The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-22

I ing the train. / threatened to have. him
arrested for cruelty to animals.
The agent tried to smooth the matter
over, but the moro ne smoothed the mad
4 der.I got. Such valuable horse as mine
was not 10 be knocked about that way. I
was afraid that my horse had been ruined.
| The agent agreed 10 run the new car
! alongside of mine and lay gangway be-
tween the two cars, That helped me out.
for the stufnbles that me old horse made
| laid 10 his caution in walking the plank.
1 kept the agent at "A safe distance by tell
| ing him the horse was treacherously vic
| ious, and as evidence showed him the barb
| wire tears in my trousers l said that in
an unguarded moment the horse had grab
bed me and 1 only got away by tearing
loose.
Il had just got all my traps moved into
the new car and was congratulating my
self on my good luck when along came
! the conductor and asked me If 1 had
ticket That was sumner. It happened
the Santa Fe had just two days before put
| IN force an order that all persons accom-
'panying live stock should have a second
class ticket. l told the conductor that 1
Knew nothing about their new rules, and
| as to the horse, all that l knew was that
| he was thorough bred; that l was to
| get so much IL l landed him unhurt in Los
Angeles; that I didn't want to go to Cali
fornia, and that the buyer of the horse
was 10 pay my fare back to Louisville
when delivered the horse. Rather than
| pay for ticket from Kansas City l would
leave the racer on the train and go back
TO Chicago, That was a poser for the
| conductor, for all live stock shipped
| through had to be accompanied by care
taker carried out my bluff by moving
! al my traps out on the depot platform.
| Inc conductor and the agent held a con-
sultation and concluded to give me a sec
| ond-ciass ticket and charge it up on the
way bill, so that the owner couldn't get
the horse, until he had paid freight on
the horse and my fare as well.
1T was easy travelling after that except
for food. was out of money and couldn't
beg anything in that wretched country
i It's the nearest ever came TO starving to
! death. used to fight that cayuse for his
nay And what do you think saved my
life Tramps! Plain. played-out tramps
fellows working their ways along the
line. / hit on the scheme watching them
trying to steal rides. l found some of
| them had loose quarters and half-dollars
You bet 1t was not long before / had
struggled dozen of them into my box
car and under the hay at Is cents for ev-
! cry station we passed Talk about rail-
ROAD monopoly-it was nothing to the
cinch ! had. And with the money raised
! Just gorged. 1 lived like a lord of prov
inees on this traffic of tramps, and had
| just $3.50 to spare when the engine Whis-
tie footed and we pulled into Los Angeles.
After we had pulled into the freight
yard the trainmen asked me If / wanted to
! unload the horse that night STAYED
| them Off by telling them that / guessed
l would wait until morning and look up
the owner first. I spent good part of
that night figuring out what to do. 1
dtdnt know just how stood as to the
law. Perhaps they could pull me in for
| defrauding the railroad. l didn't know.
1 tried to convince myself that as the rail-
road company had taken the horse at ST.,
! OyO valuations without examination it was
not my'fauit if he was not worth ii, but
that ticket business bothered me- didn't
know but what they could hold me for
that. l concluded my safest plan was to
| make myself scarce.
Il was up before daylight and had my
blankets, boots, brides, and all up town
4 byiSunrise.nI soldIthe whole outfit for $40
4 and took the first train back East as far
| as dollar would carry me- / figured
that they would be more likely to look for
lime in every direction but the one I had
| come from.
sprung myself a dollar for a ticket
| to some point back on the line,
| Il didn't know where 1 was going TO
dior l didn't know one town from another
those days. I got off at my depot and I
tell you II looked heaven of a place
with the pretty flowers all in bloom. I
wandered into some beautiful grounds
where the best-looking oranges were
growing l ever saw. naturally began to
/ pick and eat them. All of sudden a tall
sum ouht-looking old fellow came slow
ly down the drive.
Hulloa? said he, you seem to be pref
ty much at home'
l. 1 told him l couldn't be in better
place for home, and then, on the snur Of
the moment I told him my story. Wen
couldn't have told 1t to better man. II
was Lucky Baldwin. He was so tickled
over tne yarn that he took me up to his
mousse ordered them to give me a good
feed, and then he gave me SIS to helm. me
on my way 'A-0
II thought it best to go to Phoenix
i WINE there | got hold of a San Francisco
paper that contained the whole story ~
my trip and how the railroad company
was out Just $3.50 cash by it, They hsd
peeH caught with the horse on their hands.
lie was only fit for the boneyard INF
they couldn't tote him off there because
the law compelled them to properly ad-
i Nertlse all property left uncalled for with
them- Ihey had to put hinl1 in a livery
stable and feed him til the time called
Tor by law expired, and what with ire
stabie Dill, advertisements and charges.
tpey We're out $3.50. They sold him at
auction al properly enough according ~
law, and that pop-eyed old cayuse brought
exactly 81, according to.the official report
HE was a great animal in one respect
aud I've got great regard for him; he
got to California alive and didn't dunn
me, and he stood on his pegs and looked
the racer he never was just long enough
TO fool the railroad company, and so help
me to reach the golden West"
4
PATRIOTIC, NOVELTIES.