The times., 1898-02-27
HE SLEPT THROUGH IT ALL.
A Cyclone Did Not Disturb Sol
Pitcher.
(From the Chicago Record }

(From the Chicago Record.)
Sol Pitcher, who lives at RushvilIe
Neb., where he holds a Federal post
ton, unless President Mckinley has
been unkind enough TO eliminate him
from the public service, is renowned as
/ the sOundest sleeper along the Elkhorn.
/ Other men in weak. paltry and vaeiI-
! ating way may sleep through the hours
| past the time for rousing. but Pitcher
/ has no competition for the profundity
of uninterruptibIe slumber.
Unce he was at Long Pine. attending
some kind of sheriffs meeting or lodge
/ installation, and it occurred to him on
! the night before that if he did not catch
the northbound train at O'Clock in the
morning he would miss the opening Of
the September term OF court So he
went to the proprietor II the hotel and
/ said to them:
Il want to be woke up at $50 in the
morning.
| "Oh, yes, that's all right" said the
| proprietor. turning to the book labeled
| morning calls" and entering the hour
| opposite Pitches's name.
Look here, my friend said Sol: If
! you think that settles it. you are mis-
! taken. The mere fact of writing a num-
I Der down in book doesn't get me out
OF bed. You've got 10 give the thing
/ physical attention, and don't rely on any
| underlings. either"
Il assure you that you'll be up to
catch that train.
IF l don't I'll be a mad man.
quite right too. Be assured that
ITnHaF M fsir "a rg@e yt-fff Z sseostr no
going in and waking you"
And don't go away till I'm dressed.
The landlord said he would obey. and
he meant il, too Sol went To bed and
was soon dreaming that he was run
ming against WestOver for county Judge
and beating him in every precinct. IL
had been a viciOusly hot day, but al
though other men slept Uneasily Pitch
er sumbered with the sweetness OF an
innocent child About l O'Clock the men
who had been tossing Festlessly about
on their beds were reused by yell
from the landlord. a flash in the heav-
ems. a whirring sound Of great wind.
and all hands made for the cellar.
Pitcher alone remained undisturbeti.
The house was taken up BY the night
visiting cyclone and blown about forty
rods down the railroad track. where IL
collided with a grain elevator. Both
buildings collapsed with laundering
crashes. Beginning at that instant and
continuing for five minutes. empty
freight cars were blown down toward
the nucleus Of disaster and piled up in
a pyramid OF debris. Several corncribs
were waited that way and for half an
hour more or less. il was as though the
WOrld was coming To an end right there
in the ElkhOrn yard at Long Pine.
II was Z o'clock in the morning be-
for the people Gained down from their
excitement. and then they set at work
digging among the debris to remove
whomsoeyer might be there. although
il was pretty well established that all
had escaped The eXcavatOrs had
reached the freight car stratum when
one OF them came upon human foot
and yelled about il. They were en-
couraged To believe the person was
alive because of the warmeh of the
flesh. and after awhile it was found
that a lot of timbeTS had fallen in a
trussIike manner and that whoever vas
underneath was probably well shielded
AT II O'Clock the man was reached
and hauled out in an apparently IN
conscious condition. But just as they
got him into the drug store. which had
escaped annihiIation. he opened his
eyes.
Thunder and lightning, Is it sun
up2" he rOared. looking out at the blaz-
ing glare of the September sun.
Yes, Sol somebody said in a sooth-
ing tone. REST easy. 1 don't think
you're badly hurt. but you must be
quiet. It's If o'clock
Eleven? Eleven in the morning?
Get out of the road. people. / told that
man I'd lick him if he didn't wake me
in time for that o'clock train and I'm
going to do il. The idea Of letting a
man sleep till II when he made it a
special point TO ask to be reused a I
800. Who took my clothes? I'm going
to fight"
But when they explained that he had
slept on through a cyclone Sol was mol
lifted and concluded that perhaps the
hotel man had done his best.