The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1907-05-24

Iue SeueIdl
superintendent happened to be with
us when the news came.
"You can't handle it, boys" said he
nervously "What you'd better do is
to turn it over to the Columbian Pa
cifc."
Our contracting freight agent on the
coast at that time was q fellow SO err
ratio that he was nicknamed Crazy
horse. Right in the midst of the strike
Crazyhorse wired that he had secured
big silk shipment for New York. We
were paralyzed.
We had no engineers, no firemen and
no motive power to speak OF. The
strikers were pounding our men,
wreckng our trains and giving us the
worst Of it generally-that IS, when
we couldn't give it to them. Why the
fellow displayed his activity at that
particular iuncture still remains
mystery Perhaps he had q grudge
against the road. If so, he took an
artful revenge Everybody on the sys-
tenn with ordinary railroad sense knew
that our struggle was to keep clear OF
freight business until we got rid or
our strike. Anything valuable or per-
ishabe was especially unwelcome.
But the stuff was locked and loaded
and consigned in our care before we
knew it. After that q refusal to carry
1t would be like hosting the white
flag, and that is something which
never yet flew on the West End.
"Turn it over to the Columbian"
said the general superintendent. But
the general superintendent was not
looked up to on our division. He
hadn't enough sand. Our head was
fighter, and he gave tone to every man
under him.
"No," he Numbered, bringing down
his fist, mot in a thousand years!
Well move it ourselves. Wire Mont
gomery, the general manager, that we
will take care Of it. And wire him to
fire CraZyhorse--and to do it right off,"
| And before the silk was turned over
to us Crazyhorse was looking for an
/ other job It is the only case on rec
| ord where a freight hustler was dis
/ charged for getting business
/ There We're twelve car loads. 1t
was insured for SS5,OO0 q car. You can
figure how far the title IS wrong, but
you can never estimate the worry that
stuff gave US. It looked as big as
$12OO0,OOO worth. In fact, one scrub
car tink, with the glory Of the West
End at heart, had fight over the
amount with a skeptcal hostler, He
maintained that the actual money
value was a hundred and twenty mil
lions, but I gave you the figures just
II as they went over the wire, and they
are right.
4 What bothered us most was that the
/ strikers had the tip almost as soon as
| we had it. Having friends on every
road in the country, they knew as
| much about our business as We
ourselves. The minute it was an
/ nounced that we should move the sill
they were after us. 1t was q defiance
| last one. If we could move freigh
| for we We're already moving passen
gers after a fashion-the strike nigh
be we'll accounted beaten
Stewart, the leader Of the local con
tingent, together with his followers
got after me at once.
| "You don't show much sense, Reed,
said he. "You fellows here are break
ing your necks to get things moving
and when this strikes over if our boy
ask for your discharge they'll get i
This road can't run without our eng
neers. We're going to beat you.
you dare try to move this stuff We
have your scalp when it's over. You
never get your silk to GAINESVILLE, L
promise you that. And if you ditch
and make million dollar loss, you
get let out anyway, my buck"
I'm here to obey orders, Stewart
I retorted. What was the use of more
I felt uncomfortable, but we had d
termined to move the silk. There W;
nothing more to be said.
When I went over to the roundhou
and told Neighbor the decision he sa
never a word but he looked q gre
deal, Neighbours task was to supp
the motive power. All that we ha
uncrppled, was in the passenger ser
ice, because passengers must be mo
ed-must be taken care of first Of q
In order to win a strike you mu
have public opinion on your side.
Nevertheless, Neighbour" said
after we had talked awhile, Eve mu
move the silk also"
Neighbor studied, then he roared
his foreman.
"Send Bartholomew Mullen here
He spoke with a decision that made !
think the business was done. I h
never happened it Is true, to hear
"A~"' Bartholomew Mullen in the depa
ment of motive power, but the
preston the name gave me was of
monstrous fellow, big as Neighbor
old man Sankey or Dad Hamilton.
"pll put Bartholomew ahead Of
muttered Neighbor tightly. A
walked into the Office.
"Mr. Garten said you wanted to
CD ho Cd 4hn ~,