The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-09
HELD UP FOR THEIR FARES
FEARLESS CONDUCTOR coxarERS
TRAINLoAD Of LtABERMEN.
Explott During the Early Days of
Ratiroadinx In Miehigaa-A Gun
and Plenty OF Nerve overcame -

cary 81 TIE alon depot III Detroit They
were conductors and engineers Tor tAs
most part, though some ef 9hvm rad seea
service IN nlany branches q ralro1dlGS.
As they smoked ana cnat;e3 aaI listened
10 the plff-QUf Il the engines ana the
changing - bells Ia The yard below they
wers minded of misaAps and adventure
that had befaIiea them or their acqua!rt-
ances in the course nj many years Oh ;i.s
road. As their cigars grew shorter the!r
stories grew longer aDd stronger, UHlii enc
wound up a iurId tale orisgAne ~ith sAinin-;
pistol barrels. fiaring torches, cracks u
revolyerS, frightened passengers am
masked bandits In midnight setting on "A
lonely Nebraska prairie
Well said the Old Timer, when ,Ae
silence following this recital began 10 grow
oppressive. you can ta}a about the Wild
ana wooily unll your tongue is tired tut
Ill tell you there WAS time right here
In Michigan when we trainmen had cos
toners 10 deal with that would simply
have telescoped and derailed all the reck-
less highwaymen west Of the Missouri"
When vas that?' asked the former
speaker. obviously
That was along some time after the
war, say, in the early res. ard the place
was Up In the woods in the northern part
~ the lower peninsula. Those We're the
days when the great lumber camps were
II the height e their glory, A single rail-
way track ran Hp into the heart OF the fer
est. and was used all Winter for hauling
logs and freight. Men went Up inlo the
woods IN The fall q The year and cam. OF,
IN The spring These were about the only
occasions upon which a passenger train
went up into the wilderness.
1t Was all right taking the lQmbermea
up IN the fail That was easy. They were
dead broke perfectly sober and as quiet
and orderly Sunday school class isss
before Christmas
"but coming home,
They were the most obstreperous pas
seDgers 4 conductor ever had 10 collect
fares from. The way those wild-eyct!
woodsmvn coming out in the spring would
pile into the cars and scramble through
4 train wolld take the nerve out OF most
any conductor In the United States today.
They We're just Ike a band OF schooiboys
Bst let out fur a lark only ten times
mere dangerous. Their pockets were
stuffed with greenhacks and whisky
TASKS. They shouted and fought. cursed
and sang out ~ pure high spirits. They
Mere sood-uaturrd rs rule, and only
anxious to set home and spend their
money. bat any show OF restraint upon
their actions n movements would plunge
them instantly into an ugly and furious
temper
There was a conductor working for
the Detroit. Lansing & Northern IN those
days whose name was Mclaughlin. He
was a professional wrestler before he
took u rai!roading. and was considered
one 81 the best In the country. lie a
man of fine physique. strong. 1.-the and
over six feet tall. He IL was whom they
sent up u the camps 10 bring the luTn-
berrneu home. and as he never failed 10
collect ~ least thTce-fourths Of the fares
ne WAS looked upon wonder.
THE log rollers came TIA know him IN
time aad had great respect Tor his
prowess. They looked for hts coming In
the spring and sometimes arranged
friendly bouts between Mac and whoever
happened to be champion scrapper If the
season
"Rut there came a spring at last when
Mac did not appear. He had left the
Detroit lansing q Northern railroad and
gone west. think he now runs on the
Northern Pacific railroad out ~ Mime
apolis. In his s'ea9 the wondering lum-
icrmen now saw 4 meaIum-sized man
that In no respect reaemhled the rnIscu-
lar and riart-franaea Mac swing or the
tro'n when Il slowed up at tho station IN
thu woods The new conductor was John
ny Hall who hal been sent out IL do the
best he could i0 Macs place
THE rasserge rs-to~be Immediately pro
posed 20 themselves what they thought
would prove n humorous and agreeable
pastlme. Every man Jack ~ them agreed
not under my circumstances Ia pay his
fare IL the rev conductor. 50 they board
"a the train in high glee al the prospect
- p free rid ter1e
'Meanw1ilo John Hail hai Tot failed 70
notice q few signs which. when he reneni-
hcrr3 the evil rf0,i.e iu which his nas~en-
gers were hef9 by nh railroad men gave
an ori1ou@ la0k Iie wslk.3 forward ann
spoke a few words 70 hi~ engineer You
amt get hack 20 civilization a minute TOO