The daily Alaskan., 1915-01-26
How Jim DonneIly Made a Success.
By EVERETT P. CLARKE

ton where he was, asked to be trans ferred 10 some more promising posi- ton. The system was long one, pen etrating into what were then the back woods of North America, The com. pany needed men on the frontier, but unfortunately those positions were so unattractive that the employees there could not be made to hold their places. Jim was told that he might have a passenger train in this region, but was advised that the people travelling there were hard to manage, and it was fear ed that be would give up the job after learning the conditions.
 Jim had commenced TalIroadng as brakeman. The salary of conductor was much better than that of agent at an inferior station and he decided to accept tue position Another induce ment was that if he succeeded ill run ming bis train through the Lawless dis trict with regularity he would be ad- vanced to higher position.
 The main trouble Jim'S predecessors had experienced was collecting fares. The people of the country made all sorts of excuses for not paying their way, and if the conductor tried to put them off the train they would make fight One conductor had been killed, another severely wounded, and others had been too frightened to insist on t1 r,, nXn ns ed to the applicant
 Jim thought the matter over and made up his mind that hC would fight hIs way to q mastery of the situation He would not undertake the job with out seeing il through The fights the conductors had experienced were with individuals. and so long as he was not called upon to fight several men at once Jim saw no reason why ho should not stand as god q chance aS the oth CT fellow. though hr was not large man nor especially muscular He was quite ingenious and relied on his think ing powers 10 provide ways of collect Ing fares
 Jim had been running his train scY. eral days without trouble when a wild looking mau got un a, q wilder ness station. and when Jim asked him for his fare the pasSenccr, feeling through his pockets. tinalIg took out a dirty paper on which he had himself written paSS Jim handed it back to him with the la"oniC remark. NO good" The maU began 10 bcrate the conductor with his tongue for insult ing him. at the same time putting his hand to his hip for his revolver Jim put his hand into his outside coat pOcE ct and pulling out rubber bulb, re peated his request for the fare. The man was getting his revolver in posi- ton for draw when Jim placed the bulb before the raScarS face and. pressing it, filled his eyes with red pep peI
 Thela was howl. the passenger put, ting hlS hands to his eyes Jim. talk iug advantage of his blindness. made grab for his revolver and secured it. Then. pullin" the tel. ur" uc took the man ny the collar aud !.USlIrd him to the door. givin. him H kick nS he dropped him off the train
 The next man who refused 70 pa! his fare was cOuutrymHn who relied on his muscle to protect him from Icing put of the train by the cundu"tnr The fellow was certainly very strong and prided himself on being able tu take care of any man without the Use of arms When Jim asked hiE for his fare he searched for his ticket or pre- tended to do SO. then said that he had lost it. Jim, who understood the mans game, passed on collecting. When the train reached the next station he got out, went to the baggage car, took q new punch out of bag, and when the train started on went through the cars again. Coming to the man who had lost his ticket, he told him that he must pay his fare or get off the train, whereupon the passenger told him that if be was strong enough to eject him be was welcome to do so.
 Quick as a flash Jim gripped the mans nose with his punch, which held by means of q couple of sharp projec- uons. The uipped man fought like a tiger, but every time he struck a blow Jim pressed the nipper, and in very few minutes his prisoner ceased to struggle. Jim pulled the bell rope, but before the train came to a full stop threw his prisoner into ditch beside the road
 Stories of the conductors novel meth odS of putting of travellers who refus- ed to pay their fare were spread broad cast by passengers who witnessed them and lost nothing by repetition. The countrymen along the line were used to fighting with their fists or their reYolvers and were entirely put out of their reckoning by such unprecedented methods of warfare. It required but these two instances to stop the refusal to pay fares. for after the second ejec- ton no one else cared to take the risk of running up against some new plan of the conductor of accomplishing bis purpose.
 Meanwhile the railroad was civiliz- ing the people who lived beside it. A respect for law and order was creep