The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-28
How Hogan Lost His Job.
The Disappearance of the Watch
man From the Docks.
Chicago Tribune.)

Z
came to this country. He landed in
New York and worked there for three
months. Six weeks ago he struck Chi
eagO with - cents in his pockets. he
wanted work and didn't care what it
Was-at least as q starter. A COM
patriot got him d job as nightwatch-
man on the coal docks. The job paid
so a week. Hogan was glad to get it.
He went to work at 6 O'Clock in the
evening and was relieved at o'clock
in THE morning by Chesterman, the day
Waterman. Hogan was expected TO
patrol the docks all night and to keep
close watch against coal thieves who
sometimes slipped down to the docks
on dark nights and carried away
enough coal to last them all winter. A
favOrite trick of the coal thieves was
to row down the dark river in skiffs
with mufiied oars and fill their boats
with the black diamonds. If the
Waterman was not careful and contin-
ually on the lookout this was easy to
do.
For. the first couple of weeks Hogan
never closed his eyes. He walked from
one end of the docks to the other, and
not a pound of coal was carried away.
But not once did he catch even a sus-
piciOus character lurking about the
docks, and gradually he grew careless.
Finally he concluded that he might as
well take a little ease He gradually
gathered together a lot of dry goods
boxes and built on the edge of one OF
the docks a little shanty. 1t looked ike
nothing except a pile of scrap, and was
not at ell likely TO be even noticed by
casual visitors to the docks. And at
any rate there was no reason why a
h a
little shelter to run into now and then
as a temporary protection from the ele-
ments when bad storms swept in from
the lake.
But Hogan did not stop even there
Secretly and without saying word to
anyone he bought a folding cot, which
one dark night he brought down to the
docks and spread out inside his shack
He was now able, when everything was
quiet, to stretch out on his cot and en-
joy what he considered a few hours
well earned rep0se. He always woke
up long before it was time for Chester
man to relieve him, and hid the cot
away under the end of the dock, where
it would have taken detective with
search warrant to find il.
Things went along without a hitch
for two weeks. Hogan got his regular
week with equal regularity. Then one
morning there was great excitement
Chesterman came down at his usual
time to relieve Hogan, but Hogan was
not there 10 meet him. CheSterman
went into the shack, but found nothing
but Hogan's wool cap and Hogan
big revolver, with two chambers empty
on the floor. He looked around all over
the docks, but found no trace of the
missing man. When the foreman of
the coal docks came down at Z o'clock
Chesterman reported the facts to him
and he made a further search. Moth
ing was found in addition to what was
already plain. The foreman thought
the disappearance so mysterious that
he reported to the police. The police
captain sent over two of his most as
tute detectives. They looked the
ground over, laying special stress on
the wool cap and the revolver with two
chambers empty. They shook their
heads.
Foul play was what they suspected
Finally they learned the location of the
boarding house where Hogan got his
meals. He had OF been there since
the night before and it was now nearly
noon. The suspicion Of foul play deep
ened into practically a certainty.
The detectives reported to their head
quarters and a lot of reporters were
sent out to interview them. They
showed the partly empty revolver and
the wool cap as proof of a struggle and
ventured the assertion that the BODY
of the unfortunate Hogan would some
day be found in the murky waters Of
the river.
The afternoon papers played up the
.F 20
ton of the day They printed scare
head" on their pages, with pictures Of
Hogan. Chesterman and the two de-
tectives and sketches of the coal docks
i was a good story, with plenty Of
picturesque features. In order to make
IL even better the detectives got some
men from one of the fire tugs to go out
and drag the river for the remains of
the murdered man.
The graphing irons brought up from
the bottom of the river a most remark
able and interesting collection of an
tiquities, but never a trace of Hogan,
unless an old coat, which stuck TO one
of the graphing irons, could be so con-
sidered. AS a matter of fact, Chester
man was almost willing to identify tae
coat as that which Hogan was accUs-
tened to wear, and other witnesses
were found who were by no means GER
tain that it was the garment Of the
missing man.
What really happened to Hogan was
this:
The night Of his disappearance was
black and stormy. 1t was between a
rain and a snow, and, therefore, it was
exceedingly nasty on the docks. Hogan
made a couple Of rounds and made up
his mind that no self-respecting thief
Il ,s~r1,~
greeable. So before 10 o'clock he cot
out his cot from beneath the dock
spread it in his little shack, and lay
down to sleep. He woke an hour later
The snow had changed TO a cold and
soaking rain and Hogan found himself
drenched to the skin, shiveTing with
the cold. Il was plain that the roof Of
his imDrOvised shack was not water
proof.
only half awake he stumbled out on
the dock TO see what he could do to
make himself more comfortable. When
he lay down he had thrown off his cap.
and his revolver had felt uneomforta-
bic. so he had taken that out Of his hip
pocket and laid it down where it would
be safe. He had emptied two chambers
Of the revolver at stray cat the night
before.
When he went out of the little hut
into the storm the open door of a big
box car stood invitingly on the tracks
almost in front Of him. Without Civ
ing the matter much thought. he had
gone back into the shack. picked up
the cot, carried it out and stuck it into
the rainprOOf box car, pulled the door
to after him, and lay down TO enjoy a
few hours sleep.
An hour later a switch engine had
backed down, coupled on 10 the emp
ty' and carried it out to the yards at
Burnside. There il had been hitched
to train of empties> bound for the coal
mines at and about AIinonk The
strange thing is that during all this
necessary noise and humping around