Show hl his only attempt it at humor when I 1 colonel bill hicklin was a much younger man than he is now ho he lived in littletown Little town on the hannibal and st joe road just outside of tho the town was a high hill and a steep sleep grade up which trains had great difficulty in in making aking their way and some of his companions decided that they were to h have ave some fun with the railroad company and procuring a lot of grease and soap smeared it on tho the rails on this grade soon a passenger train with 0 H boardman formerly of this city but now travelling tra velling passenger agent of the burlington in charge came thundering along when the wheels he struck that greased track they spun around like light lightning nin ga but the train would not budge an inch and oven even the sand would not hold it the train was backed down the track and started up again but it could not get over that grease and after several unsuccessful attempts the train was sidetracked and a gang of section men cleared off the rails of course this was all fun for hicklin and his friends and they would get off by themselves and laugh real loud lend about it but the next nest day a young man came to the town distributing handbills hand bills on which was printed in cold black letters and signed hy by the superintendent of the road the announcement that the railroad company would pay reward for the arreba and conviction of the persons who had greased the track right then and there hicklin ceased to be a humorist in early twilight he stole out of town and did not return for two years by which time the incident was forgotten indianapolis news |