Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-10-04
HAT WITH THE CONDU CTGR.

1t is not often man looses ANYTHING
by kindness [ know little matter Of
this sort saved my life, and perhaps the
lives OF many others at the same time"
How was that2 asked We of our mod
el conductor.
why, we had an Irishman on this road
watching the tunnel. 1t was warm wealth
er, so he used to 90 into the tunnel to keep
cool. rather think be used to take lit
tie liquor when he was lonesome any way
he laid down on the track one day to listen
for the cars. He fell asleep, and very i'm
prudently got his head cut off by the ex-
press train. Well, there was the last of
the lrishman. There was the devils own
row in that shanty when we took the poor
fellow up, and got away as fast as we de-
Gently could, for you know it is not agree
able to be surrounded with a distracted
family when you are neither doctor, nurse
or preacher. Somehow [ was always sor-
ry when L passed that place of course |
teltas lf-not exactly the same thing-but
just as bad, might happen to me some day
and then thered be another row in the
family. | told my wife about it, she sent
the family some little things
The widow of the dead Irishman was 4
Catholic, and, as was on a very fast train.
[ would sometimes take up the old woman
on Sunday, and carry her to church at NJ
| somehow thought it was a satisfaction to
her to go to church. for she had but little
chance anyhow, | did not expect to get
anything for it in this world, and expect
ed they had so much scored against me in
the other that it wouldn't amount to any.
thing there.
That was during the summer. One
night the next winter it was very cold. and
the mountains were covered with snow
We were running to make time, when, on
turning curve, the engineer saw wa
wing light OH the track, and we soon heard
some one ahead shouting | was then out
on the platform. The engineer stopped
the engine, and Stacked up. We got out
and went ahead In the dark to see what
was the matter. There it was A large
land slide had fallen across the track near
the shanty of that old Irish woman. She
had built up fire and watched for the
train, for the curves were so sharp that we
might have been upon the slide before we
could see it.
SO, when we run up, there was the old
lady with her calico cap. swinging the
chunks of fire like a revolving lighthouse
and there was the little Irish CARRYING brush
like so many little beavers She had
watched all night in the cold But for her
In another moment we should have run in
to a pile of dirt and stones as big as Bar
unm's hotel | should have got pit
ticket certain, for [ was on tae platform
What would have become of the passen-
gers and train you can guess as well as
can"
We expressed hope that the poor wo
man had been properly rewarded
The passengers made up about eighty
dollars. the company afterwards gave her
the shanty rent free, the breakmen and
engineers bought her COW. aud she made
out very well But when | handed the
money to her that night, she said Gin
tlemen and ladies, I'm thankful, and NAV
ye niver know the want of what We give
me But what l did was mostly on ac-
count of him there. He was kind and
thoughtful to the poor and afflicted, and
I'd a watched till | froze. before harm
should have come to him, if | could have
helped it