The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-02
THE TRAIN STOPPED
A Romance Related by the
Conductor.
BURIED BESIDE THE TRACK.
Faithful Friends Who Carried Out the
Last Request of a Dying
Man.
Chicago Daily Tribune.

never read or hear of the mountains
that do not recall story told by con-
ductOr on the Great Northern road. We
were 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. A 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 ii, the conductor stood on
the rear latform of the coach and looked
steadfastly at one SPOT until it was lost.
Got claim anywhere around there?"
asked traveller, who had noticed the con-
ductor's longing look.
"a kinder of claim" he replied. "but
not the kind you're thinkin' Of"
How he came to tell US makes no differ
enee now. Here is what he told:
Bout year ago, L think it was, a
young man was put on my train by the con-
duc0r who brought him to where take il.
He had been East. Bis folks lived down
there, 1 believe. He had been West good
many years, was a cowboy, then a deputy
marshal then a boss of ranch, and then
ne got to speculatin' in Anaconda. He had
lived the sort of a life out here that a man
was expected to live in them days. He was
hard citizen, and then a good one. Blest
if know just where he had quit off, but he
did. He finally got 10 lovin' girl, and
just when he was haVin' it the wust
way. she u and marries a OOd-foT-nOth-
IN dude that came cut here and got 10
clerkln' in a rag-house. Then the young
man | am talkin' about he goes East to
wear out his feelin's | reckon. And he
was gone all summer. They said ne was
at the seaside. / thought when l heard
that as how he would not last long. When
a man quits this climate TO go to the sea-
side there must be something mighty bad
about his case. If a man can't get cured
here he needn't go anywhere 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. Pau.
And they nursed him all the way and fed
him just as If he had been a sick girl. He
was lOokin' out of the winder of the car
all the time, day and night. but wasn't say
he looked out of the car winder and
smiled. IL was the first time the boys had
seen him do that since they met him, an
they thought he was gettin' we'll. He asked
'em to set him UP in his berth so he coud
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
hold on the rails when the poor fellow sank
back and the next thing l see the boys was
takin' the piiler out from under his head.
Then 1 knOwed it was all over. Then one
of the boys came TO me and asked me if l
would take $1,000 to stop the train. l told
'em l could do nOtbn' of the sort.
They said money was no object. Then /
asked 'em what was up, and one of 'em told
me that he-meaDin' the dead man-had
made last request that he be taken from
the train and buried in sight of the mount
ain that bad the snow on it, the one that
caught his eyes first after we bad come over
the river. They said they had promised
him they would. l asked 'em where they
would get box, and they said a 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. | asked 'em what
they would do il the train wasn't stopped.
They held short paTley and said in a 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 if l didn't. | understood
ward, 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 1t so happened that we
got the locomotive fixed just as the funeral
was over, and we took The pail bearers into
Butte that night
'And never pass that spot that don't
look out there where they laid him. l amt
never seen any of the pall-bearers 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 year round? |
once thought OF putin up a gravestone at
the head, but, thinks l, its none of my
business, and, besides, the boys said the
l thought wouldn't be intrudin' on any
angels business 1t was the only time,
though, that my locomotive ever got any,
thing the m after with it."