The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-25
"HANK" MCLEAN.
How the Old Judge got Even with
Railroad Company.

Seated around the hotel office day or
two ago was Major j. NJ. Beardsley, Col.
J. M. Snyder, Hon. Pat O'Mara and a
number of other friends, discussing the
political situation, and the action of the
republican convention. Col. Snyder, who
was on Gov. Oglesby's staff, as secretary,
and great admirer of the General told
the following story. Speaking of the
campaign of 1864, when Oglesby was first
a candidate for governor, he said; Major
Beardsley, you remember old Judge Nc
Lean, of McHenry county, 'Hank"
Mclean, as he was called?"
ooh, yes; we all remember him, said
Major B.
well, want to tell you-if you never
have heard this experience as a railroad
man, or how he got even with the railroad
company.
Some years ago when resided in the
city of Chicago, old Hank" Mclean came
up to Chicago, and | was one of the first
that he called upon. We went out to
look at the city and happened to see J. c.
McMullen, very elegant gentleman, and
at that time superintendent of the Chicago
| & Alton railroad. | introduced him to
Judge Mclean as one of the prominent
| "a Tho In ro oh 4.
and said | am very glad to meet you,
Mr. McMullen, ! am always glad to
meet a railroad man, was once
| in the railroad business myself.
Mr. McMullen inquired what road he had
been connected with. We'll, says the
Judge, l will tell you. When the Galena
division of the Northwestern was con
structed, | owned home of forty acres
of land, in McHenry county, and the rail
road surveyed and laid their track com
mencing at the southeast corner of my
land and came ont as near as possible at
the northwest corner. | presented my
bill for damages, but they claimed they
had the right of way and arbitrarily
refused to pay anything. l did not wish
to tear up their track, but | wanted to
get even. | had many good and wealthy
neighbors, for you know lived in 4 good
| neighborhood, and we had but few fences
on our farms Well, | started out and
began to salt the track | would indus
| triously scatter salt on the track every
day, and the hogs in the neighbor
hood soon found the salt, the engine
would come laundering down and
kill two or three hogs a day. |
wOul, take them home, promptly dress
and salt them down until had more than
a winters supply for my family. Pork
was very high at that time, and one day
had coaXed very large barrow that
| would weigh from four 10 five hundred,
up to the track and the train took his
head off just behind the ears. | Carted
him home and concluded the matter had
gone far enough in justice to my neigh
bOrs (who owned the hogs, | went
down TO the station and reported that tie
train had killed my most likely hog
and gave them the best lecture | had at
command They expressed regret, and
finally compromised by paying me thirty
dollars took the money home and my
wife bought hanncls and clothing to do
the family all winter. 4 few days after
met the agent and he said, 'hello Judge
that was a good joke you got on US. We
paid you for another mans hog. Wen,
just come over and pay US back the
money and We Will return your voucher.
Oh no. said /, that would
spoil the joke-and never
spoil good joke, and never did. Well,
during that fall the company sent on. an
agent who came to my place and said, we
have concluded to fence the road; that is,
we, the company, will furnish the timbers
and lumber, if the owners will do the
work-build the fence-I agreed, and
they then sent a c&r load Of lumber and
distributed it on my place, About the
time got ready to 90 to work we had a
little snow and had twenty or thirty
calves without shelter; they were SILVER
ing around and took pity on them, took
all the lumber and built me a good barn
"a good one. After while they came
along and inquired about the lumber and
| explained the situation, they protested.
but finally compromised by my telling
them that if they would now send me the
lumber l would build them a good fence,
and they did so" Now Mr.. McMullen,
that is my experience as railroad man
and | think we compromised finally by
the company giving me free pass over
the road and so far as | know we are on
the best of terms today. Good day Mr..
McMullen, always happy to meet a rail
road official, good day, and the Judge
and Mr. Nc. separated"