The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-05-05

thAe dark aud stormy night several
Ne.9 s < the Overland Limited" was
i3'Intntlg along ON the Union Pacific
t,twecn North Platte and kearney,
when snddenly the engine broke down.
4he engineer took his tools and
oi"wled into the machinery and began
10 tN it.
a bury stranger. mutiied up In "a
coat and slouch hat appeared by the
engine side, and watched With interest
IN Inc dim light of the torch, which
Me fireman Was holding. The strange
asked several questions. but of curse
Me %tTaininen did not deign to answer
MN. Finally In evaporation at a per-
htstent questioning the engineer re-
sponded
Go To h-l."
Calmly the mysterious strangc
reached under the engine, took the en-
ilneer by his coat and deposited the
surprised trainman in a ditch at The
cropped under The engine, ooh the
'o"is. and soon had the crack train
READY Tor her eastward i%ourney.
me mysterious stranger vas Horace
6 Burt, president of the Union Pacific
laiIfoad, and the man whom President
Roosevelt considered for supreme com
Illand of the Panama canal digging
force at 100000 "a year.
Whether or not there is any truth
IN 'hls story, it is one that is told on
lhe streets, in the clubs and hotels of
Omaha to Illustrate the character of
ms iron listed man who made the
mon Pacific railroad pay dividends
after IT Wis taken out the hands of the
government board of directors. A more
tfuthful incident TO show the character
of President Burt could not be told. al
any rate.
Uncle Hod' is the nickname of Mr..
Snft around Omaha, but unlike most
nlekMames, 1t is not given out Of kind
~ feeling and good fellowship. For
two Years before his retirement from
lhe presidency of the Union Pacific Mr..
iaGFt ruled the big railroad h%eadquart-
Is. at Ninth and l'arnam in Omaha
like an ogre. No other word will so
Wen represent the popular idea of the
deposed Union Pacific president.
Horace g; Burt is past all doubt a
man of the highest engineering ability,
and q nan of iron hand. But he him
self wilfully cast aside the velvet glove
when he forced ED. Dickinson, the
general manager of the chief Hartman
ane. TO resign several years ago, when
theN dashed oveT the proper method
@ handling the Union Pacific shopmen
strike.
When President Burt drove Ed Dick
l'fson TO leave the Union Pacific and
e 20 help A. L. Stillwell build the
Kansas city, Mexico and Orient rail-
road he dug his w grave. HI strike
mao on some time. and the
diplomatic Dickinson was fo1 Il COM
promise which would put the rolling
stock of the o in good condition.
and heal the scars which had been
made in the strike.
hut with characteristic b~ullheaded-
ness, President Burt persisted that he
would handle h shopmen in his own
way. AT one time General mag
Dickinson thought seriously OF resign
ing and going east to fight Burt for the
presidency itself. Later he abandoned
Ihis and resigned when he saw that the
curse of President Burt was bound to
lead 70 ruin.
The resignation of Genera Manager
Dickinson was u pathetic incident,
Which few people, even in the close
circles Of the Mo Pacific railroad.
realized mt the time. though it has
come 10 be more generally appreciated
;lnce he left.
Zig Ed" as General Manager Dick
tnson was known to every brakeman
and %inIn from omaha to ogden,
ws.s the most popular man on the
Union Pacific. There was not a sec
ton boss on the system but would pull
q his coat and fight for Dickinson.
Nousequently when the word went out
mat Burt was opposing Dickinson the
employees, from chiefs of departments
IL the section bosses, Immediately took
arms against President Rllrt and