The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-13

In 1869 he and his brother John came
west John went on to Alamosa, Col,
where he is now a prosperous merchant.
Charles stopped in Topeka and ap-
piled for a place with the Kansas Pa
cific railroad. CNow the Union Pacific).
AT that time Major Tom Anderson was
agent here. He gave young Gerteisen a
place as messenger boy. In a short
time Gerteisen learned telegraphy.
In about a. year the new telegrapher
was sent to Lawrence, then to st.
Marys. when the latter town was not
much more than an Indian mission
In April Of 1872 Mr.. Gerteisen went
over to the Santa Fe as agent at Read
ing. After working in the same ca
pacity in several Kansas towns, he was
transferred to Granada, Col, then the
terminus of the road in 1875. In about
three months he was sent back to To-
peka and worked here as night train
dispatcher for about seven years. In
October of 1881, he was placed in charge
of the North Topeka depot, and has
been agent there ever since.
In this time, he has seen the business
of his station and the road increase in
wonderful proportion. A great deal of
his work consists of dealings with the
people OF Little Russia" Most of
them come from a German settlement
in southwest Russia. Very often they
become stranded on their way over here
and through Mr.. Gerteisen, their friends
in North Topeka help them out.
Mr.. Gerteisen has never married. All
he ever says on this subject is, Il have
been a bachelor for many years, but J
believe I am just as well off as though
] had been married" However, Mr..
Gerteisen is full of interesting incidents
of the early days of the Santa Fe and
tells a great many stories of frontier
life in connection with his work for the
road.
Il came west with my BROTHER he
said, because then every one was 60
ing west and we caught the fever
along with the rest of them. My broth
er went on from Topeka to Alamosa
Col. great part of the journey was
covered by stage coach. All those who
started on the same trip on the coach
Just ahead and also behind the one
which carried my brother were mas
sacred by the Indians.
Il stayed at Topeka I had always
wanted to learn telegraphy and SO ask
ed Major Anderson for job as tele-
graph messenger boy for the Kansas
Pacific, as the Union Pacific was then
called. 1t got 1t. Later I was agent
at st. Marys.
when I was there the country was
very wild and the Indians were nu-
merous. They used to get drunk and
raise cane around the depot. The
building at that time was an old tum-
bic down shed full of leaks and holes.
When I left at night in the winter
time, had to cover the Instruments
with old gunny sacks OF something. If
/ didn't they would be covered with
snow in the morning.
'I will never forget Granada where
] was sent after had left the Kansas
Pacific and had been working for the
Santa Fe for some time. That road
had just reached the place. It was
pioneer town, no schools or churches.
Between here and Dodge CITY the
Indians were very bad. One morning,
four prospectors. three on foot and
one on horseback, started east from
and told them to watch out for the In
dams. The night after they had left,
the crew Of the westbound train found
their bodies near the track, eight miles
dsred and robbed. They were taken
back to the town. No one knew who
they were and there was no means of
Identification on them. We buried
them Sunday morning. We placed
them in q rough wooden box, large
enough for them all and dug a grave
at the east end OF the depot. There
were no graveyards. A rude cross
marked the spot.
''The junction depot here was built
in 1879 by Hugo Ku1lack, lumber
man and contractor. The depot was
built thirty feet further southeast than
was originally intended, on account of
the stakes laying out the location hav-
ing been accidentally displaced"
'sThe sacrament of civilization has
been pressed to the lips OF the race by
hands that have worn the print of
nails" This sentence is from the ad-
dress on "Follies of Fogyism," deliv-
cred by DR.. F. L. Lovelands pastor of
the First Methodist church, at the
Pleasant Hill church last night.
He said In part;
Tho glory OF man does not consist