The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-22
SOME SHORT STORIES
One of the Rough Edges of Human
Nature Shown i'm Wreck.
Rather Rocky Times for the Rooster
Wants to BE Inspector of Flags
Brief Tales.


section of the train that killed all the people
at Kankakees few weeks ago."
AS the young man spoke he fiipped his
thumb in the direction of the gold band
on his hat which proclaimed him in the en-
ploye OF the Big Four Then he spoke
again. This time in modified tone. THAT
was an awful night" he went on, land 1
see things around that place that pretty
nearly knocked the headlights off % me. If
ever there was night Of horror it was
certainly that very time when the second
section OF the Big Four limited telescoped
the coaches ahead Of her. What was the
strangest thing 1 see? Well, let me think"
ana the brakeman passes a hand over his
eye Perhaps he saw those sights of horror
again. AT length he continued:
III tell you. The instant we hit 'em
nropped of the train and ran back TO flag
utes behind US. / stopped her o. x. and
men started down the track toward the
wreck. didn't hear any sound 1t was
quiet; but L knew there was trouble and
some sights. / wasn't fooled a bit. There
was trouble, and IL was bad. I'll not talk
aDout Mnat see the newspapers have done
mat But there's one little incident thar
caught me pretty hard. When L reached
the wreck nearly everybody who had the
etrengtn was screaming. 1t was a difficult
matter 20 hear anything intelligent but
above the voices of everybody else I could
lear the loud wailings of a man.
o-sIuehty ne was in distress, and / stepped
oyer half-dozen poor, suffering victims
vi the disaster TO help him. When reached
MS SIDE the first word he spoke was re-
Eardlng his baggage. / thought this a
pretty queer time TO talk about baggage
out, supposing that the poor fellow was
GcrylnS out In delirinm, leaned over him.
IneTe wasn't a scratch or bruise on him.
he had escaped without an injury Within
q loot or him lay his wife, her body nearly
husbands hand touched her lev face as
he called fratically:
" Somebody get my bageager T lost NV
'ailse: IL is valuable
- looked at that fellow a minute and
Inen walked away disguised thoroughly
I aion dare to pick up coupling pin and
brain MIN, but / felt like it. / left him
stlll yelling for his valise and walked q
hundred feet, perhaps, to another scene
Inc comparison is worth the time it takes
10 tell It Here were three persons. a faith
er, mother and child. The mother Law dead
ner Dl2ckened and distorted face uptlrned
Inc naoe had escaped, and with it's little
arms about its dead mother, was calling for
her TO awake. The father was living a few
feet away. frightfully injured about the
f Hmps; he was crying, too, but it wasn't
for his baggage. No, sir; not much. He
erleSs child"
Again the brakeman passed a hand across
his eyes Then he got up smoothed ont
his loud-checked trousers and walked
away.
The honored and respected bird, the roos
ter, that has been wont to proclaim Demo-
cratic victories, has recently played in
hard luck" All manner of dire calami-
ties have befallen him, and he has met with
reverses and rebuffs; yea, death itself has
lain violent hands upon the herald of vic
tory and hushed his voice
Peter Britt, foreman at the National
iS
the owner of some fine chickens. Among
them was a gaunt awkward-looking but
thoroughbred Shanghai rooster who
stalked about the barnyard with an ungain-
~ stride and ''lorded'' it over the other
fowls Britt is a Democrat and was very
the power of its voice in pro-
claiming Democratic victories. The
rooster, however, was taken from
him at the same time his hopes van
ished in the recent city election. All morn
. Ing on Tuesday, Oct 10, the rooster stalked
about the premises. anxiously awaiting the
dawn of the succeeding day, when he could
shout victory to the world. The hour never
came. however. About O'Clock in the aft
ernoon the famous Shanghai dropped dead.
An autopsy developed that death was due
TO heart disease, superinduced by despair
Another rooster that came to grief on
the same day was the weathercock on the
old Sentinel Building. For years this cock
had held his perch upon the building that
was for time the home of the Democratic
though cast down for a while has again
taken courage to lift up his head and face
the world. The avalanche of Oct. 10 was
too much for his constitution, however,
and when a gust of wind came that way on
Tuesday night the weathercock let go his
hold and was swept from his perch.
Among the big stacks of mail that comes
daily to Mayor Denny. the following whim-
steal letter turned up the other day:
In looking over the long list of in
spectors appointed by the late departed
municipal government officers / find they
have overlooked the important Office of in
spector of the national flag In consider
alton thereof / would most respectfully and
konorabIe office of d9snactor Of nat,onaI
flags for the city at large, with the con-
sideration that there be no salary for said
Inspector on account of the precarious con-
dition Of our city finances.
Being of a patriotic turn of mind am
willing TO sacrifice my spare time in the
interest OF our national flag, and what il
will teach others in giving US a pure patri-
otlc city government that Will beat the
record and stand the test.
II am willing to inaugurate a reform in
filling the army of inspectors, and hope
others will follow in my footsteps. and our
war cry shall be without money and with
out price. Take me just as L am and / will
do you good. Now is the time TO enlist in
the noble cause of reform.
please do not mention that my applica-
ton is on fle for the army of office-seekers
would overwhelm you with applications for
without compensation. Hoping my appli-
cation will have your earnest consideration
j have the honor TO be periodically yours
~. S. JONATHAN
-
About twelve years ago Mr.. D. W. Grubbs
was Mayor of this city, but for the time
almost continuously since then he has been
I'm business In Mexico. He knows the south
ern country very well, and has travelled all
over the gulf and southern lines of the
country. Several of his journeys have been
into New Mexico, and in recent CONVEX
sation he was telling of the country and
some of the customs. In speaking of the
language employed there, he said il was
almost entirely Spanish. and then followed
q description of the way in which the ma
tives and the Indians mixed their language
Among other things, Mr.. Grubbs said: THE
United States records in that country are
lean goes there and wishes to see the rec
ords he must hire an interpreter or he must
learn Spanish do not believe there is
another country on earth where the rec
ordS of the country are kept in another
language and where they cannot be read
by everyone of the country in his own
tongue"
The property holders and tenants on
Pennsylvania street. south of Washington.
where the asphalt pavement has been re-
Gently laid, are not very well pleased that
the express wagons have taken UP their
stand there and not only obstruct the
Etreet but keep il in a filthy condition. n
tenant OF one OF the handsomest buildings
hnwr.