Cruelty To Mules

Title

Cruelty To Mules

Source Type

Newspaper

Publisher

The Alabama Beacon

Publication Place

Greensboro, AL

Publication Date

3/4/1871

Transcript

Cruelty to mules-we have often had ocular demonstration of the cruelty of negro wagoners to their teams. On one occasion, some years ago, seeing a wagoner cruelly beating one of the mules in his team, we remonstrated with him, he replied,- “he’s but a mule,”- meaning to convey the idea, that the mule deserves nothing better. A most erroneous idea, and the result of the brutal feeling that should be checked, by legal punishment, if to be done in no other way. There is no animal, of the dumb brute species, that works more faithfully or efficiently, than does the mule, and none that deserves kinder treatment. And yet there is none so badly treated. Cruelty to mules is a very common thing among negro plowmen, as well as wagoners. A planter stated to us, a few days ago, that plowmen frequently cut the corners of the mouth of the mule they work,- to make him, we suppose, more sensitive to the pressure on the bit. He also mentioned a case where a most valuable young mule had his mouth and tongue so badly lacerated, that mortification and death followed. The same gentleman informed us, that the negro killed some three weeks ago, (Levi Cochran), near Mr. T.B. Randolph’s plantation- known to have been a cruel wreath and a murderer- rode to Greensboro on the day he was killed, with a drawn knife in his hand, which he used as a spur on the mule as he was riding. Now not only should planters protect their stock against the cruelty of wretches who have no feeling for dumb brutes,- but they should see that all cases of an aggravated character are brought to the attention of the Grand Juries, that the guilty party may be legally punished. By making a few examples of those guilty of this crime, which, in our judgement, is much more heinous than petit larceny, which is more frequently punished, at least in this region, than the violation of any other penal statue, plowmen and wagoners would soon learn to be more careful with the stock they work.

Sources for

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