Imperial Valley press., 1909-03-20

x < < x 4 * * < * * x x * * x X x X X < E. n. Hartman, aceumulator ot # last Saturday and went away on Su < from the windows of his car, met sor x line, listened to what his Iieutenants x fornia Development Company had { x and the results to be looked for in < his conclusions and policy affecting < The special train stopped at El < ley coming and going. On the outw < man left his car and walked about x tro said to him: "Now that you h < it was worth savine2"
 x The reply was instant and emp X Mr. Hartman is not garruiou * < x * * < * x * x * < * < x * x X *
 The Hartman special was sche- duled to reach El Centro at noon on Saturday, but it was delayed along the line and did not arrive until near ly z o'clock in the evening. El Cen tro was the only stop made between Old Beach and Calexico. The Mayor of El Centro and a great many citi- zens were at the station to meet the train and say "howdy' to Mir. Harri- man. No formal proceedings were arranged, and there was no speech making.
 Gen. Superintendent H. V. Platt was the first to step from the car to the platform. Col. Epes Randolph came next and said Mr Hartman would be out i'll moment. The slight, frail man, who came from the car and stopped a moment on the lower step to look keenly at the group gathered nized as the man whose portrait has become familiar to the pubic in re- cent years, and those who saw mar veled that so fragile a body could supply a brain with energy enough to do the work that has been done by Hartman. Had the man arrived unheralded and alone, he would have been sized up as an invalid coming to the desert in forlorn hope of pro- longing life for a year or two. There ! was no color in the face-a pitifully pale face--the slight shoulders dropped, and every movement was that of a man conserving every ounce of strength and careful to make no avoidable exertion,
 But the eyes were not those of a wornout man. They seemed dark deep-set and aglow with vital force. There was no lack of yigor in the | hand clasp, no weakness in the voice. Plenty of nervous force left in that fragile frame. But the contrast be- tween. the robust, full-blooded, big framed railroad men in the party and their chief was startling.
 The people gathered at the station were introduced to MT. Hartman who shook hands with them, listened in tently to what they said and asked pertinent questions in the fewest words possible. His questions had | llOIutllt5 IO NlO WALI LllC 4nuuOll tcLA NOAi7 ditions, the products or the reclama- ton of the valley. Along those lines 1 he doubtless was better informed than anyone else. He appeared to be trying to find out what sort of people are in the valley and what they mean to do with it When he shook hands with a man whose personality ap- peared to interest him, his question was: What are you? or what are you doing here?"
 Becomes A Booster.
 After the handshaking, Hartman stood in a waiting attitude, shoulders sagging and head dropped forward. The president of the El Centro Ten Thousand Club said to him: We have a club here, organized to help make this a city of ten thousand popula- tion We recognize the agencies which you control as essential fac tors in the problem, and realize that you have made it possible for any population to remain here. The club would like to make you an honorary member"
 Mir. Hartman promptly took the Ten Thousand Club button from MT Kelly's hand, saying "Tn wear the button" and placed 1t in the lapel of his coat.
 The El Centrans applauded laugh ingly, and MT Hartman looked uI and smiled He was wearing the hut ton when he left the valley
 For a few minutes MT, Harrimar strOlled about the depot grounds