Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1900-09-20
COULD PITCH CURVES.
BRAKEMAN WHO HAD BEEN A
BASEBALL PLAYER.
He Did Pattie with Three Tranps Oh
Rapidly Moving Train ana Incl.
denta1ly Showed Them "a Trick with
Hole in 1t.

a Rapidly Moving Train ana Incl.
q Hole in 1t.
We've have lots of trouble with
buns on the Royal Bee Line this sea-
son." said the middle brakeman; seems
to me there's more of 'en this year
with bad motives than ever SAW be-
fore. But calculate showed three or
four of them a trick with Il hole in it
the other night. Whenever | see 'bo
OH the train | never make Il roar If he
looks rs though he might have seen
better times and keeps quiet but when
they touch your Uncle William up for IL
mark they get what's comm to 'enl all
right.
Last Tuesday night l was ridin' out
in the middle, all alone, as usual, for
the hind man he hugs the doghouse,
and the head man toasts his Sims in
the engine, leaving me to watch things.
! was sittin' at about tlY middle of
bls box car via. ..,y f.vt i"""s'.. 80"
the side, N there WAS Il Teller sittin ut
the other end Of the car toward the ca
buosr from me. He seemed to be keep
in company with his thoughts, 50 l
didn't say anything to him.
"'Twasn't very long before another
weary was sittIn' 'longside of him. n
begosh Il little later, when looks again.
there sits three of EN-. This begun to
look like bll,in, IS. TO make me feel
more uneasy. | had my whole month
stuff In my trousers pocket. We met
the pay car just as We were lcavin' tie
yards, n had the greenlioys in Wad
in my jeans. Three or four times when
| had gone back to the logliouse
meant to put the money in my locker,
but it had slipped my mind, and now l
was calm myself names for bein' 50
careless. only las week Teddy Crock
ct, Il middle brakey, hal been roughly
handled N his watch n dough taken
from him.
THE train was going at Il pr, tty RAPID
clip and wasn't liable to stop again for
thirty miles, as we had taken water.
So ii there was any trouble comm l
was in for it, Pretty soon one OF the
hos, Il big genius. strolcd over to me
m in Il milky way asked me what time
it was OH about an hour earlier than
it will he an hour later was my an
swer, n | jumped to my feet to he
ready for anythin. that might he dom.
"'uont get gay with your peers.
says the big Teller. N he makes II Swipe
at my lantern n put 1t out Then the
other two fellers comes up and entered
the game.
The next three or four minutes were
very fast, but when had time to think
it all over was layin fiat on my back
on top OF the car, with the big Teller 60
in through my clothes. He had just
reached my pants pocket. which CON
tanned all that stood between me m
poverty for the next month. when de-
termued to make another effort to get
away N save My money. jerked my
knees up quick n chucked him over
my head Then gets up to make
dash to the cahoose over the tops Of the
cars n them three fellers after me.
II had hurt my leg in the mix-up m
| knew | could never reach the dog
house rs the hos were gainin' on me.
But there were three or four fiat ears
right ahead of me toward the caboose
the way was runnin' n | thought Id
try N make these N put up as good
a fight as possible in the open. SO
pitty-patticd over the tops of those
cars Ii down the end of one on to the
Tat ears with the dirty rascaIs three
car-length> behind me. They saw that
was weakcnin' IL couldn't keep up
the pace, so they didn't rush Them
selves.
"The plan OF battle l had fixed mp
was to get up on the ladder of the first
box ear at the other end of the fiat cars
and stand the buns off by kicIin' at
'en. This car was an Old stock car
loaded with bags of potatoes. m as
cot my foot ON the first iron rung of the
end ladder my hand slipped through
the Stats N touched one of the bags OF
potatoes, m 10 n behold you. there was
"A big hole, in the bag. | filled my over
all pockets with these nurphies for am
muntion of war. n stepped back down
on the fiat ear again. ! ulster be base
ball pitcher in my youth m | could
throw with either right or left hand. SO
| figured that | onght"r be able to put
up IL pretty good fight with my pockets
full of potatoes.
THE buns thought had chuckel up
tile race n were coming over the flat
cars at dog trot with the big man in
the lead When the leader got within
about twenty-five feet of me | let him
have Il potato Oh an inshoot from my
left hand which caught him a soaker
between the eyes. m then let him
have the one in my right hand right
under the bolt. Well, say. he dropped
all In heap in Il jitfy N then l opened
M on the two fellers follerin' him. |
dropped the first one Il neat OutshoOt
behiud the ear. II before he could fig
ger out what hit him let him have an
other spud in the solar p'exus. guess
they must have heard the yellin' in
the caboOse n on the engine. for the
train commenced to slow down. N |
could see lights comm over the tops of
In