Evening journal., 1912-04-03
TRUMAN COMES INTO HIS OWN.

road station in this city nowadays
you will see a square-capped, square
headed, quare-shouldered and
square-footed young man in blue uni
form standing on the platform or
scurrying up and down it with pur-
poseful air Careful scrutiny will show
you that he has one northbound eye.
one southbound eye and that there is
on his face an expression which de-
notes that, while he appreciates fully
the new honors that have been heaped
upon him by the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company, he regrets keenly the
fact that nature did not endow him
with third eye, set in the middle of
his forehead. He would like to have it
so he might watch the trains coming
from both directions and at the same
time keep the third eye on the pas
sengers to see that they do not get on
the tracks and obstruct traffic. If you
see that man-and you can't board a
train without seeing him-he is FL
wood |. Truman, the new assistant
station master. Pride simply radiates
from him. James McCrea may be
proud that he is president of the great
Pennsylvania railroad system. lis
pride is humility itself, however,
alongside of the pride Of Truman, who
has worked his way up from the
position of usher to that of assistant
station master.
There was time when Truman con-
sidered seriously the wisdom OF leav-
ing the employ of the Pennsylvania
railroad and setting up a transporta-
ton line of his own. That is, he had
worked out plans for milk route
here to be run on Pennsylvania rail-
road principles He had the schedules
prepared, his milk wagon dispatcher
selected, his list of conductors ana
brakemen made up and everything IN
readiness when second sober thought
told him he had better stick to the
railroad company.
milk may sour in summer, but the
Pennsylvania railroad keeps sweet
twelve months year." was the phil
osophical way in which he sized up
the situation.
Having come to that conclusion, he
abandoned forthwith his plans for fhe
distribution of lacteal fluid with rail-
road punctuality, and Wilmington lost
a great milkman. His railroad friends,
who knew of his plans and of their
abandonment, tried to tease him.
They yelled, mill up the alley" ask
ed him the price Of whale milk and did
ihany other things in an effort to in
furiate him All they got in return
was a glad smile dipped in the milk
of human kindness and they soon
ceased their bantering.
When Truman first appeared at the
railroad station in 1884 he was mere
/ kid. His duty was that Of newsboy
He performed IL we'll. He hoped
/ trains. fitted down the aisles of the
cars, making sales as he went. and II
was an exceedingly fast train that
got away from him On February
/ 10, 1887, Truman began his career as
a railroad man. He gave up the news
boy business and became an usher in
the station Did he size up to the job
He did. and then some. From the first
day he showed he was cut out fol
railroad work He walked sSlross
Front street at lunch time, entered
small restaurant and said;
"Give me a p. w. and B. sandwich
! Delaware Division cup of coffee
Kent and Queen Annes oyster stew
some Delaware and Chesapeake
branch potatoes and piece Of New
Castle Cutoff pie
It was several minutes before the
restaurant man knew just what wa'
expected of him. Before young Tru
man left the place, however, he hat
obtained what he wanted
The young usher became an enthu
siast on the question of the Pennsyi
trains getting into the Wilmington
station on time. If one came in late h.
would say things that applied L
everybody from the head operating Of
ficials of the system down to the towe
man at Gunpowder river Col John W
Aydon was in the train dispatcher
Office i'm those days. Il is rumorel
that Aydon frequently had to SEN
Delaware Division trains around owe
the New Castle cut-off because younl
Truman was using the main track
here as a vantage ground from whicl
to watch for incoming trains fron
New York or Washington.
Good old Colonel Brison then wa
station master He took an interest il
young Truman and taught him tn
duties of a station master There wer
times when passengers in the statiol
were not altogether sure that Trumai
had not superseded him, but the Col
onel knew what he was doing. FINAL
BI1son retired. greatly TO the re
gret of all who knew him William "
Hickman was in direct line for pro
motion, but as Hickman almost ha
reached the age limit for retirement
, he was continued as assistant statio
master. John +. CORY. baggage mas
ter was appointed to succeed BrisoI
Now Hickman has retired and Tru
man has come into his own Wha
= worries him is that he has only tw
D legs. If he had as many as a centiped
y he could keep them busy by usin
a them in relays. AS it is, he is worry
!. ing along with two which, when th
}, Wayfarer last saw him. were movin
r so fast it was impossible to te
whether he is wearing blue or gra
] trousers.