The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-09-29


from headquarters that he would be
held up on the next saturday night.
Doc was at his post and as the lone
horscman came down the road tho
highwayman stepped out from the
shadows of a jack oak and covered
his man. That night the gang drank
up the best part of $3.50 and voted
Doc "A dead game TOUGHER"
The vcrdancy of the gang he had 20
deal with made Docs work compare
lively easy. He invariably drank gin
and water, and by simple trick that
child ought to have detected-the
trick of drinking the water and leav-
ing the gin-he was always sober.
When the proceeds of Docs raid had
been expended together with the 81 re-
ceived for the lays" watch, the gang
determined to rob hardware store.
The job had been undertaken once, but
had failed. The time arrived the store
was entered and when they were all
| I'm Doc duclSed down behind the
counter and reached the rear end OF
the store. Now big bulls eye was
turned upon the gang, who arose from
their work to look down the dark bar
rels of a half dozen shot guns. One of
the gang, seeing Doc with the sheriff'S
party, made a play for his pistol but
the sheriff showed his shotgun yet
nearer the robbers face and said,
softly, "Bc quiet" and he was calm.
Young Pippin's success in this now
celebrated case won for him the full
confidence of the agency, and before he
had reached Chicago other important
work was mapped out for him, but to
the surprise of the agency he refused
to accept another assignment
81 could not bear" he said to me,
"thc thought of living a whole life that
was a lic-to appear always to be that
which was not to mix and minglc
constantly with the wicked of this
world, in which there should be SO
much happiness. 1t is a great and inn
portant work which ought to be done,
but it is not for me"
Returning to 80 west again Pippin
entered the service II Uncle Sam as
railway postal clerk
Finding letter in the mail marked
to me he took his blue pencil and wrote
on the back of the envelope, Hello
DOOR. NJ. So" and | knew then that
/ he was in the railway mail service.
1t was some time after the receipt of
this brief message that the meeting
t in the sleeping ear, already referred
{ to, occurred. and it was during his
many visits to me ut Denver that he
| related the detective stories herein re-
told
t., 10 4 v.I 10 N1,af
you are assistant superintendent of the
], mail service in the west when you are
$ under 80 and new, comparatively new,
at the businessT
Hard luck" said Doc, smiling sadly,
coughing and humping his chest.
Then 1t was he began to tell me some
OF his experiences in the postal car,
but he did not tell them all. He was
as modest as he was honest and would
not tell me, his friend, the real tales
: of heroism in which he was himself
the hero. He told enough, however, to
cause me to find out more, and learn
ed that his loyalty, bravery and devo'
ton to duty had been warmly com
mended in autograph letters from the
highest officials in the mail service.
1t was, indeed, hard luck that
brought him promotion and an easy
place, One night, when the train came
roaring down the canyon, the engine
jumped the track, the mail car went tc
pieces against the locomotive, the
coaches piled upon the pieces and the
wreck began to burn. When the train
n men and passengers came forward tC
7. look for "thc fellows up ahead" they
t saw large and small envelopes sailing
It ont Of the burning debris, and they
It knew at once that the mail agent mus
d be fast in the wreck. The whist,
II valve had been forced open. and now
s. the wild, Ccascloss cry OF The wounded
II engine drowned all other sounds ant
IL made ID impossible for he men to hcal
a the cries of the Imprisoned posta
k clerk, All this no know. and while
the hungry flames were eating thei
J. way to where he lay he pulled the reg
IS lister bag to him ana began to shy thu
?, valuable mail out into the sagCbrush.
When the steam was exhausted anC
z the cry Of the engine had hushed, Their,
II came no sound from the enginemen
II for their voices We're hushed in death
II flames they could hear Doc calling I,
e them from his place below the wreck
n and the brave train crew worked des
e perately right in the very face of the
IS fire to rescue the unfortunate.
d Gradually the voice of the prisoner
d grew fainter and fainter, and before
e the rescuers reached him it hushed en-
tirely.
= At last just as they were about tc
:, give him up, as he was now appar
u emily dead, they succeeded in dragging
u Doc from the wreck, and to the joy of
! all he soon revived. lie was yet alive
u but had brcathed so much of the
flames that his left lung was almost
= ruined, and he was never able to re-
I sumo his place on tie road.