The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-09-21

THERE WAS Jl5i As GAY As A JAYBfRp."
time so far as Jim was concerned
there was nobody who had the right
10 make any objection. The minister
who conducted the funeral did say
something about the extraordinary
nature % the coffin tn at we had chosen
for the deceased. but we told him that
the coffin didn't con Germ him and that
all he had 10 do was To heave ahead
and give il Christian burial without
passing any of his remarks.
1t must have been year after the
funeval when passenger got TO talk
ing with the conductor of the express
in the smoking car about Jim and his
safe. and he accidentally mentioned
that the night before Jim shut himself
up for the las. time they. too. had
been talking politics. and Jim. who
was democrat. was singing language
about President Hayes and saying
that he had stolen the presidency from
Tilden. and was no better than train
robber. When the conductor heard
sort OF way. and then he says: We've
got that combination at last
How SOP says the man.
Why says the conductor. Jim al
lowedthat the combination was a word
of five letters that had something 10
DO either with robbery or politics.
Now Hayes would be exactly that
sort of word. and can't think now il
happened that we didn't try il.
haven't the least manner of doubt
that il we was to dig that safe up and
try il with Hayes il would open with
out the least trouble.
What's the good Of opening it after
Jim has been occupying il for more
than year" says the man.
why. just this. saws the conductor
That there safe is the only burglar
proof safe ever built and If the com
bination was known the relatives o.
the remains could sell il for two thou
sand dollars easy. Iii see them about
it tomorrow. and wei have one more
try at opening it,
''Well. to make long story short.
the relatives dug the safe up and found
sure enough that Hayes was the word
that unlocked IT, II was little rust;
on the outside. but otherwise il was
just as good a ever. There wasn't
very much left Of Jim bv that time. but
what there was received second
funeral. for there wasn't anything
mean about .Iim's family. and then the
express company bought the safe for
eighteen hundred dollars and ii was
used on this road for upwards o. two
years"
What became of it finally?" ]
asked.
what always becomes Of any thing
or anybody that sticks 10 railroadng
too long? The train went off Of Three
Mile bridge about seventy-five miles
north Of Josephusvillc. and. there be-
ing quicksand at the bottom Of the
creek that no man could ever find the
bottom of the whole train. including
Jim's safe. sank out Of fight. and no
body ever found the least trace of il
afterward. You ought TO have heard
Of that accident. for about three hun
ircd passengers went down with the
train and the company never paid a
cent of damages. because there were
no remains found and nobody could
prove that anybody in particular had
been killed. | say il didn't cost the
com panv anything for damages.
though they do say that the jurymcn
cost altogether not far from five thou
sand dollars apiece. However. the
company got out Of II very cheap. and
the directors were more Disguised |
about losing that safe than they were
abuu; losing the whole train Come |
into my office and I'll show you Jims
photograph standing by his new safe
and making believe 10 pronounce an
Grafton on its merits. He was good |
fellow was Jim. but he put his conf.
dencc In that safe once too often."--
st. Paul Pioneer Press