The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-02-12
AMERICAN MULE is
HELPING ALLIES WIN
Enraptmed British Briga.
der Calls Him Most Mag
nifcent Animal.

I correspondence OF Associated PTesBl
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES Il;
I FRANCE Jan. 29.-Two years and
half Of the krimmest war in history
have wrought the triumph of at least
one American institut;on-the army
mule. He has weighed anew in the
scales Of battle proved on the fire.
swept fields OF France aud Flanders
and not found waning. In warm win.
ter coat and with long inquisitlve ears
Hopping back and forth in the breeze
ie marches Up among the roaring
gsns with o s.ea-y nQ-chalance that
lends confidence and faith to the fight.
ing men who depend so much upon
him.
From Missouri Georgia Tennessee
Mississ .ppi Texas ana other stoc.;.
farms IN the Sou.h he has jouraeyed
TO tho war ard come into his own. The
much maligned supposedly stubbora
baliSy and generally pe3i.erous mu,
has won place in the heart OF the
British aT.2y from which he cGn 1oy.
er DO di1lol ed. lie was qu..o a. as
set IN to South African c.:npa Il
but ow IS a real ari. ,ocTcs OF
tTa - 5Tt S. vice.
a y rO;t H. scent Great &c" re
pEel 45r..jL 3i-.er wnoL
Ict IN ov.a i Ct Is .oGly A.
inG-e IN Ii q ;..:cl bette.
acser than g5-e-al-y q Ven 10
He Is uome,hing lie l. Gel In
respect Most people L. down C.
berate the poor old cai4el but o.C,
you get to iicqw him he is much to be
admired 1t i5 just the same with the
mule He has Cohne ways with him
which the E.-tlsh tommy didn't quite
appreciate at i.r5t but now that they
are better acquainted and have form.
ed O sort OF ente1.a cord.a!e the two
have utmost respect for each other
and carry on at the front with com.
plete understanding ana effective.
ness'
the mule had his supreme test on
this 1ront in the be. lies of the Somme.
pnere were days ar nights OF unceas.
Z ing labor short rat.ons and little or
{ no attention. TIE strain was conssan.
and .St.ific. In exact ratio to the nun.
Der e-op-oyed SIX horses succumbed
whe:e SINCE rlu!o cave way.
The horse o. &C re is al animal
( of finer fibTe and IS far more semi.
tive. If he stumb.ci into Shell hole
filled with wc.er Ee will strive am
struSg.e to get GU, until he actually
dies o. a bro-.en heart. Not so the
mule. He has no Imagination and not
much o. an cut.oo.: on lie. re caim-
ly aid philosophical y lies in the snell
hoe un-n some one comes along and
digs him out.
Tho mule some suggestions TO the
contrary notw. .nstaIuing is vuiner.
able at times to shoS and shell. Many
of them have been killed in acton
along with the horses and others have
d-e1 OF wCu1l Is. Eat modern veterl.
nary SILL is %eT,iluS wonders for the
animals OF war aud one must be had.
ly hurt indeed to be abandoned. The
the SIN of the mule saves him
frc.l mrny Of the troubles that be.
set the horse. Il wards Off mud bliJt.
. ers and the affections that come from
the wet and damp and long exposure.
As to worliing values the horse be-
inS far more anxious to please Will
ordinarily accomplish as much as one
and one-third mules. Some hcstes do
the work OF a mule ard u hal. But
Z they cannot "cGick IT. so long.
Visiting the veterinary hospital
where there were hundreds of horses
under medical repair it was striking
to notice but solitary mule among
them. Some one suggested this was
strange because the army had found
the mule such fire animal he had
been imported by the tens of thou,
sands.
"4hat's precisely it, said the doc
tor in charge; is tacause he is SUCH
fire animal that you see SO little
of him here"
Because he is generally civil and
sometimes goes to sleep just abaft a
bowling n.7e-insh tn It must not be
supposed the Amer. N mule hes lost
all his old craft an mulish cunning.
At ore OF the hospitals there is
sulphur "dip" or bah like the cattle
dips on western ranches. Most of the
horses will plunge in over their heads
and swim through getting the full
! benefit OF the Gisincection. But Mr..
Mule is rather too suspicious to take
such chance$. He is drawn In with
great reluctance ard holds his head
high above the fellow liquid. One old
fellow went through elk times one day
but not once did he get his head wet
until the spon5es were resorted to.
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