The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-23
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.


there myself and I believe I saw and
went through about as many adven-
lures as any man who ever set a brake
or received a train order. In the early
days of railroading in Mexico the peo-
pie were pre5udiced against anything
or any person from the states, espec-
tally the railroads and railroad men If.
by chance, a man was killed by the
cars, the entire train crew was put in
jail and treated as mUrderers- It IS re-
lated that some of them suffered the
death penalty for the accidental kill
ing of some greaser. If they were not
killed it took months and sometimes
years before they were brought to trial
and it got so that the trainmen would
frequently desert their trains and leave
for this country If the train on which
they were working killed a greaser
tramp. The first experience had with
q dead greaser wassat NogaleS, Mexico,
just over the Arizona line. We were
running on a. mixed train from Benson,
Ariz.. to Guaynas, down on the west
coast, and a mighty hot, dusty run it
was-down one day and back the next,
with Sunday layover in Guaymas. We
went into NogaIes late one evening and
had a lot of switching to do. The head
brakeman cut off the engine and went
to pick up a couple of cars that were
on the siding which was back of the
depot. I was standing on the plat
form talking with the agent, and we
were alone, every one who had come
down to meet the train having returned
to town The engine backed down to
the cars that were to be picked up and
hit them a pretty good jolt. The brake
man failed to make the coupling and
the cars run down the track about
fifty feet. We heard a cry and went
around the depot and there we saw the
brakeman bending over a. greaser who
was almost cut in two pieces. the cars
having passed over him as he was
sleeping on the track We saw it was
impossible to save his life, and called
1rlr
We all stood and looked at that greaser
and cussed our luck because we knew
that If he was found it would mean
prisou-Mexican prison-and perhaps
death to some OF US, SO you can under
stand that we were badly frightened
The man lived but a short time. 1t
may be that he died from loss Of blood
or a fractured skull; we didn't examine
him. Finally the engineer said: Well,
there is no use standing here looking
al him: he is dead, and if he is found
we are up against it, sure Let US pick
him up and put him in the firebox.
That is the only thing we can do to
keep these people from getting us 1t
wasn't a pleasant job, but we had to do
something, SO we carried him to the en-
CINE and dumped him in the drebox-
It was a gruesome proceeding, but that
greaser disappeared completely, and we
were never suspected. I had many diff
ferent experiences afterward on other
lines, but the sight of that greaser as we
showed him in on the Goals will never
leave me-
Before 7 went on the road for the
firm I am now representing" said
travelling man at the National, VI held
about every position in the house, from
errand boy to credit man, and it was
during my time in the house that my
eagle eye got me into a laughable
scrape; in fact, I have not heard the
last of it yet, and don't expect shall
unless leave the firm. I was about
20 years old at the time, and was feel
ing my oats like most young fellows do
One night I attended a. party over on
the east side and after escorting a
young lady home started to walk to my
rooms. In going from the residence OF
the young lady to my own would pass
within a few blocks of the store, which
was not such an institution as it is
now, and that night I turned from the
shortest way and walked by the store
As passed I glanced at the front and
saw that something was wrong; the
glass in the door had been broken. 1t
flashed in my mind in q minute that
the regular Waterman was not on duty
that night and burglars had in some
way found it out and were taking adj
vantage of it. I did not know what to
do, but glanced in the store and saw
a burglar standing near the cashiers
desk I turned and ran as quietly and
swiftly as I could to the police station,
which was a few blocks away, thinking
as ran what ten strike I would make
with the boss Three officers instantly
started back with me, and on arriv-
ing we tried the front CsoOr and found
it locked. The same was true Of the
back door Finally with the aid of a
ladder secured from a nearby hallway,
we effected an entrance in an upstairs
window, and three of the policemen
went in while two others who had fol-
lowed from the station guarded the
doors The policemen who entered the
upstairs window crept quietly down the
one burglar but three or four standing
near the cashiers desk They were or
dered to throw up their hands, but
failed to respond, and just as the Off
discovered that the burglars were dunn
mics When they got outside they
roasted me to a nice brown, but it did
not compare with the guying I got
when the other employees learned the
story the next day
Every American should rejoice in
the downfall of William Waldorf Aston"
remarked q gentleman at the Copeland
Yesterday "Of all snobs Astor is I'M
questionabIy the most perfect specimen
on earth today. and Americans, whose
he denies, should take a day
off and celebrate, for William has failed
in his social aims and is nothing but
a common citizen of England There
have been many offenders of his type,
men who have turned their backs on
the country which gave them their
wealth, because it was not aristocratic
enough. but Astor is by far the worst,
and his example should prove warn
ing to other Americans who desire to
ignore the country and it's institutions
and fawn at the feet of nobility Astor
has spent millions in trying to make a
social position for himself, and has now
reached the end of his tether. There is
no better blood in Astor's veins than
there is in the veins of the ge
American citizen. and there are thou
sands in America who can give him
points on manhood From a social
standpoint, Aston Is an outcast, and has
no place to lay his head. He has lost
the respect of all Americans and Eng
lishrnen and the punishment he has
brought upon himself is the greatest
that could be inflicted When an Amer
tom oats If into his head that his