The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-01-09
The Man in the Pepper Box.

The pepper-boX was little octago-
nal house about six feet in diameter
aud eight feet in height, with conf
cal roof. Ia one Of the eight sides was
little door with a window in the top
Of it, and In the other six sides there
were small windows, The pepper-box
was furnished with one comfortable,
lealheI-coyerC armchair, and the
curious little building stood In rail-
road yard amid a network Of switches
and turn-outs; and was placed there to
shelter the man who watched the
know nothing" or crossing where
two railroads intercept each other at
right angles.
The crossings Of which now write
were in the railroad yard OF Il large
manufacturing city and railroad centre.
where nearly every foot of land, with
the exception Of this little triangular
spot of grouud where the pepper-box
stood, was covered with iron rails. One
would naturally take it to be very
confusing place to be in. The man in
the pepper-box was obliged TO keep Il
level head on his shoulders, or he
would be likely to make a mistake In
regard to the time that one of the nu-
merOus trains was due and miscalcu-
lation Of half an hour meant more or
less destruction of life and property.
Or. If be was not constantly on the
lookout aud alert, when he stepped
outside he was liable to be run over
and cut to pieces by the regular or
switching trains.
Paul Serus, the pepper-bOx man.
called "0ld Serious" by the railroad
boys" was an object of interest to
every one of the scores of employees on
the several roads, who passed and re-
passed his close quarters every day. lie
had never been seen or heard by any of
them until dusty and travel-worn he
walked into the station one day in a
half intoxicated condition, and took
the cars for New York.
He refused to show his ticket or to
pay his fare, so the conductor, giving
pull TO the bell-rope to nave the train
slowed up, pitched the poor fellow off
rather too upceremoniOusly, 1t was
thought-and left him lying on the
ground in half-stunned condition.
Before he regained consciousness and
was able to sit up, another train came
along and ran over and cut off one of
his feet that was lying across the rail.
There was quite an ado made over
the affair. The conductor was blamed
for not bringing the train to stop be-
fore he put the man off, and for leaving
the man partly on the track. The
former was suspended indefinitely
there had been many complaints en-
tered against him before at the Super
Intend ent's office, and the poor victim
was carried to the city hospital, where
the Superintendent of the road, a very
kindhearted man, himself went to see
that he was well cared for.
lie became interested in the patient,
Paul Serus, and called to see him more
than once, and promised him a job as
soon as he should be well enough 10
take it, on the condition, however, that
he would sign the pledge. The
wounded man promised faithfully to do
so, and while his mutilated stump Of
an ankle was healing, he had time to
get thoroughly sobered, to profit By
the somewhat dismal retrospect of his
life, and to make plans for a useful,
honorable future.
"This Is the first time have been
completely sober for years." he said TO
the surgeon, who was very attentive
and kind to him. ~ feel exactly as If
| had been away from my true self all
this time, and had just got back into
my old body again--as 1 used to be
when was somebody in the world"
As soon rs poor Paul was able to
hobble about on crutch. the whole
souled railroad superintendent come TO
the hospital and had long interview
with the surgeon In regard to him.
There was such quiet dignity about
the man, such native goodness Of heart,
honesty In action and purpose, that
these two gentlemen had made up their
minds not to turn the crippled patient
out upon the world when he should
have recovered, but on the contrary, to
do something for him.
"You must give him situation
where there is some responsibility;
where he will have something to take