The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-30
(seaD
SOLD FOUR HUNDRED MULES.
GOVERNMENT GOT RID OF S24,115
WORTH OF SURPLUS STOCK.

Mules brought an Average of S6O.2S
Each-The Highest Price Brought
Was $II2.50, While Some of the
Pack Animals Were Knocked
Down for Satisfactorily Was the
First Day of the Sale at the Cor
rails, But 1t VIII Not he Continued
To-day ON Account of This BEING
National Decoration Day-SaIe win
BE Resumed Tomorrow.
Four hundred mules of that type that
has been made famous by the expression
of the man who fancied originally that
those belonging to Uncle Sam had cheek,
were disposed of yesterday, the strident
tones of the auctioneer flowing in unabat-
ed volume and but few Interruptions from
soon after 10 o'clock in the morning until
6 in the afternoon when the four hun
dredth animal was led in at the end of
six-foot rope by a corral darby. knock
ed down to the highest bidder, and led off
to the enclosure, where he was to remain
until called for by the purchaser.
The 400 mules brought $24,115 The av-
erage price they brought was $6O&,
though some of the animals touched the
500 mark, one even going as high as
sl1250 on the other hand, a few drop
ped pretty low, their good points, if they
had any, not being readily discernible
to the sharp eyes of the buyers, who mar
rowly scanned every animal brought into
the ring Now and then a mule was
knocked down for something like $35.
The sale will go on tomorrow. To-day
is Decoration day, and some of the mules
DISPLAYED for sale are not what might
be strictly termed decorative. The govern
ment believes in stopping the wheels of its
great and widely extended business on the
national memorial day, and even
mule sale cannot progress when 1t
would mean a deprivation of employees of
their holiday and violation of precedent.
Col. Be.linger, depot quartermaster, I'M
der whose direction all the arrangements
for the sale were made, and under whom
it is being conducted, wired the depart
ment at Washington yesterday to ascer-
tain if the holiday should apply at the
corrals as well as other places and the
sale be discontinued for the day. The
reply was a little late in coming, and the
buyers had to be told TO look in the paper
for the information this morning, as it
whether the department would sanction
the continuance Of the sale
The many out-of-town stockmen and
buyers who appeared TO pick up good
mules cheap would have preferred the sale
to run merrily on, but the delay will only
give them chance to spend a day pleas
antly in Savannah. Some win have 70
make arrangements for shipping the stock
they .buy, and the leisure will come III
handlly for that purpose.
The prices secured for the mules are re-
garded as very good. Among them there
was a considerable sprinklng OF small
animals that were used in the
West Indies in pack trains. a
pack mule Is smaller than one
used in harness In the trade the smaller
fellows are called cotton mules and
their value was cut into bit, il was said.
because the cotton season is now rather
advanced. Farmers generally buy early
in the winter when they need mules TO
help out in the cultivation Of their crops,
and dealers reasoned that they might have
10 wall until next winter before they would
be able to dispose of the animals they
bought II The safe had been just when
farmers were buying up mules II IS prob
abe the pack animals would have brought
higher prices.
j, Is said The next lot sold will average
more money. Aliit 10 on account OF the
percentage Of small mules among them
viii not be so large. About $50 Of the pack
an mails were brought from the West In
dies, and most Of those were disposed Of
yesterday IL was only now and then mat
mule was seer thai did not look in very
good condition supt Allen Of the corrals
has looked out carefully for the animals
thnt were brought back from service
abroad. They have been wei fed. and
from very disreputab.e looking beasts have
been transformed into decent, Eeif-rcspect-
ing mules.
The mules were sold singiy. Aucuoaeer