The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-24
Morrison, Whiteside county, Ill. y

1
that none but the Chicago & North
western railroad connected with that
place, and it would have been inn
possible for the coroner to suggest q
pass on some other road instead.
The Instructions to the reporter were
to get q pass over the Northwestern
if it could be obtained.
"What road leads to Morrison p
queried the coroner, suspiciously.
On being told, he suddenly dropped
his arm. He shrunk from the OBJ
legation.
"When do you want it?" he asked
with a sigh.
''Next Friday at the latest
II wish it were on some other
company" he said.
whats the matter with that?"
why, my dear sir, there's $5, 600
fine for giving a pass"
"Is it that bad?"
ooh l should say so. They are
very strict with the railroads.
"But you can get the pass?''
eyes, but l don't like to do it. ]
just sent over there and got a couple
for my folks the other day, and
don't like to do it again so soon
after"
The reporter attempted to seem as
disappointed as possible, and the
coroner at last said: "Well, you
come around tomorrow morning
and I'll have Phil go out and get it for
YOU"
The next morning the reporter call
ed promptly. The coroner gave his
chief deputy some instructions in a
low voice, and the latter came out OF
the private Office and asked:
"Where is it you want to go?'
The reporter didn't want to go
anywhere, but taking it that Mr..
Knopf desired the name of the place
to where the pass was to be made
out answered: Morrison"
The deputy paused, as if in study,
and suddenly said:
81 hate to strike them for a pass.
just got two for some friends the
other day. Wait till 1 see Monaghan.
If he has his pass III get that for
you. 1t will do just as well.''
Monaghan is a deputy coroner.
After Monaghan had searched
through the papers in his pocket and
couldn't find his pass Mr.. Knopf re-
turned and told the reporter to wait
again. He then FASTENED across the
corridor to the Superior court clerk g
office and returned with the annual
pass on the Northwestern made out
in the name of D. w. Clark.
"Here, got you Clark's. We let
him have ours sometimes, and he re-
turns the favor,'' explained Mr..
Knopf. "You can ride on this all
right. If the conductor says any
thing to you just say that you are a
"But I'm afraid to use this" urged
the reporter.
ooh, that's all right, 1 tell you.
let people ride on mine frequently.
Never a word said about it. l would
rather you used that than to get
you pass"
A week later the reporter returned
the pass after a photograph of it had
been taken by the MORNING News
artist. The pass had not been. used,
and the reporter was instructed to let
them know that fact at the coroner's
office.
"Well was it all right?" asked Mr..
Knopf upon receiving the pass.
81 didn't use it. I was afraid to-. +"
ooh, bosh; I'll bet you did,
"No, indeed, I did not. I can prove
it,"
"Why, anybody can ride on it, -
laughed Mr.. Knopf.
Il couldn't have Initiated that
name had the conductor called on
me to do so.''
"You wouldn't have needed to.
They never ask such questions. Why,
let some one have my pass every
few days. I had two on the Wabash
road made out in my own name and
l let two different men have them to
go to St. Louis on the same day,
and there was not word said.''
'But if the conductor had taken
this one up I might have got both
you and your friend, as well as my
self, in trouble"
"No you wouldn't. All he could
do was to take it up and make you
pay your fare.'
"Well then, Clark would have been
minus his pass afterward."
"Don't you fool yourself. They
took up one OF mine one day when /
let fellow have it, and just wrote
a letter to the agent and told him /
wanted the pass back. He kicked
some, but it was returned the next
day."
but didn't want to cause you
any such trouble"
'If you had told me before would
have gone and got you pass at the
office. The fact was, I had just got
four fora party goingup to Fox lake