Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-11
english JOHN,
The Most Popular Street-car Conductor
In Sacramento.

The Most Popular Street-car Conductor
In Sacramento.
There is no vocation or walk in life in
his mark by attending strictly TO business.
All labor is honorable, and he succeeds
best who at all times performs the duties
imposed upon him TO the very best of his
ability. English John" the driver of
street-car No. 8, in this city, is unquestion-
ably the most popular man in town. He
is known by every man, woman and child
in the city; all have pleasant word for
him, and in return are always met with
CHEEKY smile and pleasant good day"
from the man that has piloted bob-tail
car through the streets of Sacramento for
many years. He is pleasant, good-natured,
always stops car at the proper time, is
careful to see that no one gets into the mud
or is injured in getting off or on his coach.
From long familiarity with the patrons
of the road, " English John" knows where
they all reside, and never fails to stop to
let them off at the proper crossing, even
should they be so engaged in conversation
as to forget to ring the bell. His many
little kindnesses. his ever even-tempered
disposition, the gentle manner in which he
coaxes his horses along when behind time,
the kindly way in which he reprOyes the
street gamin who
TRIES To STEAL A RIDE
Have won for him reputation of a good,
kind-hearted and honest man, that many
persons of abundant means would give a
fortune to possess.
English john" however, has found
that sometimes " little acts of kindness =
don't always bring their reward. For
many years he pulled the lines over a
clay-bank bronco that was the motive
power attached to an H-street car. Now,
FL street is inhabited by as nice people as
is TO be found on top of the globe, and
women and children especially upon that
route had come TO look upon English
john" his red car and his true-blue old
clay-bank as an emblem of safety. His
car was always scrupulously neat, and the
little ones who were placed in his charge
for a round trip ride" were just as safe
while in his car as they were when at home
under the eyes of their mother. John
soon learned the habits of all those who
frequented that line, and knew Just as soon
as an individual stepped in the rear door
of the car where he was to get off. After a
short time he began TO drop on" the
beaux of the Hstreet girls, and when OPP
posite the residence of the dear girl
would pull up old clay-bank to let the
young lover off, as much as he would for
the girls father. Now this was all right
for John. He was simply doing what he
considered his duty.
HE MEANT NO HARM
By it, he knew the bent of the young
mans mind; he pitied him; he had been
there once himself, and " q fellow feeling
makes us wonderous kind" This. how
AoctinaA TO IL
into trouble, and so it did. One evening a
young man stepped on to Johns car at
Tenth and X streets. John noted his
getting on, knew that the young mans
sweetheart had returned from the Bay that
day, and smiled to himself as he antici-.
pated the atfectionate greeting his passen-
ger would receive. At Tenth and ia
young lady got on the car, who
addressed the young man quite Familiarity,
and the two passengers seemed to be
quite seriously engaged in conversation.
When English John" arrived in front of the
mansion where the young mans girl lived,
which is in the center of the block, he
pulled up his old clay-bank. The young
man made no attempt to get out, and
English john" after waiting a moment,
opened the door and blurted out,
"'ERE's THE 'oUsE."
Inc young man DluSneO, ana informed
the polite driver that he was mistaken, that
he was going to Twentieth street. This
was a serious mistake. The young man
had two girls, and the one in the car left it
at the next crossing in high dudgeon The
young man Immediately proceeded to the
street-car stables, and laid in complaint
against English john" saying that he
had become entirely too familiar with his
route, and if allowed to continue on H
street there would not be another wedding
in that part of the city in the next five
years"
The proprietors changed John over to o
street after that, and to-day he is just as
popular with the patrons of that line as he
was on II street. He is kind, obliging, at
tentive to business, honest with his EN-
ployers, and without doubt one of the most
popular men in the city. His right name
is John ClelYe