Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1908-03-12
AGENT PROVED BOSS
Slx-SHOOTER HIS MOST EFFEC-
TIVE ARGUMENT.
For Once Conductor and Engineer Took
Orders from the Man Whom
They Had Considered an
EASY Mark"

Twenty years ago the man who was
locomotive engineer on a freight
train under any circumstances
imagined himself boss of the freight
traffic for his especial jerkwater line.
He would get his train out of the way
of a passenger train that was coming
head on, but he swore at having to do
1t. For the rest he dictated every
thing just as far as he could make it
go. Ordinarily his dictation went
for awhile at least
The engineer always told the con-
ductor in the terminal yards just how
many cars he meant to pull out on any
given occasion. 1t went, too. At the
way stations both the engineer and
the conductor got together en- banc to
oppose any orders of the station agent
relative to cutting" the train and
switching in two or three lonesome
box cars on the country siding. And
that always went with the new agent
for awhile.
But away up in the northwestern
country one winter a new agent was
given the station at Blzzardino. He
was a round-faced, jolly little chap,
about 20 years old. who looked un-
usually easy. He was, too, for about
a week, when the siding at Blizzardino
began to bank up with empties which
the conductors swore they wouldn't
pick up for 1000 years at the least.
The little station agent lay awake
most of one night figuring just where
he stood He wanted to hold his job
If he could. But he couldn't hold it if
he couldn't get his orders obeyed by
the freight crews. The result of that
sleepless night was that the little
agent was ready next morning for the
giants, Conductor Bingham and En-
gineer O'Toole, who were due south
bound with No. 81 about ten o'clock,
railroad time.
Half an hour before the train was
due the Blizzardino agent had his yel-
low "flimsy" orders for No. 81 to pick
up five empties of designated numbers
ON the sidetrack and pull them in to
the nearest terminal. Half an hour
later Conductor Bingham was jumping
on the orders with both heels in the
snow and signaling Engineer O'Toole
to go ahead. O'Toole was going ahead,
too, when suddenly dead ahead across
the track the red arm Of the block
signal fell vibrated fo. an instant,
and hung still.
O'Toole shut off EtearH and jumped
from the cab for the station entrance
lust one Ian behind bingham But as
he entered he saw something which
made him gasp. Bingham had one leg
through the wide window of the
agents inner Office and had stuck
there for some reason, his jaw fallen,
and his eyes wide. The telegraph in
strument was clicking He" "H-C,"
"H-C," the emergency call for the of
ce of the general superintendent in
st. Paul. Stepping to one side,
O'Toole saw why Bingham was stuck
in the window. The kid" operator and
agent was using his left hand for the
sounder and in his right held a six
shooter of large caliber and at full
cock, pointing directly at the man in
the window!
"Ah, t. ELL" said OToole. We'll
take 'em, Jack. Wots the blinkety
blank numbers o thin cars, amy
how?"
They're on the flimsy somewhere.
When the cars were shunted into the
train the little agent lifted the block.
a Chicago millionaire.