Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1869 — A Cool Conductor. [ARTICLE]

A Cool Conductor.

LIB&HAI. KEWAKI) EOK HISUJXIi If THA I' 1.1 ITI.K JIaTIER. It has been lrintcd quite generally, that-of the hundred and odd comfuc-' tors on the Erie railway not All of them were strictly holiest. It has been sitid that a few of them on moderate luiyc, like members of Congress, succeeded in saving from ten to thirty thousand dollars a yUaji - . Some of them have built fine houses ; purchased horse?, carriages, fine clothes, fashionable jewelry, expensive watches, sonic United States bonds, and a few shares in Kyie.— ii*her e are Sbmi men ’ who are. cruel j enough to say this property has been atfquired, not by honest laher, but with iaoueV abstructed bv. a sort of eonductorial strategy, fioui the earnings of the rpad, find invested by.the eOjiiduetovs rather than by the director?, Not long sinue, while regulating tliu Rrie, its btuiiohes find fill eonuooting-thilrbads'in the boubthy, if'Yvas - decided in solemn cotivlave, to regulate the conductors u Ijttle. Everybody said, and everybody must know,? that conduetoro like unruly chitdiahrfivhbn visiting,' helped them'selVebl' this M'srfi,"hihnager I'isk lately luidcrtpok tjhe job Qfi correcting. the evils existing among the xxiuduetors, or sujiposc to exist; and, 1 after having estimated that they had bilggdd enoitgh_ during-the last five or six years to build a double track over half the the Erie, , d(Kdd«h,-to/lmVtf tliem disgorge. t k en ’sent within the past ittijjlHb) to very road, who reside at various points ‘oq line, ordfcrin|f lhcim4D-frlfipoi^'t forthyvith to the Superintendent’s ioftiettAm ini(»drtanl^QMii|W^ •other day, one of the conductor;?,' give here, who resides jjh Oswego, was called down, ushered into the ’olkncv dub' “rtcfih there into .SLnager Fisk’s room, kvheti fl is reported tt>o following conversation took place “You aiu 'a cpncluctbr on the Erie, I believe?” “Yes, sir.’;' c , , . . “Jrerwlohg have you hocu oh the Voad?” .fr' M “FUt44^years.” jHmd a pusfienger train all that time, I believed 1 ” . ‘ “Yes, ejr.’* < • “Worth considerable property, I learn?” ‘ V :r r '. ' - -a. * “Sothe. M '\ “Have a very fine house in Oswego. Cost.bobhf thirty, forty, or fifty thousand dollars?” —». — ' ’“Yes, sir.”- j }{ , OT “tioiho little mohe)* invested tn **s£%?**■ "*“• r l “Had nethiqg when you commenced as conductor on our road ?” “N othing to speak of t oniv it homo

“Yes, sir.” , ~ H ‘ for no Other par‘tfeii dojlil *Li- • - ( • '"“‘No, j Rut I‘lrit'vc been saving of irty thoney: invested it from time to •time tO'gobd'tfdVaiitftge.”^ “WelJ, sir, what will you give to settle?' Of course you caqpot protriul to srf£ that'you havp^'acquired this projyerty'froni what' : you have saved from your salary ? You will not fliUty 1 ttyat yon h:vve :> pocketed a great deal of money belonging to the road —at least fifty oy sixty tiiousand dhlkrs. Now, -sii',' what'will you Jibfc to and hot be disgraced, Hk-you certsitilf arill bc, if a trial is brotight, fibd You 'fttc to glvk-np the property yott profess to own; buMvlvibh in reality oolongs to the (J&ttiphny?” " u “Well, I ) lE'’-Wamigef, i I had not thought of this matter. several years I hhve berir running m'y train to the best Of my ribiHty? 1 Never fbro.' NkveUthougW;T''Wmj doing any thing wrong. I'hwve done nothing morethfin other cbiidUetors have; tried to earn my salary and get it—and think I’ve succeeded. I don’t know that I owe the conipidiy any tiling. If you think* I do, why there is a little difference of opinion, and I don’t want any trouble over iti I have a nice family, nice father, pice mother; relatives all people of good standing —they would fool very bad to have me arrested, with dishonesty. It would kill my wife. She has every confidence in me in the world, and the idea that 1, her husband, would take so little as a penny that did not belong to rue, would send her broken hearted to the grave. I don’t care any thing for the matter myself, but on account of my family and relatives, 1 want to make it right with tile road Sri3 the otlieers, and it'you won t sayhiny thing about it, I LI (five you a dollar.'" 1