A decrepit old mule at Fort Missoula, M.T., was condemned to death, and the best shots of the garrison were detailed as executioners. At a distance of sixty yards thirteen shots were fired successively, and the mule was only scratched on the ear that hung well to the larboard—just singed in one or two other places. At this moment, the guard, feeling that everything but the mule was in danger, grasped a pick and killed the faithful animal, while the crack shots retired to tell about their exploits in sharp-shooting.

Bismarck Tribune, 1/26/1883