The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-04
a STORY ABOUT THE WIZARD.
How Jay Gould Made an Apology a Coun
try storekeeper From Germany.

try Storekeeper From Germany.
| There is young man in this city who
| rode with Jay Gould in his special car al
one time, but he is too modest TO allow his
name to be mentioned, and, by the way,
he has very high estimate of the charac-
ter of the wizard. why, Mr.. Gould had
as warm a heart under his waistcoat az
any man / ever knew" said he to a report
er for the EAGLE yesterday. About
twelve years ago liyed at the little town
of Morrison, located on the Missouri Pa
cific road about ninety miles west of st.
Louis. aud worked for the firm of +.
Buente & Co. Buente was typical Ger
man, who weighed about 400 pounds, one
of the best fellows that ever lived, but
whenever he got anything into his head it
stayed there. He was so stubborn that if
he met hog in pathway
too narrow for both he would hold
his ground and make the hog turn
back every time. He owned the largest
commercial establishment in that entire
section of Missouri and owned it all by
himself and the "Co" was put on for
style. He sold everything from button
hook to a threshing machine, and bought
everything from pound OF feathers to
10000 bushels of wheat. He bought on
long credit and sold on long credit. and
for that reason he was the king of all that
country known as the German settlement.
He was gifted with more natural indie
pendence than any man | ever knew, and
would get hot and cool off quicker than
lead. If the car of all the Russias and all
lc &c laI Sp+o
store it would have no more effect on him
than if they were that many section
hands.
Well. to come to the story. He was
doing an immense grain business the year
mentioned and he needed more switch ia
cilities. He had me to write to A A. Tai
madge who was then the superintendent
demanding,-(he never requested longer
switch. Talmadge did not reply and had
to write again telling him that if the Mis-
souri, Pacific didn't come to time he would
haul his wheat Il mile distant to the river
and ship it by boat. A reply came from
Mr.. Talmadge that lie was making trip
over the system with Mr. Gould and that
they would stop at Morrison a few mo-
ments on a certain date to hear Mr..
DUeuIS STleNduCc. lnO udN anu hOut
came and so did the train and Mr.. Buente,
without coat, hat waistcoat or suspenders,
walked out to the depot aud met Tai
madge. They argued the matter and
cussed one another and all that sort OF
thing aud finally Talmadge said that he
couldn't afford to build any more side
track. This made Buente hot and he
bearded Gould in his den. walking
into the palatal Car unanuounced as
he would have done If the pope
of Rome was in Gould's place. He made
the interior OF that Car blue with curses
set, 10 his taste, in fragmentary English
and two varieties of German, and, putting
his fiager under Gould's nose, told him
that if he wouldn't build that side-track
he would ship every pound OF his freight
by water to and from ST. Louis.
Gould was in bad humor at that time,
and he told the old man to go to hades;
that he could get along without his freight,
anyway. This made the old gentleman
boiling hot, and lie left the car, stating
that no gentleman would
talk TO an old man that way.
The train pulled out, and Buente stood
in the middle of the track shaking his fist
at it, aud swearing by all that was good
and bad that he would learn Jay Gould
how to treat his customers. He finally
returned to the store, went down in
his cellar and began to cool off
on his national beverage. In less than an
hour afterwards the station agent handed
Mr.. Buente telegram which read as
follows as near as l can remember now:
Permit me to make you al apology for
the way ! treated you in my car. l am
very sorry indeed that | was SO i'll temper
ed at the time Next Monday morning
my men will be in your town ready to
build any switch Accommodations that you
may dictate to them: They will be en-
tirely at your command"
"JAY GOULD"
Monday morning came and so did the
men, aud travellers over the Missouri Pa
,iic can now look out the south windows |
Of the train while passing Morrison and |
see one OF the finest switches for that size !
town there is in America.
| afterwards met one of the officers of |
the road who WAS in the car with Gould !
and Taimadge that day aud he told me |
that before the train was a mile from the |
station the great railroad magnate ner- |
vously jumped to his feet and said: Tai |
nadge, we have not treated our German !
friend right; he is an old man and de- |
served better treatment from us. l pro- !
pose to Apologies, and if you have no OBJ |
lection we will give him the switch he |
asks for" and so saying he took blank |
md with his own hand dashed off the |
above message and caused it TO be sent |
rom Gasconade, the next station. Buente |
received IA gold watch the following |
Christmas By express from an unknown |
,ource, aud he maintained till the hour of |
lis death that Jay Gould sent 1t to him. |
md | believe myself he did, "
A CHANGE FOR The BETTER.