The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1913-09-25
MAN OF
MYSTERY
IS KNOWN
ONLY AS
"MAGPIE''
THE Magpie" arrived today.

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ambled up Main street with that awk-
ward gait of his. wearing a tousled
black sateen cap with the shiny visor
or -bill" half torn away and Tapping
over his left eye, and with a frousied
duck coat. once tan. now a mucky
black from long and constant use Just
plain overalls were his trousers. bag
ged at the knee and ragged at the
rear. He siouched along in that scuf-
fing way. his natural hump of the
shoulders acccntuated by the gunny
sack slung over his right shoulder
and filled to bursting with the fruits
OF his itinerant journeyings.
He was noticed then as a curiosity.
He was noticed today for the same
reason. In fact every three months
for the past fifteen years he has been
noticed for one day only. on the
streets OF Canon City.
The walk the same. the ancient
garb the same. indeed he has appar-
entity never seemed TO change He's
q little older now. OF course. but the
silvery white of his oewhiskered
countenance. with here and there n
speck Of black, as II n cinder had
permanently lodged in the hirsute ap-
pendanges. and perhaps a little halt
now and then in the gait. are the only
indications Of advancing age.
No one knows where The Magpie-
hailed from. No one knows his name
He's just The Magpie." nothing
more. nothing less Years ago an old
time raiiroader coming down the
grade from salida on n freight train
spied him shutting along on the
track. and noticing him picking up a
hunk Of coal here and n spike there
dubbed him The Magpie.-
Other railroad men caught sight of
him and the name stuck He has a
beaten path on the railroad track
from cotopaxi to Portland and he
makes the trip regularly.
A small lonely cabin in the noun
tains close TO the rails near coiopaxi
serves as his humble abode while he
rests there between trips. A shack m
Jungle Town at Portland is his dom
icile at that end OF his journey.
Why he makes the trip no one
knows. But he does II regularly as
ciockwork. The section men meet
him. but other than n nod he gives
no sign of recognition- The sound of
his voice has never been heard by the
big majority OF railroad men who
daily traverse the stretch OF track.
Johnnie Haley. the genial and happy
minded local operator. one time got n
grunt out of him but that was all
Time after time Jack has endeavored
20 engage him in conversation but TO
no avail. He will never talk.
Agent Aiken. while he was located
at Parkdaie. found him one chilly
night hugging the side OF the little
station to protect himself from the
biting wind and tried to get him to
come inside to get warm. But with
out a word The Magpie" struck out
into the bleak darkness and was
swallowed up almost Immediately by
the shades OF night and the bowling
wind.
John Mcdonald. the track-walker.
who guards the roadbed from Canon
City to Gorge station. has walked
mile after mile with the man. and yet
never n word from him. He Is as sill
ent as the sphinx and mayhap as wise
nobody knows.
II is said that years ago he saved
train No. is. the fast passenger train
that thunders through the Gorge
shortly after midnight. from the wat
cry depths of the stony Arkansas. The