The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-09-09
WAS WILLING TO WORK.
How q Wabash Conductor Began
His Career as a Railroader.

Into the warp ana wool OF the struggles OF
many a man to get a foothold, and how
their career of usefulness and success dates
from some apparently Insignificant Incl
denti What great events sometimes hinge
on trihes, and how often it is that the
trend and future course of life is deter
mined by what seems the mersst chance.
Yesterday BAzoo reporter heard story
which gives additional confirmation to the
moralizings above. 1t is a story OF the
career OF one man, who, to-day. is filling
an honorable and responsible position In 8
great Corporations, trusted by his employers
and loved and respected by his associates.
1t ran as follows:
One cold, bitterly cold afternoon of
December day in 1872. freight train on
the NJ. <. & I. pulled into Parsons and
| took side track. One of the brakemen
on the freight was Doc Gross, then and now
living in this city. The fireman was Pete
Best, whose present whereabouts are un-
known to the writer. Both OF these men
were grim jokers and even while on duty,
! out on the road. they sought opportunities
for playing pranks on some one, no mat
| ter whether friend or stranger. Doc was
! stsnding. near the train, no doubt looking
out for the main chance, when he was APP
preached by a green, gawky fellow who
asked il he could get job.
Certainly you car" said Doc. sever
broke any,"
"No," drawled out the applicant, 'but !
| guess | can make fair hand from the
start.p
"Bravely spoken encouragingly spoke
Doc. Now, you just climb or top that
car, pointing to one up towards the engine,
and when the train pulls out
you held On to the brake
wheel, but don't twist it until YOU can hear
call from the engineer. Just stay there
until We get 10 Sedslia."
Without moments delay, Greeny pull
ed his long, lank frame on top of the box
car, and assumed the position indicated by
the man who had so kindly given him en-
ployment. Doc. went to the engine and
told Pete what he had done, and the two
fell on each others necks and wept tears of
Joy over a new found victim. The train
pulled out, though not unit! the msn on
top OF the car had become thoroughly chilli
ed by the cold wind which blew savagely
from the north.
Slowly the miles were covered by the
train, and delays more than usual occurred
all along the line. The sun sank behind a
gray cloud and night spread its black
mantle over the earth The
cold grew colder, the wind 6ercer,
and it seemed as II the rails would snap in
hundred pieces as the,heavy trai n passed
over them. Back in the caboose was Doc |
and the other train men, warming their |
shins by red hot stove, but up there in !
front sat, like a frozen statue, the man |
who was doing his first turn at railroad !
ing. To the train men it was a Joke, that |
fellow sticking out there at his post, but to |
him II was grim sense of duty, and he |
had no thought of turning from it.
1t was long, bitterly cold ride, but at |
last the train pulled into the Sedalia yard,
and Doc and Pete called their man from /
his place at the wheel and congratulated
him on his faithful discharge of his duties.
"Well, what do you want me to do
now?"
SECT stick, some waste and clean off |
the cabooss wheels" said Gross, "we are
going to dinner"
fhe order was religiously obeyed, and
the man went at the work as though it was
an everyday duty. He was busily clean
ing off one of the wheels when the superin-
tendent of the road, w. r Woodward,
came along.
"What are you doing thsre?" demanded
Mr.. Woodwork.
Cleaning these wheels"
"Who in the devil told you to do y"
"Can't tell their names" was the short
reply, and the man renewed his wiping of
the wheels" They said they'd be back here
after dinner"
"Well, now, you Just stop that foolish
ness, and if you'll do what L say, Pll give
you better job"
"Who are you?
"The superintendent of the road. Now,
when those two fellows come back from
dinner, you Just give them devilish good
licking, and then come to my Office. Will
you do this?"
III will" was the short but determined
answer, and Mr.. Woodward left the man,
fully convinced that be would do as he
had promised.
Gross and Best returned from diuner
and found their man at the csboose. Gross
spoke to him, but as quick as flash the
new hand let hy and planted terrific
blow on Gross probosis which sent him to
grass in great shape. Then Best got ben
6t and when the two jokers picked them.
selvs up they said they had never before
seen q two-legged mule. The victim of
the joke saw Superintendent Woodward,
and the result of the interview was that
the csr-wheel cleaner went out next
day as a genuine brakeman in Gross
place. He stuck to his post, worked
lived soberly and gradually
worked himself up to better positions.
To-day he runs passenger train on the
Wabash, and when you ride with Conduc-
tor c. P. Dodson, ask him how he began
Mrs. Lsnra E. Dainty, the well-known
reader, elocutionist and actress, was defend
ant IN bill for divorce, brought in the