Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-06-24
PREVENTS WRECK
Henry Reticker, of Rock Island,
Finds Ties on Railroad Tracks
Near Canton, Mo.
PASSENGER TRAIN SOON DUE
Is Placed Under Arrest When He Re-
lates Story, But is Later
Released.

Henry Reticker, of Rock Island,
| thwarted an attempt To wreck u Bur
| lington passenger train en- route to the
worlds fair near Canton, Mo. We'd
nesday morning, and then was placed
under arrest on suspicion of having
| himself been implicated in the plot.
Reticker had TO pay his fare TO La
Grange in order to get to ride to
where the ties were piled on the track
and thus pilot the train and its cargo
of human freight safely over the place
where the villainous hands had es-
sayed untold loss of life and destruc-
ton of property.
! Although Reticker had related not
| improbable story regarding what he
| had found and assisted the train crew
TO remove the timbers, he was taken
on to Quincy by f. b. McQuillon. the
| conductor of the train and turned over
to Jesse Stanbridge. the Burlington Of
! fcer. with instructions to hold him I'M
til the case could be Investigated. Ret
icker'S story was found to be correct
and he was released.
Tuesday morning. when Reticker de-
cided to travel from Canton to La
Grange. he found that his finances
were somewhat depleted. and that he
had little more than the price of
railroad ticket. or IS cents 1t being
only a few miles he concluded he
would walk, and accordingly started
down the K line track.
Finds Ties on Tracks.
| At Il point about three-quarters of
mile south of Canton he came upon a
huge railroad tie placed across the
track. Further down the road he saw
another one. and still further down,
another. The ties he said were about
400 feet apart. He described them as
about the largest railroad ties he had
ever seen and being of unseasoned
wood were very heavy.
From colored man who was pillow
| ing in field at the side of the track,
Reticker learned that the ties had
been there ever since the farmland
| had been at work hut how long be-
| fore neither knew. The colored man
had made no attempt to remove them
nor To notify anyone of their presence
there. He did tell Reticker though
that it was about time for the Twin
| City Express, and that was all that
Reticker stopped to learn. He hasten
ed back over the course he had just
Travelled. to Canton, arriving only Il
few minutes before the train. He was
in time, however to prevent a serious
wreck.
Reticker Talks 20 Reporter.
Don't say I'm arrested Mr. Report
er, or don't use my name at all, please,
in connection with this affair. the way
-
have a number of relatives and for
their sake cut it out.
Il travel around over the country
peddling, and sometimes | walk when
| don't have the car fare. But | am
honest and earn every cent | have.
L only performed my duty when !
prevented the wTecking of that train,
which | understand was laden with
hundreds of passengers, many des-
tined to the exposition at St Louis.
THE company's officers | presume
doubted my word because / was what
they might term a tramp. But | am
glad they have found upon their own
investigation that l told the truth"
An Extensive Traveller.
There are few countries i'm which
Henry Rcticker has not travelled, ac-
cording TO the story of his wanderings
related to the Quincy police He has
been in various parts of South Africa
and in nearly every other foreign
cline. He has been an aeronaut. and
has held with distinction the position
If candy butcher" at Manhattan
Beach
He recently returned from St Louis. |
where he had been negotiating with |
the authorities at the exposition for |
concession to sell Japanese fans. He
said he offered them s. per day. but |
they wanted $50 per week, and he call
ed the deal off
Reticker picked up a little box of |
Shoestrings which now constitutes his |
stock in trade, and started off, des-
tined TO walk to the next town unless |
he finds more than the usual number |
IF shoestring customers in Quincy.
He had saved a train and perhaps |
many lives. but fate intercepted his |
eward, perhaps temporarily.