Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-05-06
CONDtCTOR'S STORY
MONEY COULDN'T STOP THE TRAIN.
BUT 1T WAS STOPPED.


tains Over Which the Trains of the Great
Northern Crawl
never read or hear of the mountains
that do not recall a story told by c.1l-
auctor of d train on the Great Northern
road. We We're going to Butte. The
train had Just crossed the river at Great
Falls From that point the road begins
its eastern ascent of the range whose
tops are whitened with the snow all the
year round y wide plain spreads out
between the line of the road and the
range AS the train was getting "a fresh
hold on the rails" as one Of the party
expressed it. the conductor stood on the
rear platform of the coach and looked
steadtastly at one spot until it was lost.
Got IA claim anywhere around there:
asked a traveller who had noticed the
conductors longing look.
"A kinder of Il claim" he replied. but
not the kind you re thinkin of"
How he came to tell US makes no diff
ference now. Here is what he told:
Bout a year ago, think it was, a
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
cowboy, then a deputy marshal, then
boss of a ranch and then he got to spec
ulatin in Anaconda. He had lived the
sort of life out here that man was eX-
pected to live in them days. He was
hard citizen and then good one. Blest
if | know Just where he quit off. but he
did He finally got to lOvin girl, and
lust when he was havin 1t the wust way
she ups and marries a good for nothln
dude that came out here and got to
clerkin in raghouse. Then the young
man that | am talkin about he goes east
to wear out his feelin's. ! reckon. And
he was gone all summer. They said he
was at the seaside. thought when
heard that as how hewould not last long
When a man quits this climate to go to
the seaside, there must be something
mighty bad about his case. If man
can't get cured here. he needn't go any
where else.
Well when he was put IN my care
there was 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 If he had
| been a sick girl He was loollin ont Of
| the winder of the car all the time, day
| and night. but wasn't sayln nothln.
| When we got to Great Falls, he looked
out of the car winder and smiled. II
was the first time that the boys had see
! him do that since they met him, ana they
| thought he was gettin well, He asked
| EN- to set him up IN his berth 50 he could
see.
And he looked 1T the mountain tops
| ont there covered with the whiteness of
| ~ ,--,- hot
| is washed by the purest wafer this side
| of the divide The train was just get
| ting good holt on the rails when the
poor fellow sank back and the next
| thing see the boys was takin the plller
| out from under his head. Then L
| knoved il was all over. Then one of the
| bows come to me and asked me II | would
| take 81 600 TO stop the train. told EN-
| couldn't do anything Of tibet sort. They
| said money was no object. Then | asked
| EN- what was mp. and one OF EN- told
| me that he. ueanin the dead man, had
made a last request that he be taken
| from the train and buried in sight of the
| mountain that had the snow on 1t, the
| one that caught his eyes first after we
| had come over the river. They said they
| had promised him they would l asked
| EN- where they would get a box, and
| they said man as good as he was dldn
| need no box: that the angels would take
| care of him as soon as he was laid away.
| Il asked EN- what they would do II
the train wasn't stopped They held
short parley and said in a most respect
| full way. which / understood, that they
| had to carry out the wishes of the de-
ceased at all hazards: that they could
stop the train if | didn't. l understood
EN-. pulled the cord and Went for ard,
| and while the engineer was mendln the
locomotive. which got out of sorts Jest
| then, the funeral procession moved out,
and the dead was buried out there IN
full sight. 1t SO happened that we got
the locomotive fixed just as the funeral
was over and we took the pallbearerS
| into Butte that night
And | never pass that spot that l
| don't look ont there where they laid him
| / amt 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 all
| the wear round? | once thought OF put
tin up a gravestone at the head. but,
thinks |, its none of my business. and,
besides, the boys said the angels was Soln
TO TO take care of his body, SO Thought
1 wouldn't be iDtrudin on any angel 5
business. 1t was the only time, though,
that my locomotive ever got anything
the matter with it."-ChicagO Tribune.
Gresham Justifies His Request.
| w ASuTvGTON Nav 5-Referring to the