Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-09-10
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n Veracious Record of the Arrival ana
Departure OF Knights OF the Road.
ISan Francisco Chronicle.i

veracious Record of the Arrival and
Departure OF Knights OF the Road.
ISan Francisco Chronicle
With the air of one doing bis duty and
whose mind was duly impressed with the
Importance of the work in hand, young
man with brcnzed features, grimy fingers,
rusty coat, well-fringed raneaioops and
shoes which had evidently parted com.
pany with blackinR many. months before,
stood In the shN}'aBs4 kee high hoard
felaee near the. 3ArrS s-gauge ferry land
ting carving the last letter OF the words
@Phila. Joe.n
whats that forf" he repeated in reply
to the question OF a reporter. "why, I'm
putting my name on the regis. er, SO my
friends Will known Pm In town. I've
been on the road from Philadelphy now
only about a month-not bad time con.
sidering the way these conductors and
brakesmen go after fellow when they
find him taking free ride. Now III put
down the date and tell where Pm going
next. Just room there next to that knot
to put Los Ang.' You don't see the good
Of it? guess you never brake beamed it
overland and havn't much of an idea
how many friends you can pick up in
welfare and future travels you get
to have such a kindly regard. How would
know that Kalamazoo Pete, who was my
chum in New Orleans i'm 1888, had been
here three months ago and left for Port
land with Charley the Kid, IL didn't see
1t registered up there on that stringer?
Just take look at the records" he con.
tinued, with a wave Of his hand in the de
rection Of the fence. "Tbere's Leadville
Lew" said he, pointing to the very irreg-
ularlv shaped letters high up on one side
of the boards; "knew him in Kansas Citv
two years ago. He struck town last
week, and ! haven't seen him yet, but
he'll give us hint of the direction he in
tends to take before he leaves. Nav lie
you don't believe it, but there's a regist r
OF this kind kept at every important sta
ton along the road. You see, brake
beaming isn't conducted with the same
degree of safety it was wears ago, and we
make shorter laps. There isn't the same
sympathy shown by the train hands to.
ward our set.
"You never heard OF tramps racing
across the continent, did yor? Why,
know two crack brake ke-beamers-Shortv
Stevens and Frenchy Girard-who started
out of Boston on the same day, ca, h bent
oh making the best record to San Fran
cisco. 1t was good deal of satisfaction
for Frenchy to register first at Omaha, lu.
when he got to Ogden there was Shorty's
sig. with date two days back and Heat
YER in big letters below. At Elko they
met and at Truckee Frenchy was one day
behind; but, as you'll see by the record
over there, Stevens got beat two days,
after all. A gosl deal of interest Is taken
in these long distance contests by every
body on the road.
"How does a new arrival find the regis
tering place? Why, he asks the fret lrake-
beanie he meets on striking town. Here
comes fellow 10 register now. Guess I'll
slide. He might want to borrow my knife,
and it would be the fasr I'd ev see of it.
Pm dead on to these commynistic chaps,
and he's one of 'em.'
The reporter watched the newcomer as
he approached the fence, pulled a hure
lead pencil from his pocket ami made the
following entry in the trumps' register.