The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-07-14
;HAPTER XVIII
The Murder Madman

| hntW Wnhl We were up hENlnS
when we headed down to the railroa,
layout, the chief and /, leaving tn,
good old major thoughtfully pufiinj
his cigar In the club smoking-room
With strike due to be pulled Off IL
q little more than three hours ther,
were about n million things that wouls
have TO be jerked around into shap,
and propped up so that they coult
stand by themselves while the Shor,
Line was taking vacation. AnC
there was only little handful OF Us
In the headquarters to do the jerking
and propping.
II was precisely in a crisis like this
that the boss could shine. From the
minute we hit the tremendous Job he
was all there, carrying the whole mar
OF the Short Line in his head think.
ing straight from the shoulder, and
never missing lick; and / don't be.
lleve anybody would ever have sus.
pected that he was beaten man.
pushed 10 the ropes In the final round
with the grafters, his reputation as
a successful railroad manager as good
as gone, and his warm little love-
dream knocked sky-windlng forever
and n day.
Luckily, we found Fred May still at
his desk, and he was promptly clamped
TO the telephone and told to get busy
spreading the hurry call. In half an
hour every relief operator we had I'm
Portal City was In the wire-room, and
the back-breaklng job Of preparing a
thousand miles OF railroad for q sud
den tie-up was In full swing. Mr..
Perkins, as division superintendent,
was In touch with the local labor
leaders. Persuading and insisting by
turns, Mr. Norcross fought ont the
necessary compromises with the
unions. All ordinary traffic would be
suspended at midnight, but passenger
trains EN- route were TO be run through
TO our connecting line terminals east
and west, live stock trains were to be
laid out only where there were feed
Ing corrals, and perishable freight was
TO be taken to its destination wher-
ever that might be.
The strikers agreed to allow the
mail trains TO run without Interrupt
tion, with our promise that they would
not carry passengers. Hoskins and
his committee bucked little at this,
but got down when they were shown
that they could not afford to risk a
clash with the Government. This ex-
ception admitted, another followed, as
n matter of course. If the mail trains
were to be run, some of the telegraph
operators would have to remain on
duty. at least to the extent OF han
ding train orders.
with these generalities out of the
way. we got down to details. Sire
alarm" wires were sent to the various
cities and towns on the lines asking
for immediate information regarding
food and fuel supplies, and the strike
leaders were notified that. for sheer
sake, they would have to
permit the handling OF provision
trains In cases where they were abb
needed.
BY eleven o'clock the tangle was
getting itself pretty well Strengthened
out. Some of the trains had already
been abandoned, and the others were
along TO the agreed-upon des-
tlnations. Kirgan had taken hold in
the Portal City yard, and by putting
on extra crews was getting the needful
and car sorting into shape,
and the Portal City employees, acting
upon their own initiative. were picket
Ing the yard and company buildings to
protect them from looters or fire-set-
ters. Mr.. Van Britt's special. so the
wires told us, was at Lesterburg. and
Il was likely to stay there; and Mr..
Van Britt, himself. couldn't be reached.
1t was at half-past eleven that we
got the first real yelp from somebody
who was getting plnched. II came In
the shape of wire from the Strath-
coma night operator. A party of men
mime owners" the operator called
fhem-had just heard of the impend-
10 come In on the regular
night train. but that had been aban-
ioned. SO now they were Offering
nll kinds OF money for special TO
bring them TO Portal City. II was
that there were millions
NJ stake. Couldn't we do something?
Mr.. Norcross had kept Hoskins and
a few Of the other local strike lead
ers where he could ge. hold OF them.
and he put the request up to them as
4 matter that was now out of his
hands, Would they allow him to run
4 one-car special from the gold camp
to Portal City after midnightl It was
for them TO say.
Hoskins and his accomplices went |
,ff TO talk II over with some Of the
other men. When the big freight con-
iuctor came back he was alone and |
was grinning good-naturedly.
"We ain't amin TO make the CON-
,ony lose any good money that comes
i-rolling down the hill at II, Mister |
Norcross." he said. "Cinch these here |
hurry-boys f'r all you can
yet out ~ tham md ~ vnu,u lana $40