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An Insane Brakeman

An Insane Brakeman image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
April
Year
1885
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Chicago Herald. Two railroad men were talking over oíd times. Inquiry was made as to what had become of an oíd freight brakeman named Jack Taylor. "Didn'tye ever hear about Jack? No? I thought everybody knew what he come to. Poor oíd Jaek - he'll never twist another brafce or swiDg another lamp. You see, J ack got the number craze. You don't know what that is? You eastern railroaders don't soem to know much of anytüing. Well, Jaek got 'em, his being the thlrd case I evor heard of . Seven or eight year3 ago they got hold of Jack, and they kept growiñ' worse. ín 1879, 1 believe it was, he íirst started out to nnd the number of the year. 'Long about the middle of the summer he found it. Then he was happy. But New Year's day he started hunting for 1880. He iooked all summer and all fall. Finally cold weathcr came, and would you b&Uovo it? Jack would sit out on the top ol the cars in the freezingest weather looking for car numbered 1880. Whenever we passed a side track he' d look at the cars like a wild man . He got so crazy over it that he mighty noar lost his job. Christmas day he found his car, but New Year's day he started looking for 1881. You see, he got to believing that if he didn't tind a car numbored the same as the year beiore the yoar was out he would die bef ore the next E aster. We couldn't talk it out of him. In 1881 he had good luck, and found the number about July. But in 1882 ho hid no luck at all . 'Long the last of the year he hunted day and night. Instaad ot going to bed he would take his lantern and go up and down the tracks in the y ard looking at tte num bers on the cars. Af ter Christmas he got frantic, and we sared mm by takmg an oíd car and painting the number over for him on the sly, then steering him around that way to look at it. This narrow escape frightened him so that early in 1883 iie was as crazy as he usualiy was in November. He got so he was of no use on a train and he was fired. Then he spent all of his time going up and down the yards. He imagined we boys were keeping tb e car he wanted away f rom him, and so he went over to the other roads where they didn't know him. When the New Years bells rang out at the end of 1883 Jack was running up snd down the tracks like a maniac. He ia now in the asylum- harmles3, but clear gono. He didn't find a car numberedl883 ."

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat