The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-09-10
Hilton Tells Business Men
Railroad Will Drain Trade
District for this City.
MATTER COMEDY MARS
COM'L CLUB MEETING
Insists On Talking About Tick
cts, so Hilton Tells Business
Men Goodbye.

afternoon promised the Cape mer-
chants new local train-a Cape
Traders Special-combined with an
alteration in the schedule of the Pop
lar Bluff train which will place the
entire Delta country at the city's doors
and give their shoppers six hours in
the Cape for business.
In the opinion of virtually every
merchant on Broadway and Main
street, the proposed local that Hilton
said will be installed, will outstrip the
Blytheville train markedly in point of
service as far as the Cape merchants
are concerned.
The announcement of the railroad
official was made yesterday at a con-
ference he held with a group of about
thirty Cape business men in the Com
mercial Club room at the call of Presi-
dent Mcpherson.
He stopped in the Cape on his return
to St. Louis while making a three-day
trip through the territory between St.
Louis and Memphis with a view of
paying especial attention to the situa-
ton in Southeast Missouri and North
ern Arkansas.
He had little more than two hours
to spend with the Cape merchants, and
the conference with the business men
scarcely got started before 3 o'clock.
He was forced to catch a northbOund
train at a o'clock.
The discussion of the new local train
service into the Cape from virtually
all points south of the Cape within the
Cap emerchants' territory required but
few moments when Hilton announced
what he was prepared to do in the way
OF increasing the service.
Thereafter, although many of the
men present wanted a further discus
sion of train service, peanut" wran-
gle over a question of ticket selling
service at the Frisco station was i'm
posed upon the conference by Fred
Naeter, who occupied about 35 min
utes of the time fitting with Hilton.
Hilton had finished telling what will
be done to put new train in service
running from some point north of
Brooks Junction into the Cape over
the Gulf line, arriving here about $50
or 10 a. m. and departing at a p. m.,
and had included Chaffee in the in
terurban service he expects to estab
lish for the benefit of the Cape by
having the Poplar Bluff local back up
from Nash three miles to Chaffee and
then come into the Cape, when Naeter
commenced.
"NOw that you're here, I'd like to go
all over the service on the Frisco
here" he began.
eyes, that's what I'm here for" Hill
ton replied. 81 want to hear all about
the service"
In a high falsetto voice, the crusa-
der began. He read Hilton a TRADE on
inadequate ticket selling service at the
station. He wanted to know how many
men were on duty at the passenger
depot. He wanted to know how many
more there were than a year ago. He
said people had to wait to be waited
upon when buying tickets.
Neely's Landing has relatively the
same service at the depot as the Cape,
he wound up.
Hilton resented the comparison of
the service at the Cape and the Land
ing and called Naeter's hand.
"NOw can you come down to cases :"
he demanded. "Pm here to go into
matter of this sort, if it seems neces-
sary. Can you state specific cases
where anyone has not had service at
that station"
at happens all the time. 1t hap
pens this afternoon-yesterday and
anytime" Naeter apparently was put
ting Hilton under with a sweeping
punch.
1--WE can't deal with what might
happen tomorrow. You haven't any
specific cases to offer. You get some
thing tangible and l assure you I'll
take this thing up myself.
The auditors by this time were be-
coming uneasy and they plainly show
ed it. Hilton was in the Cape to talk
train service and not any trifling stuff
about tickets.
Naeter was plunging about at ran
dom. His next remark was this:
''I'm afraid you'll have another lapse
of memory"
Merchants who had visions of a new
train saw hope go glimmering as Hill
ton sharply demanded. Why 10 you