Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-02-16

yN.l......|u '1 @s, r.sn,..
was very o,d conductor but Old man
Sankpy was veteran when Pat Fran.
els began braking. Sunkcy ran pas
seuucr train when Jimmie Brady was
running. and Jimmie aftCrward enlist.
ed and was killed In the Custcr hght.
There was an odd tradition about
Sankey's name. lie was tall.
swarthy fellow aud carried the blood
Of n Sioux chief IN his veins. II was
in the time Of the Black Hills excite.
mcui, when railroad mon. struck by
the gold fever. were abandoning their
trains. even at way stations, and strik-
ing across the divide for Clark's Cross
Ing. Men to run the trains were hard
to get. and Tom Porter, tralnmaster.
was putting In every man he could
pick MP without reference 10 age or
color.
Portcr-hc dIci at Julesuurg after
ward--was a great loilicr, and he was
not afraid Of anybody on earth.
one day war party % Sioux clat-
tered into town. They tore around
like storm aud threatened to scalp
everything, even to the local tickets.
The head braves dashed In on Tom
Porter, sitting In the dispatchcr's of.
flee upstairs. The dispatcher was hid
ing under loose plank IN the baggage
room floor. Tom. being bald rs n sand
hill. considered himself exempt from
scalping parties lie was working n
game of solitaire when they bore down
on him and Interested them at once
THAT led to u purlcy which ended in
Porter's hiring the whole band 10
brake on freight trains Old man San
KEY Is said to have been one of shat
original war party.
Now, this is merely caboosc story,
told on winter nights when trninmcn
get stalled In the snow drifting down
from the Sioux country But what fol.
lows IL better attestcd.
Sankcy, to start with had II peculiar
name an uupronounccahle, unspell.
able. unmauageable ZANE. I never
heard II. so | can't give IT. Ii was as
hard 10 catch as an Indian cur, and
that name made more trouble on the
payrols than all the other names put
together. Nobody ut headquarters
could handle II. II was never turned
In twice alike, and they were always
writing Tom Porter about the thing.
Tom explained several times that II
was Sitting Bulls ambassador who
was drawing that money and that he
usually signed the payroll with toma-
hawk. But nobody ut Omaha ever
knew how 10 take a joke.
Tie first time Tom went down he
was called In very solomnly to ex.
plain again about the name. and be.
Ing in hurry and very tired of the
whole business, Tom spluttered:
Hang IL, don't bother mc any more
about that name. II you can't read It.
make 1t Sankey and be done with It,"
They took Tom ut his word. They
actually did make II Sankcy, and that's
how our oldest conductor came to beal
the name of the famous singer, and
more | may say-good name rs it was
and is. the Sioux never dIsgraced 1t.
Probably every old traveller on I'll,
system knew Sankey. lie was no
only always ready to answer questions
but. what is much more always ready
to answer the same question twice. 1
Is that which makes conductors gray
headed ana spells their chances FOL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the same question,
over and over again. Children wer,
apt to be a bit startled ut first sigh
of Sankey, he was so dark, but h,
had very quiet smile that Away.
made them friends after the seconC
sometimes ran about asking for hin
after lie had left the train.
OF late years-and II H. this tina
hurts-these very same children growi
ever so much bigger and riding agail
10 or from California or Japan or Aus
tralla, will ask when they reach tn
West End about the Indian conductor
But the conductors who now run III
overland trains pause ut the question
checking over the date limits on tn
margins of the coupon tickets, and
handing the envelopes back, will loo
mt the children aud say slowly, H
ISN'T running any more"
II yOu have ever gone over our lin
TO the mountains or to the coast yO
may remember at McClOud, where the
change engines aud set the diner in o
out, the pretty little green park to th
east of the depot, with n row OF catalp
trees along the platform line. 1t look
Ike glass of spring water.
If II happened TO he Sankey's ru
and a regular West End day, sunny am
delightful, you would he sure to Sc
standing under the catalpas n shy
dark skinned girl OF fourteen or iiftee
years silently watching the prepare
lions for the departure Of the ovs!
land.
And after the new engine had bee
backed. champiug, down and harnesse
to it's long string of vestibuled sleeI
ers: after the air hose had been col
nected and the air valves examined
after the engineer had swung ont o
his cab. filed his cups and swung !
again; after the fireman. ANA mis- hclpt