Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-27
METHOD IN HIS MADNESS
Murphy Knew How to Deal With the Race
Problem.
By cY wARMAN.
Copyright, 1897, by Cy Warman.)

Copyright 1897, by Cy Warman.)
Written for The Evening Star.
Italian laborers object to being called
''dagoes" just as the Irish section men
dislike the name Of ferries" and yet the
section man always says 1.-The dagoes" and
| the Italian laborer, as soon as he can give
an imitation of English, says Dana re
JAR" and he means it The Italians are
fairly good workers, but hard to herd
They are given to the use Of red liquor
and profanity, and delight in the fuss of
firearms and the clatter of long knives.
Out of innate "cussedness an Italian. SHOW
cling snow. will hold the right of way until
your pilot almost touches him and you put
your engine over, slide her wheels, muss
her jacket and make an enemy of your fire.
man, then he will step aside. If you hap
pen to hit him or spoon him UP on the
point of a pilot pillow. the whole mob will
be upon you. Before they got the rotary
snow machine. when the road was new,
they used to keep the track clear with
pilot pillow that was just wide as coach.
BY and by. when the road got bigger, they
bought some new sleepers that were wider
and longer than the old ones, and they
gouged into the walls in the snow cuts and
stuck fast.
To avoid this the company built a new
pillow. that was wider Still than the new
sieepers. Now, the 'dagoes,'' as they were
called, used to cut out little pockets in the
snow, hide in them, and yell into the ears
of the engineers who were falling down the
hill, blinded by the flying snow, and unable
to stop short of a mile. So when High
Henry Bradenburg came sailing down the
hill one afternoon beneath a mackerel sky,
the Italians waited until he was close upon
them. and then put themselves in the
ntfhn IN, he
short. fat fellow, stayed upon the track
until High Henry pulled the whistle, and
then made a dive for his hole His big boot
being talled with snow, slipped and he was
not able to get in to clear. and the plow
being extra wide, gathered him up, aad
put him over the telegraph poles and down
the mountain in about fifteen feet of snow
and he went to the bottom. The rest stood
back in their inches. the wide plow planned
off the walls. damned the surplus snow in
on top of the Italians, and left the face of
the two walls smooth and white. 1t was
with difficulty that some of the men fought
out, and helped the others, who were
wedged in tight and fast. Dana re JAR"
said the men, when they were all out for
Torrance Murphy, the walking boss, was
laughing in his hand.
Where is Antoine?" demanded one Of
the Italians, and Torrance pointed with
bis thumb toward the bottom of the gulcn.
A half hour later they brought the dar-
ing Italian out as good as new, but they
ASAoScu ~ WoIA anOtneT lick Cndt DAY.
Torrance threatened. but it was of no use,
the men went swearing to their huts. That
night, being Saturday, they got very drunk
ana came up to the water tank to flag the
snow pillow, which they knew would be COM
ing up the hill ahead of % They were
armed with clubs and stones, that could he
seen, and knives and revolvers that could
not be seen. Torrance Murphy saw them
gathering about the tank, where % would
stop fer water, and guessed the caus, of
it. With the help of his cook he put a
push car. with a handspike bent above one
wheel for brake. on the track, and slid
down the mountain to the nearest tele-
graph Office. He tagged High Henry and
told him what was on his mind Henry
was for stopping and fighting the thing
OUT with the agents rifle and a forta-five
that he carried in the box, for he had a
neap OF sand. Also he had orders to run to
the top of the hill regardless" and he
never had an order that he failed to fill
Finally. he agreed not to stop, but as he
came near the tank where the Italians
stood in line on either side of the track.
ne opened the cylinder cocks so that the
steam. coming out on the cold air blinded
the hlghwaymen. He also opened the tver-
flow from the injector, on his side and the
fireman took the hot water hose with which
he wet the coal. and then they ran Cor The
snow brigade.
Being cocksure the engine would stop,
some Of the men stood on the track he
yond the tank and got Off barely in time to
save their lives. The stream of hot water
20
the men in the face and soaked them in
the neck. and sent them in confusion down
the dump. High Henry from the coal tank
bumped them with Jumps of coal, and
scattered them from the right of way.
That was the end of the first trouble at
Shawana. but with gang like that. futi
| OF fight and firewater, there was sure to be
more. ~ "0
When spring came the company began tn
cut OF the corners and fill in the curves
| IN order to strengthen the track, for at
snnl llne there We're not three straight
rails together on the hill,
1t was good to have something for Ter
rance and his braves to do in summer so
as to have them when the snow came
stra,ah SO now they went to work to
smooth until Kelly came down with his
1ernes who had nothing to do above but
you cant mix Ireland and Italy.
one OF kellys men and this same An
tome who fooled with the snowpIow got
| mixed up one day. and the Irishman hit
.ne faMan; properly enough. as an Irish
Antoine pulled carving knife from his
nigh boot and began carving the Jerry.
Then all the ferries Joined and there was a
| ngnt. Eight Irishmen and thirty Italians,
one OF the latter with long knife, could
put up jolly row In short order They
fought with picks. rocks, crowbars. clubs
ana spades Nobody could tell how the
nght would end. for the Irish fight we'll
with clubs. but Torrance hearing the rim,
pus, came out OF his tent with two guns
fired a few menacing shots over the heads
OF the rowdies and ended the row.
About the time the walking boss began
to breathe easy. Antoine watching his
chance. rushed ut the foreman with a pick
handle, for the foreman had taken An
tones knife away.
Torrance tugged Mt his six-shooter that
had gotten tangled In the tail Of his coat.
and IN the meantime the irate Italian
struck him down with the pick handle
For space the doctor who came up TO
see Torrance. thought the head he had
would kill him, but Torrance got well.
When he could slt up in his tent he would
Dagos."
One day nttls Sam NcNurrrie, the en-
sineer In charge OF the work. was shak-
ing out dress suit to wear ut the &cliIs'
bah, tn Gunnison. It was . new sniff that
had come up from Denver ana sam tried It
On.
| SAM" said Torrance.
what, Tsrfancsy' said Sam.
AR yGI q fx1end a. nuinaf.