The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-08-03
Brakeman Strikes q Fortune
Through q Loan OF
SI7O.
y EASTERN STATES
Though Travelling In . Private Car Ne
10 Thoroughly Democratic and
Calls Train Men by Thsir
Given Names.

IyO11 Nv ~ Nt.ss .ssN@ -
Central station, waiting for the gates
% open. found some amusement the
ether day watching the stocking with
provistons q private car attached tn the
0mD1rs State express.
W. IL. day was warm. and the people
~yu11od up on the platform gained en-
V1ooG1y al a man who was Hitting
oSout inside the gates. giving orders
kore and there and experimenting the
yaAcing of numerous boxes and ham
Dore In the car. which bore the name
y1eda-
The man was about a. years old and
UtscAiiy built. From undeh the SLOUGH
~ projected loads OF brown hair
oereaked with gray. His commands To
ths attsndants were given with a tone
- authority. but IL vas puxziing To
hoar the porters. n train hands ad-
1rooo him familiarity a. Blunt" n
Usmstimes Bunting" There was moth
ia9 about him TO indicate that hs was
q man Of wealth. He wore n blu. serge
Du1G q plain tie ornamented with a
modest scarf pin. a slender gold chain
90 HE waistcoat and a plain gold ring
n the little ringer OF his left hand.
A he stepped about giving orders here
cd there he puffed continuously on a
Doo6 black cigar OF prodigious bulk.
~ hands showed evidence Of hard
-. and. In fact. he looked TO be a sort
~ HIElAAMlit1s
when at last the gates were opened
the people iocked to h cars. and were
non deep In books and papers. aud the
man and the palace on wheels were
Soon forgotten One I'M however.
eou1d not overcome her curiosity so
soon. when the conductor came along
- asked who the nan WAS and
The conductor smiled. why. that's
John Bunting. M millionaire train
hand he said somewhat surprised at
her confessed ignorance. He used To
brake on the Southern Pacific up To n
lev years ago; then he made a strike
IN oil lapd. and 10 worth millions now.
He 10 on his way TO the A~dirondacks
for the summer. We take him as far
- Albany. then his private a IL
switched to another train for Loon
Lake. where he has a camp. He 10 to
have : party Of friends up there for the
Rapid Rice 10 Wealth.
The conductor might have told more.
had there been time. OF John A. Blunt
within the space OF a week. he left the
top OF q freight train TO take his posi-
tion a one Of the worlds m~iiiionsires.
a tribe more han four ear ago
Bunting. who had worked IN a brake
~ IN many railroads. was stationed
ct Tucson. Arix-. In charge OF n switch
1ug crow. He and his wife had saved
~ q little sum from his wages, n he
was enabled 20 lend sf7e 20 n man,
tahln6 q security a gold watch and n
osed 20 forty acres of land In Kern
eeouty. Cal
Soon afterward he was relieved from
the switching station and resumed his
eccupatfon OF brakeman. Al the expir-
ac1eu OF o yea the loan remained m
A~1A and nuufinR y.aekafaA fhA watch
and had the land transferred to him
oe1k. Just at that time OIL was discov-
ere1 I'm Kern county, and Bunting re-
turned from one of his trips TO md
that his property was worth a fortune.
Thsrs was no trouble I'm c~isposing OF Il.
Representatives OF h Standard OIL
company were buying M all the land
that was for sale. and the Bunting
a0res o with others. The sum paid
% var1ousiy estimated NJ between ST.
eee,0 ~ and 1000. 900.
Notwithstanding the fact that so
many Of his years had been spent In
travelling on railroads. the newly
created millionaire determined TO trav-
81 eoms more. n with his wife he
visited all the prominent cities OF the
country. II was while In Chicago that
he conceived the idea OF buying a priv
etc car and making his future Journeys
In comfort and luxury . He entered the
once OF q car manufacturing company
and asked TO see the vice president. His
whole appearance bespoke the work.
man. His hands had not yet lost the
signs OF hard labor and his attire was
not that which one woIld expect TO
Gee q millionaire wear.
Mistaken for Workman.
The clerk evidently tool that view.
Tor. after looking askance ut the Wis
ttor. he took In his name TO h vice
p~resident. returning n few minutes
later with the Information that there
was no vacancy just then, but that his
application would be considered at the
proper time.
Bunting flushed with anger. I'm
not looking for a Job" he said. Il want
20 buy n private car"
Not long after that n ground plan
was drawn up for FL Fleda, as the car
was subsequently named. The plans
were changed several times. as Bunt-
ing. with train experience to guide him.
had IDEAS OF his W that he wanted
carried out.
The car Is seventy feet long and
combines all the c~onveniences OF a
modern dwelling. There are accommo-
cations for a dozen guests without
crowding. and the rooms are finished
In tiger wood. maple and English oak.
Al the front n Is n refrigerator OF
large capacity. plentifully furnished
with wine racks. Then IN the
kitchen and pantry and servants quar-
tiers. fitted up for four attendants.
Next IL a bathroom. beautifully decor
ated and furnished with "A large porce-
lain tub. Doors lead from the bath
room into section fitted up for the use
OF guests.
Then comes the dining room with an
extension table. More wine racks are
provided here. and there always IL n
cold bottle within easy reach. Adjoin-
ing the dining room is the owners bed
room, with n brass bed OF full width,
cabinets and wardrobes. A sofa on one
side OF the room can be converted into
q double berth without overcrowdiug.
This room Is Bunting's special pride
and much time. care n money were
spent In getting IL to his liking.
Next 10 his bed room IL a room al
most as large and furnished with
berths and ward robes. IL Is used
principally as "A dressing room, unless
the number OF guests is unusually
large. Al the extreme rear OF the car
f. the observation room and broad
platform from which TO view the
scenery.
The car is lighted throughout by
electricity. ever the signal lamps. OF
markers" as they are technically
known. being electrically illuminated