Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1903-01-16
Two DoLLARs Per YEAR


affection touched me- and | felt like
crying, too; | WAS 40 glad to see
hun. Had he not recognized me-
| would never have known him. |
looked at his front feet and, sure
enongh, there were tho initials i
IT, on both hoofs, which had cut
IN with my Jack-kn,fe more than
thirty years before. Rut such a
change in mule never saw. llis
hair was moro than two feet long,
and 1t was as green ns the groeneat
grass ever saw; and his shoes were
turned into solid copper, and there
WINS heavy coating Of copper on
his teeth, caused from drinking
copper water.
~ went up TO the 200 again and
asked the boss where the harneas
was. Never mind said he, don't
bother with the harness to-day, but
get shovel aud go down and clean
out thestable; ithas not been clean
ed out for quite awhile, and guess
It will take you all day tostraighten
things out down there | went
down again and began TO explore
the level. There were thousands OF
feet OF drifts and crosscuts, and not
a stick OF timber in any OF them,
and there were big caves IN great
many places, and rocks falling all
around. II didn't look aafo to me
and went back and told the boss
about 1t. He asked mo il The tim
ters were broken down, and | told
him that there was no timber on the
level; and he said | was crazy, and
that the level was all timbered, He
down and tie the mule up and let
him know when got him tied. l
went down and tied old Pete to q
big rock, and then shouted to the
boss to come on. He came down
and | never saw such a surprised
look on mans face M when he
saw there was not stick Of timber
on the level. He said, This takes
the cake know this place WAS all
timbered, for timbered it myself.
| know what's 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 yearp, and no one had
ever been able to catch him or kill
him. He said the miners used to
lab him with their candlcsticks
when they were passing him, and
this made him 80 wicked that hs
got 30 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 shoot
him, and also tried TO blow him up
with dynamite, bat they never sue
ceeded; they thought 1t would be a
matter OF only few days until he
would starve to death, as there was
very little hay down there; bn! after
the hay was all gone he started IN
to cat the timbers, aud hehad them
all eaten up except about halt OF
one post when | found him. In a
few days more it would have been
al! os. w!;h pons o.dPe.o. Tas aoss
told me that there had been over
100000 feet OF lum Der on the level
butt was gone; Pete had eaten itall.
THAT night when | went up /.
met the superintendent and he told
me that il / would take that mule
out Of the state and promise never
to bring him back hs would give
me $500. Il's not necessary 10 say
accepted the offer. ! took old
Pete aud went back to Texas. and
he ia there yet aud is as gentle AZ
a kitten, but | had TO keephim tied
MP to big iron post. He won't
eat hay or grass or anything IN that
line. | had to feed him on cord.
wood and fence rails and old rail.