The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1908-10-29
BIBLES SCARCE ARTICLES
IN WESTERN MON T ANA
Senator BeVsdge and Railroad Conductor Finally Land One at the
Town Of He'll Gate.

HELENA, Mont, Oct. 29.-The
efforts Of Senator Alfred J. Bever-
idge, of Indiana, to obtain a Bible
In Western Montana on his recent
tour are most interesting. That it
is always the unexpected that hap
pens was emphatically illustrated
by the incident, in which the prin-
cipal actors were Senator Beveridge
and IKE" Harpster, conductor OF
the Copper City local.
When Senator Beveridge left
Butte. he was breakfastless, and it
was not until he reached Garrisonand
its lunch counter that he was able
to get even a cup of coffee. With
out breakfast it is not eaSS for
a man to consider what he is going
to say to an audience that he knows
will be waiting for him when he gets
to the end of his journey, and it is
not to be wondered at that the Sen
ator did not give much thought to
his afternoon talk until he had OBJ
tanned the coffee.
Whether it yas the refreshing eff
feet of the Garrison coffee that
brought him to consideration of his
talk for the afternoon, or whether
the coffee produced an effect that
turned his thoughts to the hereafter,
Senator Beverage does not say; but,
what ever was the cause, he be-
thought himself after leaving Gar
rison of his Bible. 1t was in his
trunk, and his trunk was supposed
to be in the baggage car-but it was
not.
At Butte the trunk had been check
ed to Seattle and was not put on the
local train, but was held for the
through train later. 1t became nee
essray to find some other copy of the
Bible, and the search was instituted.
Conductor Harpster, always Obig
ing, went through the train and tried
to locate a Bible somewhere on
board. But there was none to be
found.
Then the train reached Big Bend
Harpster asked the agent there if he
had a Bible. The reply was emphat-
ically in the negative. Harpster gave
the signal and the train pulled on to
Gold Greek. AT this station, the
agent said, there had been woman
who had Bible, but her husband
had been transferred and she had
left few days before, taking the
Bible with her. SO there was moth
ing doing at Gold Creek.
Haskell was next. Ha1pster
swung off the train and walked
confidently up to the young man
who manipulates the key there.
"Have you a Bible?"
"Wot's a Bible?" was the answer;
and the conductor fled.
'Drummond is the next station"
called the brakeman as the train
slowed up at the water tank, and
Harpster liked. They were very
nice people at the Drummond station,
but they are short on Bibles. There
was not one in the whole bunch,
though everybody was frisked; and
the train pulled out.
Statesman and conductor, by this
time, were pretty well discouraged.
There were some references that
Senator Beveridge wanted to look
up, and there was an earnest de-
sire on the part of the conductor to
satisfy the demand. But it was hard
shedding. The case looked hopeless.
If there was no Bible in Gold Greek,
and if there was none in Drummond,
and if Haskell and Big Bend had
furnished none-then where would a
Bible be found? For, is there was
none there, surely there would be
none at Bear Mouth or Nimrod or
Bonita. And it would be too late
at Clinton and Bonner.
<But Harpster, acute as he is, had
overlooked bet. As he Reasoned
with himself the train stopped and
hi swung off. As matter of mere
habit he walked to the station man
and asked him if he had a Bible.
The man had. And 'Ike' got it. He
took it to the train and gave it to
Senator Beveridge, who was profuse
with his thanks. Then Harpster
asked him to look out at the name
of the station. The Senator looked.
1t was He'll Gate.
HFAITH nEEIcEp aTTEMTinE