Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-04-25
THEY BURIED HIM.

never read or hear OF the mountains
that do not recall story told by con-
ductor Of a train on the Great Northern
road. We were going 10 Butte. The train
had just crossed the river at Great Falls.
From that point the road begins it's eastern
ascent OF the range whose tops are whit
ened with the snow all the year round. A
wide plain spreads out between she line OF
the road and the range. As the train was
getting fresh bold on the rails" as one
bf the party expressed II, the conductor
stood on the rear platform OF the coach and
looked steadfastly at one spot until II was
lost. .ge
"Got claim anywhere round thcrei"
asked traveller who had noticed the con-
ductor's longing look. F lglf-
"A kinder Of claim" he replied. "but
not the kind you're thinkin Of"
How he came to tell us makes no differ
ence now. Here is what he told:
"'Bout year ago, think it was. young
man was put on my train by the conductor
who had brought him to where take it.
He had been east. His folks lived down
there, believe. He had been west good
many years, was n cowboy, then a deputy
marshal, then boss Of ranch, and then he
got to speculatin In Anaconda. He had
lived the sort of life out here that a man
was expected to live in them days.
''He was hard citizen ana then good
one. Blest II know just where he quit
Off, but he did. He finally got TO lovin a
girl, and just when he was havin it the
wust way she ups and marries good for
nothin dude that came out here and got to
clerkin In raghouse. Then the young
man that am talkin about he goes east TO
inta n nd h.a
gone all summer They said he was at the
seaside. d thought when heard that as
how he would not last long. When man
quits this climate to go to the seaside, there
must be somethin mighty bad about his
case II man can't git cured here, he
needn't go anywhere else.
"Well, when he was put in my care, there
were four or five Of the boys with him.
They had heerd he was comm back, and
they met him away down this side Of st.
Paul, and they nursed him all the way and
fed him Jest as IL he had been sick girl. He
was lookin out Of the winder of the car all
the time, day an night, but wasn't sayiu
nothin. When we got to Great Falls, he
looked out Of the car winder and smiled.
IL was the first time that the boys had seen
him do that since they met him, and they
thought he was gettin well. He asked 'em
to set him up in his berth SO he could see.
And he looked at the mountain tops out
there covered with the whiteness of God
and the foot of the mountains that is
washed by the purest water this side Of the
divide.
"The train was just gettin good holt
on the rails when the poor fellow sank
back, and the next thing see the boys was
takin the piller out from under his head.
Then knowed It was all over. Then one
of the boys come to me and asked me If
would take 81 900 to stop the train. told
'em couldn't do anything Of that sort.
They said money was no object. Then
asked 'em what was up, and one OF 'em told
me that he (meaning the dead inan) had
made a last request that he be taken from
the train and buried in sight of the moan
tain that had the snow on 1.-THE one that
caught his eyes first after we had come over
the river They said they had promised
sim they would | asked 'em where they
would get box, and they said man as
good as he was didn't need no box; that the
angels would take care of him as soon as
he was laid away.
II asked 'em what they would do IL the
train wasn't stopped. They held a short
parley and said in most respectful way,
which understood, that they had to carry
out the wishes of the deceased at all hazards;
that they could stop the train il didn't.
I understood 'em. I pulled the cord and
went forward, and while the engineer was
mendin the locomotive, which got out of
sorts jest then, the funeral procession moved
out, and the dead was buried out there In
full sight. It so happened that we got the
locomotive fixed just rs the funeral was
over. and we took the pallbearers into Butte
that night
And / never pass that spot that don't
look out there where they laid him. Iaint
never seen any of the pallbearers since, and
don't know the name of the young man
that they buried. Do you know, gents, that
his grave is green ell the year roundf
once thought Of putin up gravestone at
the head; but, thinks !, it's none of my
business, and besides the boys said the
angels was goin to take care of his body, 80
thought l wouldn't be intrudin ON any
angels business. II was the only time,
though, that my locomotive ever got any
thing the matter with it."-Chicago Trib-
une.