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I am hoping that I can call on your expertise to assist me in a bit of a mystery that I stumbled upon doing my research for a possible book about mules. Yes, the four legged hybrid. My name is Deb Kidwell and my husband and I own Lake Nowhere Mule and Donkey Farm in Martin, TN. I am a breeder of draft and saddle mules and American Mammoth Jackstock. I occasionally write articles about mules and American Mammoth Jackstock, which is the only American breed of Ass, for different periodicals. Taking care of my animals does not allow for alot of time to write, but I manage. I was thinking about writing a book about the importance that the mule and donkey have played in world history, focusing on the more obscure facts and happened upon a very interesting article from the New York Times that was published in 1905. The title of the article is: "10 shiploads of mules lost in the Pacific" - subtitle: "They were for Russia and two warships sailed to meet them". "Also two ships from Japan?". "All this last September. Just before the Russian Warship Lena limped into 'Frisco - tale of mules' owner". The gist? An unidentified "young English capitalist" who had just returned from "the West" and was staying at the Hotel Astor, informed reporters that he had purchased thousands of mules and horses in the "Southwest" and had shipped them out of Guaymas, Mexico on ten tramp steamers that were supposed to take the mules to Vladivostok, Russia. Then the "great Mexican mule mystery" gets even more interesting. Basically, this Brit purchased all these mules and horses when hostilities between Russia and Japan were heating up. He and several other investors made a deal with the Russians, "in the Far East" to ship these mules and horses on steamers. Somehow they were to be met by two Russian cruisers (possibly the Lena and the Korea) and "convoy them to Vladivostok". I do not know if this means that they were going to be escorted by the cruisers, or transferred at sea to the cruisers. Evidently, two Japanese warships also became involved and the Lena showed up in San Francisco with apparent shell damage, but the Captain said that their boilers were bad. It gets more bizarre. These British investors spent a ton of money - just the two mentioned had invested $25,000.00, and there were more, to send mules and horses to Russia......why? Then the mules and horses disappear off the face of the earth. The British investor, sorry "capitalist", laments the fact that the Russians did not recieve their mules and he did not receive his money. The last sentence in the article is my favorite. When asked what his opinion was on whether the Japanese had waylaid the transports and the two convoys, the "capitalist" replied, "That isn't the point" said he "Where are my mules?" As a retired police officer, this article has piqued my interest and I would love to know the history behind this whole crazy tale. Can you tell me why someone would be having to ship mules and horses to Russia? Wouldn't Russia be producing their own equines, be it horses or mules? Where, (geograhically) would the Russians have planned on using these animals against the Japanese? Does this whole tale ring true with you as a historian, or do you think that it is just a tall tale created by this wealthy young man with too much time and money on his hands? I would be most interested in your opinion. I want to be as historically correct in the telling of this story as possible and will probably write an article for Western Mule Magazine about it. I will certainly include my contacting you for your opinion and relate whatever information and light you can shed on this story. Sincerely, Deb Kidwell Lake Nowhere Mule and Donkey Farm www.elitemulesandjackstock.com
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