Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-11-20
tanner or WILD SPIRITS

Plain William Mullen, evangelist and borse-trainer.
tanner OF souls and breaker OF the equine spirit, is known
up and down the length Of the Pacific coast and as far east
as Chicago by the lowly, the poor and the outcast. and is
loved by them. 1t is true that he is not as active as he was,
but his memory still fingers with many. And he is going
on the road again. 9
Mullen got religion in a mission in San Jose, Cali
iornda, back IN 1893; He had been an energetic man, fight.
ing for everything lie had in the world; working his oas.
sageWay as a mess-boy to America from England in l779
when the was twelve years old; doing rough work in Phila-
deelPha, Washington, D. G., and in the cities and hamlets
or Missouri and Nevada. 1t was not until he came to the
ranges OF California that the 'found' himself He under
stood the horse intuitvely, and in a short time, while still
d mere Doy' became known as one OF the most daring riders
Of the stock country.
Mullen came to San Francisco in 1892 after disastrous
season, stranded of all but horse power lie went to
a big horse-sale and guaranteed to train, free of charge.
the ,Worst-tempered horse to be found. A gray mare with
a particularly evil reputation was chosen, and in 6ftv-fvc
minutes Mullen had her hitched to a cart. He used ~,
pnnderS, no kck1Igstrap. He went between the hind LEGS
OF the mare and climbed into the cart. This feat made
such a, an impression on R: B. Milroy, a former secretary of
the Blood Horse, later known as the California Jockey
good for Mullen. ~" w.
After his conversion Mullen determined to make a bet
ter use or his unique gift. knowing the difficulty of at
tractlng crowds to a religious discourse he Advertised him
self as a horse-breaker, offering to tame the most vicions
OF horses. He began his open-air MEETINGS With q borSo
breaking exhibition, in remarkably short s,aces Of tim,
putting on bride and saddle, or hitching to carts. NINA
n net been or onDonn5l nefy stations and otheHsteeds which had
not oeen anlenable to treatment. He never failed, The
hfst part or the program, over, he e&horted the spectators
TO lead better lives and come into the folio.
~ was during Mullen's first hoTse-breaking trip to Chi
cago that he publicly announced THAT he could tame anv
morse IN the city so that one could lift its feet. iump on IFS
back and ride with nothing but a halter. hitch To hn > v hi a1e
Win an open BIRDIE and drive it about without any licking
strap. Some OF the %stock-yard employees decided to mt
Mullen to the test. ' ~ p'
A broncho had been running wild on a farm at Worth,
ILL, no one being found who could halter the horse. The
broncho was lured into a large box-stall with Mullen beside
1t. The animal kept walking round and round in the stall,
Mullen following. After many turns one way the horse
was spoken to and stopped, then followed in the opposite
direction. Presently, to the surprise of the spectators, the
Mullen placing a leather halter over it's head. But the
broncho refused to lead. Then at the end of a long rope
the broncho was driven on before Mullen, after which the
TEN the horse was soon broken. In an hour it was put to
work on a scraper on the racetrack.
Mullen is a big man, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Since the day he found himself on the range and later when
he discovered that he had a soul and a bigger mission in
life, he has been making yearly pilgrimages, saving souls
and tanning horses.