Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-12-13
A LECTURER RAILROADING.
Experiences of Burdette, the
"Hawkeye man.

Experiences OF Burdette, the
"Hawkeye man.
Burdette, Of the Burlington
Hawkeye, thus writes home to his
paper, of Eli Perkins and his rail-
road experiences during his lectur-
ing tour:
| am deeply panied to see by the
Hawkeye that Eli Perkins is going
to lecture in Burlington under the
auspices Of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association. Eli is an awful
man to talk. He lectured over at
Fairbury, Illinois, the other day,
and told them that he built the
first fve-story residence in Burling-
ton, in 1898. He said he was prac-
ticing law in Temple bar at the
time, and knows of his own knowl.
edge that John Dickie was mixed
up in the gunpowder plot, and had
to fly to Sagetown to avoid capture.
He told all about the authorship
Snarl, and said he got it up himself,
just for joke. And he slandered
the narrow gauge railroad and told
lies on the Sixth street bridge. Hc
said he drove the first team down
Division street one hundred anG
ninety-seven years ago, and il
was better then than it is now
This was the only true thing ht
said. He is a bold, bad man, anC
he talks Dutch, ohews gum and
wears q helmet hat. And If a weak
man goes to hear him lecture, Ell
throws him down, sits on him, and
talks the whole lecture right into
his ear, and won't let up on hin
until he agrees to make over all his
wife's property to the association
for which Eli is lecturing. This i.
what makes him SO popular will
church associations.
Do you know I'ye gone to rail
roading? Yes, indeedy, Haven
quit lecturing, but / brake OF
freight trains and camp out on side
tracks in the intervals. 1t takes {
longer time to spend nipO hours OF
siding than il does to deliver {
popular lecture, but it doesn't pa,
so we'll. know every switch, side
track and Y in the State of low,
by name, sight and reputation. /
l were dropped out of the clouds il
the darkest midnight that eve
frowned and should light upon
Sidetrack, could tell right wher
l was. Try me sometime. On
night last week l was going from
Grinnell up north. According tt
the custom Of the rostrum, | wa
riding in a caboose, jamming alonl
behind a freight train as long as
kite string. Twas stretched out ol
a long seat at say fall length, whicl
isn't much longer than y piece o
cord wood. / was trying to sleeE
/ was wooing the drowsy god b
4 pounding my ear on the cushion
\ tin tho dust flew.
The drowsg god was not on tina
train, however. tEo was back il
Grinnell, waiting for the sleeping
car.
Pretty soon the train stopped
about mile north of Grinnell. l
was very restful to the one lon
passenger in the caboose. 1t wa
soothing to bis swollen ear. !
was easy on the cushion. | fel
that sleep was just about to settl
down upon the subscriber and knj
up the rayeled sleeve Of care, s
long as the absence of motion rem
dered the ceremony OF knlttin
possible.
The conductor came in. Gloor
sat enthrOned upon his brow, an
his lowering frowns made the ca
look dark. He opened the windo,
and let in a wandering zephyr tha
froze the flames in the stove int
ieieles. It's a way freight condut
tors have.
He brought his head ia sftt
while, and from the way he acte
/ judged he was moved. b
seemed to be deeply affected owe
something. | had a dim suspicio
, that he might have been irntatet
lIe slammed down his lamp an
he kicked the stove. Then