Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-10-17
WERE COMRADES IN DEATH.
THE STORY or A LIFE AND DEATH
DEVOTION.
John HnIcy's tragic Death Lends 80
the Equally Tragic Death OF Hi.
oid-Timc Partner, Tom RcEan--A
story for nntiroad Men.

Chicago, oct. le.--with the ''boys.
taking turns watching at his bedside.
Engineer Tom" Rcsan was dying last
night In o cromped little room at jack
son's Railway Mems Boarding
House" which stands out bleak and
lonely where the Northwestern tracks
cross West Fortleth street.
Johnnie" Haley and "rom" Regain
were boys together, They both came
from the same little country tows..
They had gone to the same dlstrlrt
school. whore they had fought each
others battles and shared each others
marbles. They had both ran away
more than once to steal ride on
passing freight train ana play that
they were brakeman and each had
borne his share OF the whipping whom
me. .iy came back After they grew Older
the twins'--for that was what every
body called them--took naturally 10
the road.
When Tom was engine wiper John
was a handy man In the round house
and after a while Tom was allowed
TO 30 out with an engine as fireman
He took turns with John so that he
would not get too far ahead And then
one day both Of them found places ION
the train"
For several years they occupied theii.
positions as iiremen. and during all OF
that time they kept up their old friend.
snip AZ last on happy day not long
ago the two friends We're both "glven
engines" on the Northwestern road,
and they pulled freight trains In and
out Of Chicago three times q week
- "a.
Monday EARLY that morning John
left Jackson 10 take his train west.
ward, II was a bright morning ans
the engine ran smoothly, Just before
reaching Bafox, tho throttle was opea
and John was leaning easily out OF hi
little window, Some men appeared Oh
the track and suddenly one man. nj
one knows juHt how. stumbled ON ran
ana fell across tho track. John revera.
ed the engine Instantly. but the wheel,
ground mp fountain OF sparks and
sped onward. In a frenzy OF excite
mont the engineer rprang from the
door Of the cab TO the ground. Hi
body caught on the switch beam, thos
tore awRy and rolled o the bottom *
the enbankmcnt. whore Il lay quite
sun In "A bloody heap. when thor
picked him up life was extinct.
Az soon as the train reached Clinton
Iowa, Tom was telegraphed for and n,
came nj once to attend the funeral o
HIS lifelong friend.
Wednesday he returned to Chicago
not having slept for two nights ana a
day. lie was broken down, discourage
ed and worn out with fatigue. Tom
told nll that he couid about the accl-
don't and then he mopcd or 10 bed.
He was soon followed by the other
hoys. nnd at midnight the bare street
IN front was occupied only by recon
noiterlng prairie wind on Its way 10
the city The street lamps s,lll burn
cd, vieing with the green and red crosse
Ing lamps. and a half block away. In
deepening shadows, n sound came from
JRckson's bulky building Suddenly
there was crash OF breaking glass.
ana white figure shot downward
from one OF the second story windows
OF the railway mems boarding house
and lay very sim where Il had fallen
There werc no stragglers IN the
street. no one to shout an alarm, and
the white hcap among the shadows lay
long unnoticoh NJ Inst some one
heard n sound OF groaning and jack.
son was soon emptying It's half clad
boarders into tho street
They picked up poor Tom and car
ried him upstairs Then the doctors
were called. and after working over
him for long time he became con-
scious and told his story In faint,
weak voice,
lie said no had fallen asleep almost
aa soon as he went TO bed Soon after
that he was on a locomotive running
westward thirty miles an hour John
Haley was on the right with his arm
renting easily on tho cab window all,
and his hand Frnsping the throttle.
Tom himself was nrlng.--he knew II
because he could feel the fire on his
face and his bnck was tired M IL he had
been shovellng coal long time. II
Hoemd good TO be with John; they
were not usually on the same locomo-
tive together. Yet--and here the in
Jured man lifted his hnnd little
John seemed hardly real: he looked
iixcdly out OF the window md there
was a terrible expression OF fear on hIa
face. Suddenly there was q shout.
Both pien on tho locomotive looked out.
a man was trying to turn q switch. An
other Just behind him was about Ia
spring across the track. He fell--hers
the voice OF the Injured man rose almost
TO shrek. John yelled to me, wa
are going TO run man down. Let's
jump Then | saw him 20 downward
from the cab and strike tho switch.
and then jumped" and the speaker
sank down exhausted.
Tho broken glass and castings OF tho
window showed ali too plainly how
he had Jumped. The dream warning
OF John had led Tom to his death.
The friends '-uld not be parted.