Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-07-06
" Crazy Dick"

The MAY number of Scribner's
Monthly, contains an illustrations of a
crazy negro rushing in front Ut loco
motive aud clearing the track of peo-
pie. The picture is one OF several H.
Illustrating a description of a trip
Northward to Niagara We extract
that portion relating TO Dick.
An express train follows us into
Harrisonburg. As we press through
the waiting throng that crowds the
platform and Oyelruns the roadway
for the station is sadly lacking in
capacity, wild looking son of Ham
sweeps down the track, hustling men
and woman right and left, clearing
the track tor the approaching locomo.
tive.
"Crazy Dick" says the executive,
as the apparition speeds past, now
dashing forward to shoulder from the
track some Needless loiterer, now fall
ing into a Needless dog -trOt, scarcely a
foot a head OF the COW catcher
"There seems to be method in bis
Madness
Indeed there is, and auseful meth
0d, too. Dick saves good many lives
in the course of a year."
In the employ of the road p
No; on his own hook. It's a craze
he has,
The train passes ON aud Dick SLOUGH
es away, looking as it he never had o
thought or purpose in his life. His
whole mind seems absorbed by o sim
gle object-to keep people from being
run over. and nothing but an ap-
preaching train can arouse him into
activity. Then his zeal bursts out in
magnificent burst of action, to be
foliwed 'by abject listlessness until
the next train is due.
''Livef Oh, Dick is one who takes
no thought tor the morrow. The
men about the station see that his
board is paid at the lunch counter !;
and the engineers, conductors and
other rOadlnen club together now and
them aud rig him out with new suit
of clothes. He sleeps anywhere
Among many Incidents in Dicks
career, recountered OH our way to the
superintendent Office to make ar
engagements for to inorrow's run up the
river, QUE especially illustrates the in.
tensity of his life-saving instincts.
Two or three years ago company
OF Harrisburg firemen succeeded in
ciiticing Died away from his self.elec
ed duty-nOt an easy thing to dO--and
took him OH with them on a visit to
Altoona. Arriving there, Dick straigt-
way forgot his companions, and fell to
guarding the track as at home. Like
many another public benefactor,
Dicks motives were misjudged. His
zeal was attributed to the wrong spir-
it, ana before his friends could explain
matters he was marched off to the po-
lice station on charge Of drunken.
ness. Naturally the simple minded
fellow took his arrest very much TO
heart; but that was nothing to bis
distress on his return to Harrisburg
To find that during his absence boy
had been run over aud killed-the
first accident Of the kind that had oc-
Cured since Dick came upon the
field.
II done knOwed su'thin would hap
pen il l went away!7 The poor fellow
cried, depl0ring his remissness ID. a
storm of weeping. Since thcc moth
ing can induce him TO desert his post /;
and 40 plainly beneficial in his mania,
that lie is allowed to pursue his mis-.
sion unchecked, although it is too evi
dent that it must some day come to a
tragic end.
This is the way they cali out the
figure OF q reel In Arkansas Dance
to the gal with the yellow shawl now
outside and up the middle turner ia
your partner, Isaac Smach, and now