Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-02-11
A Romantic Career.

Denver-the South Broadway Christian
Church. was built by native of But
Ter county named J. c. Sutton. who is
known in his community as old Jack
He lately gave the following account
of himself:
My father was farmer. We lived
on a farm in Butler county, Pa, and
it was there that l spent the earlier
years Of my life Ny father was
wounded in the war of 1912, and when
l was very small boy his health gave
ont and he-was able 10 do little or moth
ing. OF course, l had to stop school
and went to work on the farm.
Il kept that up until | was II years
old. when / went TO Pittsburg and
started driving on canal. 1t was
while working there that l met James
A Garfield He was doing the same
kind of work and we became fast
friends Although the work was hard
l enjoyed 1t, for Jim and l used to be
together a good deal and managed to
make the time pass pretty rapidly.
As l grew older l got tired of the
routine of walking up and down the
banks of the canal and began to aspire
to higher things, so l quit canal driving
and started to work in a rolling mill in
the vicinity. and didn't see Garfield
very often; bat we always wrote to
each other and kept each other in sight
He never forgot me even when he was
at the height of fame and / was practi-
cally nobody.
After working in the rolling mill
for two years | began running in fiat
boats on the Ohio river, and in 2 short
time became an engineer. L always
liked machinery. and 1T was easy for
me to become proficient in the handling
of an engine. From this occupation L
drifted into driving stage. l drove the
first four horse omnibus that ever en-
tered Pittsburg This did not last long
and before many months | was firing
on railrord. The next "A years OF my
life were spent running engines on va
rious railroads in Pennsylvania, New
York and Ohio and it was while en-
gagged in this occupation that | was in
jured so badly that it has affected me
ever since. At the time l was running
one of the fastest and best engines on the
New York Central
The company had flooded the coun-
try with circulars, guaranteeing to car
ry people between New Gork and GIN
cinnati in a shorter time than would
any other railroad As may be expect
ed, this set them all thinking and the
wav the rival railroads used to race
their trains was caution. The Penn
svlvania Central took it up, and person
al safety expense and everything We're
sacrificed to gain speed.
We'll one day, as my train was
rounding curve in the track 90 feet
above a creek and within q foot of a
solid wall of rock, saw not 100 yards
in front of me q log that had fallen
across the track 1t didn't take me
many seconds to take in the situation.
The log was placed so that / thought
the engine would surely strike it and
be thrown into the creek below, so
reversed her and jumped, hoping to be
able to cling to the rocky walls. But
| couldn't. The train caught NE and
Just rolled me along those rocks until
| came opposite the place between the
cars, when | dropped into the ditch
There was hardly Il rib in my body that
was not broken, and it was six months
before I was able to go to work again.
We'll sir, would you believe it? that
train did not leave the track. !Ihe
cow-catcher caught the log and cut
right through it, and after running a
little ways stopped. That was about
the closest call that l ever had al
though | have been in some tickIish
places.
After my accident | was not worth
much as an engineer, and in a couple
Of years quit the business altogether.
With the money | had saved from my
earnings | started Il bakery at Alliance,
o., and remained there for II years. !
made considerable money in that busl-
ness, and when | sold out to come West
for my health [ had several thousand
dollars, with which ! gained the rest
of my fn,.t11rn- then -cnnclra4ort r,
invest every cent of it in this church.
Mr.. Sutton is 16 years old but from
appearances there is hardly a person
who would pronounce him over 60. He
is remarkably well preserved, and his
whole -heartedness seems to crop out all
over him He says his eyes have failed
him so that he cannot read any more,
and he has nothing with which to .oc-
cupy himself when he is through worl,
but his thoughts.
He says he is not much longer for
this world, and has had much more
pleasure ont of his fortune than if he
had not given it in good cause. His
quarters in the tower of the church
have a homelize and comfortable ap-
pearance indicating that the inmate js
careful about his home and enjoys iJ
every minute.