Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-05
Al Moore Tells
Grewson1e And
Amusing Tales
NV All Moore.

Amusing 1 QLeS
BY Al. Moore.
OFTEN there floats back memories Of
the days when the train crews on the
old middle division used to congregate
at Creston, and how, sometimes, for
two days, the boys lounged about i'll
the way cars, waiting to be marked
out. Traffic, then. as now, was per-
verse. There would be heavy move
ment of stock and freight eastward o.
in the opposite direction. The crews
would scarcely light in Ottumwa
where most of them resided until they
were bulletined out for the west. Ar
rived at the latter end of the division,
hours at a stretch before starting on
the return trip. The effect of these
vagaries of traffic was to get all the
crews at one end of the division.
Sometimes there would be as many 81;
fifteen or twenty on the waiting list.
How They Amused Themselves.
AS rule the trainmen were TEN.
perate, few of the mindulging in IL,
quor Creston, which, by the way,
crest Of the divide between the Mis-
siss1ppi and Missouri rivers was then
town Of perhaps 1000 people. There
were few amusements and there is
nothing in this life quite so monote
nous as waiting about town where
one knows few people and is compell-
ed to spend the wearing hours in the
close confinement of way car In
those times brakesmen received little
more than $55 or $50 per month, tea
or twelve of which they had to pay
out at the eating houses at Creston,
Murray, Charlton and Abba. where
they procured meals while on the
road So, as rule, the brakemen
had no money to expend in revelry,
high living or sport.
So they were wont to improvise en-
tertainment. Some Of the boys were
excellent vocalists; others could give
winged spirits a big handicap and beat
them out on whirlwind finish On the
mouth harp, while yet others had sat
at the feet of Ole Bull and wooed the
muses. on the strings of violin. These
accomplishments were necessarily
limited to few A majority Of them
of the fine arts were concerned. They
wouldn't have known Wagner or Mo.
Fart IL they had met them in the
switch yards. They had heard Of
Jenny Lynd and Parepa Rosa, but
they were not on easy speaking terms
with them. But there wasn't pageant
among them who did not know Tom
Potter, John L. Sullivan or Jack
Dempsey or who couldn't give Off
hand the number Of rounds fought
between any of the leading short
hairs of the fistic arena.
Compromise on 10 Cent Ante.
So they reveled lightly, absorbing
most Of their intellectual pabulum
from the Police Gazette or the Days
Doings. They spurned with lofty in
difference attempts to admit them to
the mysteries Of the Milky Way or to
instruct them to the swing CT the
Pleiades. So they compromised on
ten cent ante" and were happy ever
afterwards. Gathered about an impro-
vised table, with the lower hunks In
the car FOR seats. have known them
to play all day and far into the night.
When accounts were squared at the
close of the game there wasn't one If
them who had been loser to the OK
tent Of more than 30 cents. Then,
unless the winner was an observing
sinner, he would count among his wiz
nings, cancelled postage stamps, lead
nickels or, as happened occasionally.
one dollar Confederate bill. One
memorable game inparticular fingers
In fond recollection. / had been the
winner to the extent of 10 cents. five
of which was in postal cards, six in
postage stamps and the balance IN
money of tho realm The real coin
had been garnered at one fell swoop
at the close of the game, when one
player held four kings. We had been
lying Qiterally) in Creston two days
and one night. 1t was in the "gloam-
ing" and having all the material sub.
stance Of the gang, l was quite willing
to quit AS the winnings we're on the
point of being gathered in, some I'M
regenerate infidel burst into the car
exclaiming that Reno and crew" had
just been marked up on the bulletin
board for stock extra east. Forget
ting the pot" in the Joy of the mo-
ment, ! ran over to the depot to verify
the news and incidentally to learn the
engine and engineer we would have
Upon returning to the car five minutes
later the glims were doused, there
wasn't an Indian in sight and the
pot" was gone. Peering through the
window Of the way car, saw the mob
headed for BENEFITS restaurant where
they squandered their loot on sunday
cups Of coffee and buns. Alas, 1t was
another exemplification that there Is
no honor among thieves" though our
thieves were not Of bad sort.
From RoIIickins to Danger.
From such innocent revelry and
mild registering these men would take.
up the dangers Of the road, brave and