The sun., 1908-09-13
~ KNEW HIM
ARefation Between Mu1es and Base
bali Recalled at a Match to the
Hon. Jim Sweeney.

HARRISBURG. Pa, Sept 12.-aDoesn't
seem TO be any thing In baseball game
to make fellow think Of mules. unless u
might be that umpire over there, said
the Hon. Jim Sweeney Of Hazleton, Harris.
burg and the, Democratic State central
committees Office as he watched the
game between the home nine and an
other one with feelings toward the um'
pire out a little on the bias; 'but never
see game that don't think Of Old Fatty
a mine mule. And yet he isn't the kind
Of mule that umpire reminds me OF either
Old Fatty knew something.
1The baseball fever came and tool
hold onto our part Of the anthracite
coal country the most unrelenting kline
one season about twenty-five years age
end the colliery boys-mule drivers. dool
boys, slate pickers and the like-caugh
1t bad. 1t spread 80 that there WASH
a colliery in the field that didn't have
its nine made up Of door boys, drivers
and pickers, and as the mines were work
ing on half time then there wasn't day
without q game OF two going on betweer
rival clubs. ,s"'
Il was q GOAL miner myself In thost
days, and two Of the mule boys In ouI
mine belonged to a ball team that wal
scheduled for q game with team from
another coIliery. and it happened that the
day turned out to be busy one at the
mine. Now. as every boy working al
the colliery had set his heart on seeing
that game the idea that the mine wa
going to work struck them as being an
outrage. and the mule boys and the res,
waited on the mine boss In q body and re'
quested leave Of absence TO see the game
-well. somehow the mine boss couldn'
exactly soc why he should shut down the
mine just to give the boys chance to &c
to ball game. and So What! BY the
squeakin' fife and Garryowen. did "
hear that2 OUTl Why, the man was O
mile over the base! II that umpire wai
after being at Hazleton we'd
But anyhow. the mine boss couldn't
exactly see why he should shut the mine
down just to let his boys OF to sec sbase'
ball game and he said no. He said
though, that he would let of the two
mule boys who belonged to the mines
nine. but that wouldn't do. and the young.
sters went back to work. feeling sore and
ugly-particuiary Paddy Flynn. leader
among 'em and lad with q bad eye ir
his head and temper to fit 1t.
"But the boys didn't have to 60 tt
work the day Of the ball game after all
The night shift wasn't working and wher
the day shift came to the mine that morn
ing to 60 to work smoke was coming VI
the ehaft.
AT the foot Of the shaft they fount
Old Fatty. as one OF the mine mules wa
familiarly known. The name was sar
casm, for the mule was In q chronic stat
OF thinness, although he had plenty Z
eve eyerybody's belief that mules, no matte
how lightsome they may be as to heel
have stupid and unrcsponsive heads ol
them-just like that umpire's, bogorry
and il I could reach him I'd knock
on, him calling that man safe and q TO-
OF daylight betwixt him and the cushionl
.BIt The head Of Old FATTY Il va
that that kept him thin, the brains h
| he rave 'em. Sure IL would have been
credit TO Sherlock Holmes. 80 It would
II that mule had been named after him
| And there he was at the foot Of that min
shaft, nearly all Of the hair singed fror
his body. and bad burns on his neck an
sBs hiyvinsl, said scrappy Man Doyl
| that do be burninT said he.
aAnd that's just what 1t was. Tn
mule stables were not only burning bu
had burned, and Old Fatty had been smar
enough to break away and hurry to tn
mine shaft for air, but he was badly burne'
before he could do it.
"The miners arrived on the scene Il
| time to prevent O bad mine FIRE, for tn
fre had got into the loose coal known o
the COB. As 1t was, work could not be re
sumed in the mine for some days, 20 tn
| bows had a chance to see the ball game
after all-and may remark incideptall,
that their nine got everlastingly wal
loped. A..
pirs to help em, either! sS,, say II We We 9ni; ;,!
one little inning!
sBy the time the mine was ready 70
working again Old Fatty had been doc
tored up 90 he was ready to resume, bu
he stood among the new mules that ha,
been sent down to take the places Of tn
ones the FIRE had put out OF business Is
haunted by q melanchoty memory. I N nm
mules. Paddy Flynn among them.
when Old Fatty lifted his head an,
| glanced over the group OF boys and hi
ewes fell on Paddy, back went his ears
His little eyes almost flashed fire. In
stantly he sprang at the boy, and befor'
any one could interfere he had Paddy ol
| the ground and began trampling him.
1.-TWO miners grabbed the furious mul
and rescued Paddy just In time. Ok
Fatty was 10 worked up, though, that !
was some time before he became his oil
calm, thoughtful self again. Then b
went to work as Of yore, and as Padd!
Flynn had lost no time in quitting tn
mine the incident was closed.
aThat mule had been ten years In tha
mine, trundling cars to and fro, and In al
that time not one suspicion OF tempe
had he shown. He had never balke'
nor kicked. He was ever q model o
dooility and gentleness.
Hence his sudden and violent out
break at sight Of Paddy Flynn, whom b
had seen every working day for months
and who had never done anything to pro
woke or excite him, 80, far as any on
time, though, the mine fire and all tn
rest was forgotten by sll-all except Ok
Fatty, as time was going to prove.
.0 course Paddy Flynn did not fee
like going to work In that mine again
| In fact he took such an aversion to
that he left that part Of the field after
while and nobody knew where he went.
at was ten years after that when tn
trouble rose betwixt that oolliery ant
some Of Its miners at q very busy tim
and the men quit work. The operation
ssnt elsewhere for help. and they 60
half q dozen miners. strangers there