Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-16
CITIZEN TRAINS OWN STORY
Autobiography an Interesting Book Of hove
Experiences,
HIS OMAHA CONNECTIONS REVIEWED
New Version of the Episode which
Led TO the Hasty Erection Of
the COEsens House Back
In the sixties.

George Francis Train frankly admits he Is
a hermit. But. as ~ half apologizing for Of
Tending his own dignity. this strange man
in the very next sentence he utters says he
has not always been 2 hermit. and to prove
this assertion he says he has spent many
happy years" in society.
Probably a stranger and more remarkable
man than this one was never known in the
United States. In bold relief his life stands
out from the background OF the nineteenth
century as conspicuous, unique and impos-
ingly strange.
Many different standards have been laid
down by which to measure Citizen George
Francis Train. Whatever divergent views
may be held of the general makeup Of the
man nearly every one has agreed long ago
that Train is what is popularity known as
can eccentric"
AS IL conscious Of this worldwide verdict,
which he would seem to challenge, Mr..
Train furnishes his own standard OF meas
urement. 1t is this:
Many persons attribute to me simply an
impulsivePzss and an impressibility. as II ]
were some errstic comet. rushing madly
through space, emitting coruscations OF
fancifully' colored sparks. without system,
rule or definite object. This is a popular
error. l claim 10 be a close analytical OBJ
server OF passing events. applying the
crucible Truth to every new matter or sub
ject presented to my mind or senses"
interesting story.
This is not a new utterance, but fell from
the lips OF Mr.. Train in 1872, when, to use
his own words, he was making a hopeless
fight for the presidency" He now reiterates
these words in a book Of his life which he
~. tu.t rpbIfahaH Thfa vOlfma contains
an interesting STORY of the interesting life
Of this interesting man. This story is told
in something like 100. 600 words. all Of which
come. not from Mr.. Trains pen. but from
his lips. For they were dictated to
stenographer who went from day to day Il
the humble room OF the old gentleman II
the little Mills hotel In New York City
The author tells his readers that he hai
tried to compress a story Of his life int
this book. for 1t could not be completed!
told in a single volume.
For thirty years, Train says. he has beel
a silent ~recluse, remote from the world il
my little corner in the Mills hotel. think
ing and waiting patiently" He breaks thi
long spell of silence and consents to Civ
the world a story OF his thrilling life at tn
request Of a friend. And he dedicates thi
book:
10 Ant 1nllulNh
And to the Children's Children
'In this and in all lands
WHO love and Believe in me
Because they know
Il love and Believe in them"
As Train says in his autobiography h
has conversed with few except children
during the last thirty years.
soured on the WORLD.
"soured on the world" Was it becaus
~ Enaur a. tno uan9 Ha had haan al
around 1t several times; had seen about al
of it there was to see. He had com
muned with man and nature in every CLINE
He had run the gauntlet OF human exist
, ence, 1t would seem. about as fully a
any one could. He mad felt perjury an
had gained riches. h changes an
vicissitudes Of this one life are as numer
Gus as are usually crowded into ten ordi
nary ones.
But one thing: Train, so far as tn
public knows, was a strange being In hi
earlier life. perhaps not as much so a
now. near life's sunset. yet it is doubtfr
Sc the world will accept the verdict tina
his apparent contempt for much Of man
kind was due TO intimacy with It.
Train charges himself with being a her
init. He owns he is a recluse and hs
been for thirty years. Still he boasts this
he never spent an unhappy year in all hi
life. And many happy years OF his III
he says we're spent In society. Fow mel
doubtless. could live the life of a hermi
a ~recluse. a society mar and the score
of other different lives that this man hs
lived and yet never spend one unhapp
year.
The autobiography Of Citizen George FraI
els Train will strike a responsive chord
Omaha, where he spent an eyentful POI
tion OF his life. and where he has lie
undying memories. the first and create
of which is the Union Pacific railroad, tel
minating in this city, the laying out ar
building OF which this man points to
one Of the browning achievements Of h
varied and remarkable career. And the
there is the old hotel. the Cozzens hous
which is a monument. OF has been. to II
spontaneous impulsiveness so chsracteri
tic Of Train. And there are many other
Train says he owns 5000 lots In Oman
worth $50. 600. 900. And $780, 00. 900 is
pretty decent sort OF memorial.
CO1Eens Hotel Episode.
The old Cozzens house, which Train hi