Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-09

tOr ne mas all InaI Is TeQulISu "
provide for his simple daily needs, but he
wants the world to know first hand his
wonderful story.
His preparation for the task was one
of its most remarkable features. f. w.
Halsey who has charge of the book de-
partmcnt of d. Appleton & Co.. conceived
the idea Of securing the life story of the
Citizen. and preached the matter to him.
Mr.. Train was willing, provided stenogra-
pher sufficiently sensible and rapid could
be got to take his dictaton. when Will
you be ready to begin?' asked Mr.. Halsey.
Right now" answered the Citizen. 1t
was arranged that the next day the stenog-
rapher should be on hand, and then was
commenced one of the most remarkable OF
all the many achievements of this remarka-
BILE mans remarkable career. f. w. Sans
was the stenographer selected to do the
work Mr. Train had prepared a biography
of 200 words, and it was decided that this
should be used as a working basis. The
Citizen started right in talking at the rate
of 25O words a minute, except when he
got excited and then he ratified so fast
that it was impossible to count them
The dictations lasted an hour and
quarter day, simply because Mr. Sans did
not feel himself equal to taking more Mr..
Train was willing to keep on indefinitely.
And for the same reason Mr.. Sans did not
take dictation every day. To be exact,
Mr.. Train dictated an hour and quarter
a day on twenty eight different days, that
is to say, thirty-fve hours in all, the dicta-
tions covering a period of a little less than
six weeks
In debating this autobiography of more
than 100 900 words Mr.. Train did not once
consult a book of reference. His memory
is astounding. The story of his life is
crowded with dates, with names of people,
names of ships, a thousand things that II
seems utterly impossible that any human
being could remember and yet Mr. Train
talked them out Of his head at the rate of
$50 words minute. 1t made not the
slightest difference whether the event or
incident happened seven months or seventy
years ago, it was perfectly clear in his
mind
Much time was devoted by the publishers
to verifying Mr.. Trains names and dates
whenever it was possible. He tells OF
certain reception he attended in India on
a certain date, where he met certain peo>
pie 1t was as he said. He points out that
Jules Verne's around the World in Eighty
Days" was founded on the Citizens around
the-world tour in 1870, and he adds that
the book was published in 1872. There was
grave doubt about the correctness OF this
date. 1t took an active young man nearly
two days of investigation to find out that
Mr.. Train was right.
He describes selling a ticket to Ralph
Waldo Emerson, who, with one exception
that modesty forbds him to name, Mr.
Train considers the greatest man America
ever produced, for passage to England. he
names the date, the ship and the captain,
l., Cd from Emerson. de-
scribing the voyage. Mr.. Halsey looked up
the matter and he found in English
Traits" that Emerson had recorded the
facts lust as had Train, and that the only
error Train made was in quoting the pas
sage He used but where it is and
in the original. And in all that story oi
900 words a story of facts, which the
Citizen talked without consulting single
work of reference that is the only blundel
that has been discovered.
And there has been practically no editing
of the story save that which every dictated
manuscript requires. 1t is truly George
Francis Trains story, told in his OWL
words.
1t is wise always to begin at the begin
ming, which in this case is the title OF thC
book which will be issued the latter par
of this month. 1t is called my Life il
Many states ana IN torelBn Ldnus' "il''el
in the Mills Hotel, in My Seventy-fourtl
Year, by George Francis Train"
And after the title comes the dedication
which is a particularly fine one, worthy o
a man who has lived up to the sentimen
in it:
"To the children and the children's chill
dren in this and in all lands who love an,
believe in me because they know love AM
believe in them"
The real autobiography begins with hi
grandfather, a Baltimore man, who turne
itinerant Methodist preacher freed hi
slaves, and who married my beautiful
grandmother, who had a thousand-acr
farm at Waltham, ten miles from Boston.
Mr.. Train was born in Boston on Marc
a 1929 and soon after his father remove