The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-17
zagar WITH FIRST OF THE,
ss FAMILY TO SETTLE THERE
sss sHoN A GOAL MINERS STRIKE.
{ 1Pit1sburg Tirnes.)

ssssnoun the mine mule intimately. so
10 speak, and all his genius and ca
T,arIty, know that there is nothing can
be told about him too strange to be
true
sas5 For instance, there was the mine
male of fond recollection known as
BeasIsy.s Fen.
$<-.FIe was genuine Bease1y mule
sone Of the Gordon Beaselys- There
are several branches of the Eeaselys
IN our baniwick, and good many va
r1etes, but the Gordon Beasely branch
IS the only one that has any valid pre-
tension to having been responsible for
szfhfs mule.
ss The best evidence is that the mule
came to the region and to the mining
business from the Gordon Beasely
branch Of the family. He was one OF
III enrst mules to engage in mining
and IL happened not long after the
mining began in the valley.
he company owning an early
mine found that it would haze to have
mules to draw the coal cars in the
.zznInes, and it. sent an agent around
through the country to buy some.
way back in the hills, and the man
who had him was using him looked
IN with 81 steer, shaking logs out OF
5 tiesEoods. TIE agent didn't ask the
man his name, but he priced the mule,
5barsuned Tor it: and bought it. "
e THE name Of the mule, though, he
fonnd was. Ben. When. the agent got
10 Nilkesharre with the mule old
Squire Ba ;sett,lone Of the Oldest res,
ssIi ants, said 80. 6 s AZ.
sss.s9e,p y, Amt that the Gordon
Esease7Y mile. Amt that Beasely
Ben2'
81 The agent said it might have been;
he didn't Fnow;% but he knew it wasn't
Fse4sely's Ben any more, because the
nine company had bought it.
3335s@$.s3eYes, it's Ben said the Squire.
Sand ShelIback Beasely has sold him!
sried with the Shellbachs for his sec
sDnd wife something would happen
thar hadn't ought to, and here. it is!
His son, Shellbach Beasely has sold
Beasely's Ben!
.:sSSe.ss.tI dom know how old that mule
was when Gordon Beasely come along
down the river on an ark, in the spring
of 1909, but he dropped Off here with
! him and for 25 years that mule helped
Cord &Bease1y dig out that place OF
his back in the hills.
I. Then Gordon Beasely died, a year
after marryin' a Shellbach for his sec,
saond wife, leaving a wilder, the mule
and a young Shellbach Beasely; and
now that Shellbach Beasely has gone
and sold Beasely's Ben, and I'll bet
farm farm that old Gordon Beasely is turn,
IN, over and rattlin' in his grave.
But theylput #Beasely's Ben to work
IN the mine. This was in 1928.
Bease1y's Ben worked steadily in the
mine for SO years.
s Then some trouble came UP be
Tween the miners and the company
and the men struck. The company
wouldn't give in and the men held
,sont, so the mine was shut down and
they brought Beasely's Benz to the
Stop and turned him out to pasture.
But what do you think? Although
the 8srassswas knee deep in the pas
fI1a Ben wouldn't. touch mouthful of
IL He plain enough would starve
sirst
9s: Why Well. he sided with the
miners, and he knew that mules were
scarce and high, because it was in
war times and the, government was
buying up all it could get and that the
company wouldn't care to lose him.
5Ss3 :. At last the -company-not wanting
so lose Ben, and as coal was away up
and bigger demand for it than the
supply granted the demands OF the
men. The news wasn't five minutes
old before Ben turned in and went to
cropping grass, with triumph. they
said, sticking out all over him as plain
as his bones.
OF course the word that Beasely's
Ben was deliberately starving himself
rather than seem to approve of the
ccmpany's attitude toward the men
mad gone quickly through the neigh
borhood and people came in crowds
and stood about the lot, gazing in
amazement alta mule that was willing
10 die fora principle. But not once
! had Ben uttered a sound until one day,
an old, u hite-haired man. evid ently a
hin farmer. was one Of the crowd that
t,r,3 5SraTaEa sfD h uaZesE at the Sacriffc cling