Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1880 — A Harrowing Tale. [ARTICLE]

A Harrowing Tale.

from the Nsw Orleans Tlmta. Aot long since a Texas man read in a paper that if a string were tied lightly around the root of a mule’s tall It would, in cases of colic, give the animal instant relief. He tried the remedy on one of his own mules, and the doctors say that the portion of the tail thus isolated was soon swelled up bigger than the mule. The Texas man says the mule turned its head and saw his monstrous tail and got alarmed and began to kick. The first kick drove the mule’s tail away out behind, but the tail immediately swung back and knocked the mule forward a little —the tail was so heavy. That made the mule madder’n ever, and it kicked like ftiry. That only gave the tail more momentum, and on its return it knocked the mule about a rod. The mule looked around and didn’t see anybody and kicked again. The tail was there as calm and regular as a pendulum, and it came back like a steamboat running a race. That time it lifted the mule over the barnyard fence. But the mule lit on its feet and struck out again—game as ever. The tail fairly latighed as it caught the mule on its haunches.and drove it down the lane a mile and a half at every whack. It looked like destruction to the mule as mule and tail disappeared in the distance. But, after three or four hours, a returning cloud of dust was seen, and soon the mule emerged therefrom kicking as briskly as ever—but the tail was totally used up and gone. Not being able to offer any more resistance of course the mule kicked himself to the starting point.