The copper era., 1903-01-08

1 began to explore the level. There
 were thousands of feet Of drifts and ! crOsscuts and not q stick Of timber in any O. them, and there were big caves 1 in great many places and rocks fall | ing all around. IL didn't look safe to
 me and I went back and told the boss about it. He asked me fl the timbers were broken down and l told him there
 was no timber on the level, and he said l was crazy and that the level was all timbered. He gave me rope and told me to go down and tie the mule up and let him know when l got him tied. I went down and tied old Pete to big rock and then shouted to the ! boss to come on. He came down and l never saw such surprised look on stick Of timber on the level. He said: This takes the cake. ] know this place was all timbered, for l tim bered it myself. I know whats the matter, now. That cussed mule has eaten the timber all up. Then he told me that the mule had been down on the level for thirteen years and no one had eyer been able to catch him or kill him. He said the miners used to jab him with their candlesticks when they were passing him, and this made him so wicked that he got so at last that no one could do anything with him, and they were going to take him up to the surface and shoot him. but before they could do this one day he broke the rope he was tied with and he chased every man out of the place and they had never been able to work in that level since. They had tried to up with dynamite, but they never succeeded. So they thought it would only be q few days till he would starve to death as there was very little hay gone he started right in to ca: the timbers, and he had them all eaten ex cept about half of one post when l found him. In few days more it "ONiu IhHO OSCh dll Oli "lLu HpOi Oiu Pete. The boss told me that there had been over 1000, 900 feet of lumber on the level, but it was all gone Pete had eaten it all.
 That night when I went up met the superinten dent and he told me if would take that mule out Of the state and promise never to bring him back he would give me $500. It's not necessary to say I accepted the offer. I took old Pete and went back to Texas, and he is there yet and is as gentle as kitten, but l had to keep him tied up to big iron post. He wont eat hay or grass or anything in that line. l had to feed him on cord wood and fence rails and old railroad ties and such stuff. The first night after l took him to Texas I turned him out in the yard 1 thought he would like a little green grass and there was plenty of it around, but in the morning I found he had not eaten any Of it, but instead had eaten the chicken house and the legs Of the grindstone frame and was just start ing in on the hay rack His eyesight was not very good when l brought him up out Of the mine, so got him a pair of green glasses. 1 guess he was the only mule Tn Texas that wears glasses. His hair began to fall out and I cut it off 1 have got it yet. l was offered 5000 for him by show man in Salt Lake City, but 1 would not sell him for S9, 900 OOO have no dca how old he is, as he looks just about the same as he did when l first got him, but think he is about 69 or 70 years old He would not drink pure water after I took him to Texas. l had to send to Butte and get some copper ore and put it in his watering trough. Alter that I had no more trouble with him. l was going to pull his shoes off but found that about half of his hoofs as we'll as his shoes had tnrned into solid copper, so had to leave them on. 1 had mining man examine him and he figures the whole mule will assay about 8 per cent. copper. If he dies before I do I am going to ship him to a smelter.'-