The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-11

remembered the evil repute in which MS
passengers We're held by all railroad
men, gave the future an ominous look.
He walked forward and spoke a few
words to his engineer You can't get
back to civilization minute too soon
Steve he said Jerk her through the
woods for all she'll stand.
1T was just nightfall when they
pulled away from the lonely station
and plunged into the gloom or the lor-
ests of hemlock pine and tamarack tf'at
lay before them for one hundred ana
fifty miles. Johnny Hall started at
once to collect his fares. He appeared
at the rear end of the last car with his
punch in his right hand, his lantern
hanging from his left arm, and one
burly brakeman alongside of him.
"There was one husky Woodchopper in
the last seat Fares, please, said
Johnny.
{" Fares be d said the passenger.
THE other passengers continued their
conversations or gazed unconcernedly
through the windows into the black
night.
PAY your fare or get thrown off the
80 NNNNN~'
Like gladiator waiting for the
word, the unruly passenger prepared to
spring upon his victim. He half-rose
from his seat when something nap
pened. The pliers which the conductor
carried in his right hand had suddenly
met the passenger between the eyes,
and he tumbled to the floor. 1t was
blow for blow and Johnny Hall knew
better than to let his antagonist get in
the first one
"'Cover 'em, Bill he said, and the
big brakeman instantly whipped out
two murderous looking Colts and
turned them upon the astonished occu-
pants of the car. Nobody stirred.
while he sung OUT Anybody that
tries to leave this car is dead man.
Keep your seats All kept their seats,
and everybody paid his fare, too. NO
one had any arguments that could stand
up against the muzzles of two loaded
guns and, once having paid, they
wanted to see every one else pay, too, so
they made no interference.
I'm the second car no one knew what
had happened in the first. But the mo-
ment the two men stepped inside and
the door slammed behind them, the
eyes of every one caught sight OF the
two revolvers. In the twinkling of an
eye the hand of the man in the first
seat reached his hip pocket. But even
before he could draw it away Johnny
Halls lantern had circled through the
air and come down with terrific force,
flooring him instantly.
Throw up your hands shouted the
brakeman at the same moment, and all
the other passengers in the car had
race to see who could get his hands up
over his head first They went through
the car from the last seat to the first,
and got every fare in cash.
After that Johnny came to the con-
clusion that it was a waste Of time to
stand upon ceremony. So the first init
nation the occupants of the remaining
cars got of the advent of the conductor
was the sharp command hurled at them
in stentorian tones Throw up your
hands.' and the sight of two loaded pis-
tolls turned point blank upon them. The
conductor would ask each one how far
he was going, take his money out of his
pocket, make the right change and put
ii back. Then he would pass on to the
next.
And that Is the story of how Johnny
Hall help up his own passengers.
Steve, at the throttle, was jerking her
through according to orders They
smashed along through the woods, tore
across lonely swamps, and ratified over
shaky wooden bridges. Red flames shot
out of the smoke-stack into the dark
night and the cars lurched from SIDE to
side as they banged along.
Johnny Hall continued on the road
many years and became one of the most
popular conductors in the state, and it
was only the other day that he made his
last run: and | know that John Hall
was plucky to the end. for Drawer man
never ran a train out of Detroit. De
troit Free Press.
CE0pCIt WOMAN I-trrG pOJTND