May be of interest to those who enjoy historical trivia. Year 1915: Brakeman kills conductor with poker ~ fwd James L. Rueber [THE FORT DODGE MESSENGER, Fort Dodge, IA, Jan. 25, 1915] Olathe, KS,.Jan 25, 1915--O. E. Quinn of Kansas City, 45 years old, conductor of southbound Frisco freight train No. 135, was killed in the caboose of his train here at 9:35 Tuesday night by his rear brakeman, W. M. White. Quinn was struck across the back of the head with a stove poker. At 9:30 the conductor Quinn received his orders from the station agent. He entered the caboose, which stood opposite the station door. When the train did not take its leave, a brakeman from the front end of the train started toward the caboose. He met White, who still carried the poker. "What's the matter?" asked the front brakeman. "Oh, I had a fuss with the old man," returned White. "You'd better go on back and see if I killed him. He kicked over my lantern" Then the engineer, anxious about leaving, walked back down the string of cars. Meeting White, he inquired into the delay. "I knocked the old man cold, and I'll do the same thing to you," grumbled White. W. J. Chesney, the operator at the station, called E. J. Carroll, sheriff. When the officer arrived, he walked toward White, who yet held the poker. "Who did this?" he asked. "I did, and that ain't all, you can't take me," said White. The two grappled. Carroll is a small man in stature. The two went to the ground. Carroll wrested the poker away, then took the brakeman to jail. When persons entered the caboose they found the conductor's body still sitting in a chair at the rear of the caboose, his back to the door. In each of his hands was a pad of waybills. A cut across the back of his head showed where the brakeman's blow fell. White's home is in Fort Scott. Quinn lived with his wife and two daughters, Anna and Katherine, at 4018 Oak Street. [The end] Brass Switchkey News is a (more or less) weekly newsletter having to do with midwest railroading turned out by Dick Wilson of Omaha, Nebraska. If anyone is interested and wants to subscribe (free), I will post the link. GS
