Although the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers did not go out in a
body, there was quite a number of them who would not pull trains for
fear of personal violence from the strikers. One old chap, Bob Redway,
by name, had known Major McKenney of our battalion, in days gone by,
when he was pulling a train on the N. P., and the major was stationed at
Missoula. Bob wandered into camp one afternoon to see his old friend and
just at that time a company was ordered to the southern part of the city
to stop a crowd that was looting and burning P. H. Railway property. As
usual the engineer backed out at the last moment. The major turned to
Redway, and said, "See here, Bob, you're not in sympathy with these
cutthroats, suppose you pull this train out."
"All right, major, I'll pull you through if the old girl will only hold
up. She's a stranger to me, but I reckon she'll last."
Brainerd and I were to go along and do some special work around the
stock-yards, and soon we were shooting down the track like a flyer. At
62nd street we passed a sullen looking crowd and when we reached 130th
street, we were flagged by the operator in the tower, and informed that
the mob in our rear was starting to block the track by overturning a
standard sleeper.
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