The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-07-02
HOW AN UGLY MISSOURI MULE
Almost Caused the determination of
Renos Battalion on the Little Big

Almost Caused the determination of
Renos Battalion on the Little Big
Horn.
When some American mules in South
Africa stampeded with the British field
guns and put the Englishmen in rather
a bad plight in the fact Of the enemy.
people said that 1t was the American
mules way Of showing sympathy with
the Boer cause. The thing was spoken
of and written about everywhere as
being the first instance where the mule,
though his back always has had to
bear much obloquy, ever came within
an ace Of being responsible for the de-
feat o fan army. People who wrote and
talked about the affair evidently had
never heard of how Missouri mule
came near being the cause of the wip-
ing out of Reno's battalion on the Lit
tie Big Horn contemporaneously with
the humiliation Of Custer and his band
few miles beyond An ugly vicious,
branded Missouri mule did his level
best on that awful day to aid the In
dams in exterminating the whites, and,
what's more, If it hadn't been for an
Irish sergeant, Richard j. Hanley re-
Gently retired, the Missouri mule would
have succeeded.
The long -eared ammunition bearer
was with the pack train to the right
and rear of the squadron which was
lying facing the enemy along the edge
of the wood A Sioux bullet went over
the head of the skirmisihers and with
a far-reaching trajectory tore an ounce
of 10 oJy 1o,f o,,lr =
instantly snapped its tether, broke like
a set of tours from right to rear, and.
clearing the obstacles Of its rightful
lords and masters to the front, made
straight on a wild gallop for the heart
of the outlying masses of the Indians,
When within about 100 yards of the
place for which it was headed, the mule
struck a bit of bunchgrass which was
to it's liking, and it then and there
started to Craze On its back, in the
ammunition cases, lay that which
meant the safety of Reno's forces. To
reach the animal any man of the COM
mand must cross an open plain swept
by a thousand rifles.
There was a moment of consultation
among the officers, and a desperate
plan for the recapture Of the mule was
being discussed, when one Of the sold
iers saw far over to the right, just
above the grass, the slowly moving
head of white man, who was crawling
toward the stsmpeded animal. The
word was passed along the line, and
yolley after volley from the whites kept
the attention of the enemy directed
away from the mule and from that SOL
itary soldier who was worming his way
toward it, Discovery ion him meant
capture and death. On he went, while
between shots the eyes of his every
comrade sought him. He was within
% wards of the mule. Then he stood
straight up, dashed forward, vaulted
onto the creatures back, and digging
deep the spurs he started the animal
back on a galop, as wild as as that
nv which it had fled. There was a yell
from the reds. A hundred rifles We're
emptied at the flying beast and its
dauntless rider Sergeant Richard j.
Hanley, who was astride that gigantic
Missouri mule as it went through that
hailstorm, got never a wound though
his chances of escaping unhurt were
only one in a. thousand. The mule was
saved, but, as a trooper put it after
ward, 1.-The critter brought back as
much lead In his hide, as it did in it's .