, 1908-09-17
NARROWED
MONUMENT
BILL BARLOW GIVES INTEREST.
ING STORY OF THE RISE AND
FALL OF sHERMAN.
How BILLY Murphy Made a Good Play
with a Desert Land Entry, Only
to Sacrifice His Advantage Under
tho Influence Of the eepuilino
Tongues Of a Couple Of Lawysrs-

the Influence Of the essuiiino
Tongues Of a Couple Of Lawysrs-
Only a sunken grave, and on the
prone and broken headstone an old
familiar epitaph which In words and
environment comprise a cruel yet
merciful law OF life. Two little girls
-Lottie and Mary, aged three months,
lie buried here. and meath the chisel.
cd record of twin birth and death Is
that cry of stricken hearts which
rings through all the centuries
Gone, but not forgotten"
When the Union Pacific railroad
was built across q then uninhabited
haIf-continent, the point OF greatest
altitude was a station situated on the
summit OF a spur Of the Medicine Bow
range and set down on its maps as
Sherman. All trains made a consider
able halt here for careful examination
of wheels and trucks and brake me-
chanism before %venturing the steep de-
scent of the mountain which as was
then believed was hazardous in the
extreme-a grade listed as dead easy
mongst railroad achievements of to-
day. For many years a s~ignboard
swung In unison with summer breeze
and wintry winds inviting the trans
continental tourist to Send a tele-
gram to your friends from the highest
railroad point in the world"-a 5000
foot distinction to which 1t was
then entitled. Originally compris-
ing a station only to which
a round house for ''pusherp engines
assisting in hauling trains up the
hill and a section house for en-
ployes were added 1t wasn't long be-
fore Sherman attained the dignity OF
a ~pretentious settlement First came
a little store %patronized by ranchmen
scattered through the parks and along
the foolhills-and hen another, for
competition isn't afraid Of a noun
tain top-a postofice-and saloon of
course. An enterprising cuss named
Countryman ran a curio stand there
for years-taking advantage Of the
twentyminute stop Of all trains to un-
load polished South American agates
at fabulous prices on crejulous tender
fee tas the real Rocky Mountain article,
Indian-made bows and arrows bought
by the gross of a Yankee fakir In
down-east Connecticut, AMI prairie
dogs real enough In themselves but
which as he sang their praises until
black In the face he well knew were
impossible as pets. 80 proficient did
he become In his chosen profession
that II perchanee the shade Of An
anias ever happened to blow past
while out for an airing Brer. Country
man sure made the old liar stop, look
and listen. A crazy Englishman built
here an immense abbatoir from which
he meant to supply the world with
! Wyoming-grown meats, but which was
abandoned o after as result OF
failure on the part of his family and
friends to make satisfactory reply to
frantic ~cablegrams for more money.
And finally came the monument
massive pile of enduring granite quar-
ried from the mountain side and COM
mo~orat;vo of OLIVER and Oakes Ames
of Position as founders and builders of
the railroad For more than a wear
the work progressed with its compile
man. of lahorers and artisans and dur.
inc which Sherman took ON all the
airs os a m~etropolis Sixtv feet square
at the base, of equal height and fol
lowing the familiar sky line of the
rvramids-mass;ve blocks laid in ce.
mapt-,twas trulv an imposing and
avar,astino monolith when completed
High IN and looking east a medallion
carved In real Bedford brown stone
ana neneatb II the information that
,twas "Sacrea To the memoir of oliver
MEG, while its western slope bore a
sc,,Inturad nroAle of Brother Cakes
with lilo e~xn,anatorv legend. About
ak mn was the hin T belieye-it stood
raar tho track with detail and dedica-
,ion IN mi view from tho station
trnIv here was a cinch that so long "a
~ 11r,or poc,ec carr,ed nasseugers
thase ~nrinces n, the roval blood Of rail.
- ...... un.or nrorIs MOI