The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-09-25
JIM
A touching Little Story OF the
Johnstown Flood.

A touching Little Story OF the
Johnstown Flood.
After the toasts of the dinner Of the
Johnstown correspondents at tho Fell
lowcraft Club on Saturday night, and
when "reminiscences were in order, some
chance remark brought out from Gen
cral d. II. Hastings, who, having been
the benefactor of the newspaper men at
.lohnstown, had become their guest in
New York, a story of the flood, which,
though it has waited full year for the
telling, has the freshness and delicacy
OF a newly -plucked flower, and the al
Ways new odor of heroism inseparable
from tale of noble actions, even
though the hero be but a tramp. This
IS the way the General told it:
was the night after The flood, and
had arrived on the spot only short
time before, after driving sixty miles
ever the mountains You know what
horrible thing darkness was in Johns
town anyhow, and that was the first
' night, and the worst. A few of us were
standing on the bank overlooking the
plain and the smeldering debris, at the
bridge, saying nothing and trying not to
think. Presently some one pulled a few
pieces of wreck together and built a fire.
We could see each other then, and one
of the toughest looking men l eyer saw
in my life, and 1T took a pretty ragged
and dirty and miserable man to attract
attention in Johnstown then, hunted
around until he found a battered old
can, and in it he made some coffee over
the fire and handed 1t around to u.s.
said when he handed me mine:
g 1 suppose you've lost every thingT
1--WE always made some remark like
that to stranger then; it seemed about
the only natural thing to say
No. said he, didn't lose any thing
!" You belong here? said /. --
" Mop, said he.
"'Got friends here"
Mop
:. Look here said !, who are you-
anyhow
"'Well, he sort of muttercd, I'm what
they call tramp.
''Then he seemed to brighten up and
said
's'I'll toll ye: / amt done a stroke o
y
pened to come along here. an l tell you
it Just knocked me out. | seen all these
people with nothing left an nobody to
-help, em, AMI just pitched in fore |
knew it. ! amt much good, but l done
all | could, an I'm goiagg to stay here
now as long as kin be of any help
Il sort of took an interest in the fell
low at that, and told him who was, and
that if he'd come round to headquarters
next day I'd give him some work to do.
He was on hand early next morning, and
he said he didn't mind what he did, so
we-tied white piece of cotton about his
bat, marked 'Morgue' on 1T in big let
tiers, and told him to go and help handle
the dead You know what awful work
that was, but he looked like a ghoul any
how, and he didn't kick at the assign
ment, After day or two we noticed that
he was one of the best men we had. He
was patient, Industrious and kindly, and
as faithful as woman. lie never
shirked a task, no matter how hideous,
and he never stopped as long as there
was work to do, day or night. When
we organized regular force, / wanted
toput him on the pay roll, and asked
him:
whats your namep"
=" oh, just put me down "Jim,"' he
said; 'that'll do.
80 as Jim he went down on the roll,
ond that was the only name we ever
knew him by. We kept him at work
about headquarters most of the time
and of forty-five of the forty-seven day S
! was in Johnstown l had no more
steady, hard working, faithful and
honest man among all the thousand that
we're there. He did every thing he was
set to do SO patiently, intelligently and
uncomplainingly that we all got to
: think good deal of him. He remained,
in appearance, a very tough-looking
Citizen, but as he worked among the
sick and suffering and miserable, a good
deal of his toughness wore off. He got
more refined, somehow, although we
:. didn't think much about it until after
ward.
zone day the last of the men were
paid off, and he drew the first money he
had had since he began to work.
"What are you going to do now,
,Jim?n asked him. sssas
wen, Al beli you, ITO Sdlus LOU
know ain't@always been a tramp;
Il used to have nice home in Massach,l-
sets and wife and children, but Ave
years ago l had some trouble with my
wife and l went away, and we'll,
i, amt been good for nothing mucn
since.
"'Now, Jim, look here, said i, 'wha,
you want to do is to go right back tc
Massachusetts and see if your wife's
" alive, and lookup your children and
live like man again
g General, he said, that's just what
was comm, to. You see, amt been
caring much what became of me since
go. to trampin' around aebut seeing
these people so miserable an workfn'
you know, an helpin 'em whatl could
its kind O. changed me, somehow, an
want to see If / can't be somebody my
self SO I've got some money now, an
I'll go back an hunt up my folks. an
know can get work, an may be III
get along all right again.
3 Jim, you're just right, Isaid. How
much money have you got9
&" 'Sixty-eight dollars, General
"'Now, I'll tell you what you do
we're all going away in4a day or two
you know, and you go down TO the com
missary department. and tell 'em to Civ,
you a suit of clothes, and fix yourself VI
some, and whom Ego home III take yol
with me, and you can stay day or tive
with me, and then go on to Massachu
Sets
He seemed very grateful asks'
hint
=,