |
arrived and don't like confinement; they |
are Texas mules, and have been used |
to running on the range. Those mules |
that persisted nthe typhoon off Manila
the other day were from Texas, too.
When they first came here they were
as wild as hyenas. Whenever they
took the notion to do 1t they lust
jumped over that fence--its six feet
highland went bucking over the par
AIDE ground. But when they had been
here month or so and got toned down
by har work every day they were DIFF
ferent animals. They soon learned to
act like gentlemen, and you could de-
pend upon them It's a great pity to
have lost so much good mule flesh and
education as that storm cost us
IN Missouran myself and proud
Of the fame of the Missouri mule but
In my opinion the Texas mule makes
a better pack animal. The Missouri
mule, as a general thing has been ba-
bed all his life he has lived in a sta
BILE and had his feed served in a
nanger, The Texas animal runs wild
on the range and forages for himself.
and, consequently when he comes
here to get his education he Is wild
levil and hard to control at first; but,
as / say, ne soon gets toned down and
earns his lessons like a good little
boy With big aprajoe strapped on
him, and two bundles of cargo. weigh
ng about a hundred pounds each, 4
bound on over the aprajoe, he is in
leavy marching order, and after
around the reservation or
nut across country for half a day, in {
Inc with three-score other mules he
las no taste for prairie capers when
urned loose. But it is not the fatigue
hat brings him to time; it's nothing !.
ees than discipline. A mule train suf- !
iciently drilled to pass inspection is A
ust as orderly and systematic as an
infantry company; and a mule never \
lays off sick or tries to shirk his !
luty. Keep his feet well shod and his \