The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-14
HALF CENTURY RAILROADING Death Claims Capt. J. (.
 Howard. HE WAS GENERALLY BELOVED Began His Railroad Career at Age
 of "A. First Service Was With oIa Raleigh ( Castor Rosd--wa. fin Service
 With Captain P. c.
 Downs.
HE WAS GENERALLY BELOVED

Captain J. c. Howard died at his home in Atlanta yesterday morning af- ter a long illness.
 Captain Howard was one of the old- est and most universally popular rail- road men in the South. He was 70 years old when he esdied and forty-six or those years have been spent In &C., tive railroad service. When he was about 24 years of age ho began his railroad career with the old Raleigh & Gaston Railroad in North Carolina the state or his nativity. For five years he was connected with the Raleigh & Cas- ton Railroad when he went with the Louisville & Nashville. For some years he ran one of the passenger trains be- tween Montgomery and Nashville, the three passenger conductors during that time being Captain F. c. Downs, the former Superintendent of the Western Railway, who met with such a tragic death by being burned to death In his private car on the Great Northern some years ago; B. c. Epperson, after wards superintendent of the Louisville & Nashville, and Captain Howard.
 The cause of Captain Howard's com ing 10 Montgomery was that the Ral- eigh & Gaston road had sold the Louis- Vile & Nashville some cars, and he was sent along to deliver the rolling stock to the l.. & N All three of the con. ductors running between Montgomery ana Nashville in the olden days are dead now, Captain Howard and Mir. Ep- person meeting natural deaths and Mir. Downs. then Superintendent of the Great Northern, was killed in a wreck. Before that he had been running be- tween Montgomery and Mobile, Captain J. c. Elliott. Captain Cal Keeler. now raries.
 It was four years after the Mobile and Montgomery division had gone into the hands of the Louisville & Nashville that Captain Howard resigned his posi- tion on the |. 6 N. In 1884 he accented q position as passenger conductor be- tween Montgomery and Atlanta, Mir. CeciI Gabbett being at that time Su- perintendent of the Atlanta and West Point and Western of Alabama.
 For the twenty-four years. follow ing up to yesterday. he has been con tinuousiy in the service of the road. some years ago the Western adopted the custom of the Pullman Car Com pany, For every five years of service their conductors had gold band sewed on the sleeves of the coats and Capta.n Howard would soon have had i've of these stripes.
 Soon after coming to MontRomerv. he married Miss Fanny Howard. the ~@NAAtSN OA A&TA IL A. howard Of this city. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Mrs. D. ". Monteith and Miss Bessie Howard, who were ail at his bedside yesterday morning when the sad end came. Miss Mary B How ard. niece of Captain Howard. is in Montgomery.
 A L0vabIe Character.
 Captain Howard was one of the most lovabie and exceptional characters in the State He was a consistent mem Der Of the Baptist church and a Chrts- tian whose life and example proved not only blessing but benediction to thousands of people. He has always been an active member of Division No. ss, the Montgomery Division of the Order of Railway Conductors. While not being a member of either of the two Atlanta Divisions of the O.. R, C.. Nos. 1S0 and 459, he was at ali times welcome visitor to both divisions.
 The remains will be brought to Monts gomery tomorrow morning on train 35 of the Western at 10:55 a. m. At o'clock in the morning the members of No. 9S of the o. R. c. will meet at their hall and go in a body to the Union Depot, where they will take charge of the remains when the train arrives. A committee from the two Atlanta divisions will come to Mont gomery with the funeral party From the depot the remains will be carried at once to Oakwood Cemetery, where the funeral exercises will be held by the pastor of the First Baptist Church. pr. Charles l.. Stakely.