The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-08

Memphis, Tenn, Dec. S.-Casey
Jones, the most famous railroad en-
gineer the world ever produced, is
goirg to have his day in court at
last.
To most Americans Casey Jones
is just name cut OF a oncc-pop-
ular but IT, .e really was 4
Casey Jones, onc,. He died, like a
hero, in a railroad wreck % years
ago; and his widow has brought suit
for $150,00O against a Hollywood
moving picture company for alleged
exploitation of photos Of her ard her
child in connection with a movie
that has been built around the ia
nous exploit Of her dead husband.
McAdoO Is Her Lawyer
! Eminent ,un- 4 will represent the
widow. Earl Brewer, former gov
crnor of Mississippi, who will oi-
rect the fight to protect Mrs. Jones
from unwelcomc publicity, has an,
nounced that William Gibbs McAdoo,
former secretary Of the treasury,
has been retained by her:
The filing of the suit has brought
t. light. for the first time, the real
facts about Casey Jones. his exploit
and the song that gave him kind Oh
Immortality.
His real name was John Luther
Jones. He was called Casey because
he came from the town OF Cayce,
XIV. He was 81 at the time OF his
death. and had been an engineer on
the illinois Central railroad for
number Of years.
For a decade Casav had run freight
and passenger trains between Jack
son. Tenn, and Water Valley, Miss.
Everybody living along the line knew
him. by hearsay if not personally.
H. had peculiar way Of blowing
tie whistle of his locomotives long,
wailing whistle, something IKE the
magnified cry Of whippoorWlll.
Casey's Last Trip
AS the song-surely you remem-
Der it-said:
All the switchmen knew, by the
engines means,
That the Ian at the throttle was
Casey Jones.
It was Sunday night in the
spring of 1900-April %, to be ex-
act-that Casey made his last trip.
RE had just come into Memphis OF.
his run from Canton, when he
learned that close friend, engineer
on the crack "Cannonball" express
to the south, was sick.
an take his run for him." said
Casey. So, with his fireman, Slim
Webb, Casey got into the cab at II
that night and began that immortal
ride.
Down through the South Mem
rhis yards they went in the cab Of
'old $685." hauling load of Pull
mans. Slim Webb was kept busy
stoking the fire-Casey's patented
whistles were known to the fire
In-n as "stcam wasters," and the
fireman who travelled with him had
to keep right on the job. Fifty
miles out of Memphis they were de-
layed by a broken-down freight
train, and they were so minutes late
when they resumed their journey.
Like all engineers, Casey hated to
be behind time. He "opened her up,
and the train slid along the rails at
better than a mile-a-minute.
The Fatal Wreck
Just before you get to Vaughn,
Miss, there is q long curve, with
a siding where freight trains wait
for the expresses to 60 by. Two
freights were on this siding. One
of them hadn't yet gotten complete
~ OF the main track. The night
wa, foggy and the engine went rock
ing Ground the curve.
Then, a scant hundred yards away,
Casey say the tail-end of the freight
on, the track ahead of him. With a
wild yell he jammed on the brakes,
calling to Webb, Jump, Slim, and
!, save yourself!"
Webb jumped and escaped un-
hurt. Casey's locomotive, brakes
screeching, plowed into the freight
train. Jamming the airbrake lever
tightly, Casey stuck to his post and
died. But his fidelity to duty saved
his passengers. In the last few Sec
onds he had slowed the trains speed
enough 50 that he was the only per-
son killed.
The railroaders took his death
hard. In the jackson roundhouse
were two colored engine wipers
who grieved especially hard. These
two men were Wallace Saunders ana
Ike Wentworth. AS days went by
they strung together a sort of chant
about Casey and his last ride, and
in few months this chant was COM
mon property among Memphis rail-
readers.
Song Is Written
Then, one day, a professional song
writer happened to visit Memphis.
He heard the song, twisted it about
and polished it up-and made for
tune. Ten million copies Of "Casey