The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-12-10
A MAN WHO DIDN'T STRIKE.
Sixty Years q Switchmen on the Centra
He Once Defied Two Regiments.

He Once Defied Two Regiments.
Down at Stuyvesant, on the Central
Hudson Road, there is stationed a !
switchmen who has been at his post
ever since the first train passed over
the rails, and had been in the COM
pany's employ before that, almost
from the day when the first tie was
laid and the first spike was driven.
This man did not strike when Lees
order went over the wires op the even
ing of Aug. s. He is not made of that
sort of stuff of which they are made
that blindly follow the beck and call
of an autocratic leader. Old Patrick
Sweeny remained at the post which he
has faithfully guarded for nearly sixty
years now.
Although he is slightly illiterate his
mental powers have a natural vigor
that is remarkable. Once the COM
pany issued an order directing that all
switchmen who could not read or write
were to quit it's service. Pat got boy
in his shanty to teach him how to read
the numbers of the engines so he could
report the time and number of trains
that passed his flag shanty every day.
The old man had apparently passed
the age when the mind can yet be
turned back and made to grasp what
it has outgrown, for he discharged the
boy, but his ear was still keen. In less
than a month he had learned the num-
ber of every engine on the road by the
sound of its bell, and never made
single error in his reports. This is
vouched for by people who have known
Sweeny half century.
He does not known what fear is. and
story is told how he once defed two
regiments of soldiers because he knew
what his duty was and they did not.
1t was in April. 1862. during war
times. Sweeny was at his post on the
road. which was then double-tracked
north of Stuyvesant, but had but one
track between that town and New
York. Fifteen carloads of soldiers on
a special train, bound for New York,
reached Stuyvesant early one morning.
and Sweeny, who was on the lookout,
stopped the train, because the train
which had Immediately preceded it
carried no signal to give warning that
the special was behind it. 1t was be-
fore the days of block signals and
much depended on remembrance of
orders as to how trains were to be run.
The commandant of the troops could
not understand why the train had come
to standstill. Leaping from the train
he began making inquiries. and found
Sweeny standing at the switch, which
he had locked.
What does this mean?" thundered
the officer. Don't you know these are
Federal troops under orders from
Washington to proceed to New York
without delayP What do you mean by
stopping this train without orders?"
Sweeny pointed his thumb over his
shoulder in the direction of the single
| track.
The train ahead carries no signal
for yez," said he," ''and there bees an
up train on its way"
| Unlock that switch instantly" COM
manded the officer, drawing his sword.
| Not a moments delay, now. Unlock
| itr
III not, :" said Sweeny, and the words
| were scarcely out of his mouth before
| dozen soldiers, in obedience to an
order, hustled the switchman into his
| shanty. One thrust his bayonet into
the boards alongside of Sweeny's neck.
The other pinned him in a similar man.
ner under the arms. Half a dozen
| others placed the mnzzles of their load
ed muskets within few inches of his
head.
Give us that key and let this train
| proceed" was the command. and.
| while no threat accompanied it, the
switchmen knew that the next order
would be to pull the trigger. He never
f1inched.
Not one foot does this train move,
he said without tremor.
Il will give you one min
| At that moment shrill whistle wa:
heard, and before the officer coulC
finish his order the train for Albany
came flying along at the rate of forty
miles an hour. Sweeny's watchfulness
had prevented terrible disaster. He
knew we'll that the first train should
have displayed signal flags to indicate
that there was another following. Had
he permitted the train carrying the
soldiers to proceed there would have
been a fri ghtful collision at about
Stockport, where a curve through &
rocky cut shuts out all view 200 yards
aheard. 1t didn't take either the off
GERS or the men long to realize what {
narrow escape they had made and tc
appreciate the bravery of the switch
man who was ready to give up his owl
life rather than permit thousand men
to put theirs in danger.
Famous Sam Sloan was President O
the Central in those days, and when he
heard of Sweeny's courageous conduc
he sent him a check for a generou!
amount and summarily discharged the
engineer and crew of the train that hac
run through without a signal. And
strange to say, no strike was ordered
because of their discharge, nor wa
President Sloan asked to specify rea