The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-21

The man who welcomes everybody coming to Bridgeport by railroad in the daytime is Patrolman John Fallon, who is always on duty at the railroad sta- tion. He has been there now twelve years and has probably seen more peo- pie coming to Bridgeport than any oth- CT man.
 His duties are numerous, for besides keeping order at the station he is sup posed to be sort of general information bureau, from telling people all about the trains to letting them know how they can reach certain sections of the city by street cars, whether the com mon council is incorruptible or not, to telling others where the nearest barber shop is, what the hotels ask and all that. He is supposed to keep a sharp lookout on people so as to prevent them from getting injured. In general he is about as hard worked @ man as there is in Bridgeport.
 The position of police officer at the railroad station is one that requires much judgment, tact and firmness, and the one who fills it must have the pa tience of Job in dealing with some of the cases that are brought to his atten- tion.
 Probably Officer Fallon has seen more people rescued from death or serious accident than anyone else in Bridgeport, but he has grown so used to this thing that he scarcely notices it.
 Speaking to a Post reporter the other day, the officer was enabled to recall some of the many incidents of this char acter that have happened under his ob- servation. He said; Perhaps the narrowest escape from a fatal accident that ever saw happened about a year and a half ago. was standing on the platform of the station keeping a sharp lookout when I saw three we'll dressed women coming over from the tracks at the east of the sta- ton. ...
 At that time there was standing on one of the tracks in front of the station train bound west. These women sought to get around the end of it.
 q knew by the signals that the Limf- ted train, which lrushes through here at a good rate of speed, was then in the block. had only time to rush forward, and grabbing the women, threw hem inito a heap without saying a word, when the train rushed by, passing right over the spot where the women were standing when grabbed them. It was the closest call that believe I ever saw. The train all but hit me, The women were inclined to be mad at first, but when they had cooled down enough to realize the danger in which they were they felt different. But similar escapes, although not so close, are not very rare" za ..
 Mr. Fallon was asked about some of the more recent accidents and told of the escape a young man had recently.
 "The fellow was drunk and so went and sat down by train on the Berk- shire division that was all made up, and ready to go out. He sat there with his foot across the rail just where the cars would pass over it.
 MT. Fallon's attention was called to his danger and jumping forward he dragged him from his position with less than minute to spare before the train would have started up and passing across his leg have cut it off.
 The young fellow was drunk and could have been locked up, but some of the expressmen there knew him, so that he was allowed to be taken away by them to sober up.
 But the above are some of the sad in cidents that happen at the station. There are lots of funny ones, too.
 Mr. Fallon, in speaking of these lat ter, said:
 "One day not long ago man with a grip in each hand came up to me and asked me when the train for Spring field was going. It happened that the train was then standing in the station, and after had told him the fellow went up to it and talked with two brakemen standing beside it for a moment or so, and then came back to talk with the ticket agent.
 I was wishing then that the train would pull out and leave him, and sure enough it did.
 "As soon as he realized that the train was going he dashed out of the station and after it, running nearly to the bridge before he gave it up.
 "As he came back I was standing on the platform smiling pretty broadly at him, and so he came up to me and asked me what was laughing at. q told him it was because he got left and at the figure he cut runnisg down the platform with the two valises strik- ing his legs at every step.
 q reminded him that had told him about the train and that he was not sat- isfied with the information, but, he must go out and ask the brakemen and then go back to ask the ticket agent. I asked him if they had not all of them told him the same thing that did. He said they had. #
 'Then I said to him, I have seen many farmers come here and none of them get, so badly left as you did, and you do not appear like a. farmer
 At this he said to me, Yes, I know I was a big fool, but have a smoke on me and let the thing drop.'"
 Even while the reporter was talking with the officer a man came up and asked if there was barber shop in the station, and when told that the nearest one was across the street, wondered if he would have the time to get shaved before his train left for Podunk.
 MT. Fallon has to use great judgment in his handling of drunken men, of x,I,on O eyreat many franI1ent the station