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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 28, 1901)
Busy Career of a Western Railroad President FOllTY-SKVKN vuir- if pinctlcal c.x IktIoiicu in nil llif ileiails of :;i 1 1 1 d.i1 operation ami twenty-nine of these devoted to tliu service of olio Hue Is thu record of President Marvin Hiighllt of the Northwestern t.ystcm. Willi nearly s.imii) miles of oackage, lo.ooo.ooo of property anil an auny of employes tinder Ills supervision, a stranger might In-' In clined to wi.ndcr that tliu farmi'r boy ol llfty years ago Kiev, unaided into It. Hut a moment In the presence of Hie UlcK . alert, tact fill, considerate man gives the keynote of his huit'K to one who Ii:i tlu gift of rending men. Out of tin- selt-possessinn of tin- man comes tlio assurance of hid powers, until one believes the asset tlnns of the railway world that he Is probably one of thn oldest and ablest rnlliond maunders on the conti nent. With his square Jaw. linn mouth and the nose which Napnlei u alwayx Insisted upon for ability. I'r sldcnl llugltitt lias a figure In keeping. Vet with all of It, are a sensitiveness iiml dltlldcnce Dial aie hard to reconcile. Marvin llughltl was honi in (Sonoa, Cay una county. New Ymk, in His father owned a farm near the village and the boy's early life was passed there. Hi' ex perienced the common, humdrum existence of tho farm boy lie went to school when the work on the farm did not Interfere. He hail some instruction, evi n, In a school tha. wis dlgnilled with the name of seminary I'nrm work, and above all Hie monotony of farm life, palled on the boy. It was an In Sillllclenl outlet for his activities. About that time I'rof. Morse was making the In lliienco of the electric telegraph felt In the world. It appealed lo young Hiighltt ns It hail delle to sullts of olll'l's . I 111 Weill to iiliiirii. when lie secured pkn e at a lc and sounder. Oiimcn lo die YimI. At his iuillisitie age he learned qulckl. II. ' was a capable operator in an unusually short time and within a year was hissed among the experts. I'hell tile west ap pealed to him and at the age ef IT lie came to Chicago. The Illinois and Mississippi Telegraph company had headipiai ters in t'hiumo ami Judge .1. I). 1'ali 11 was piesl ilcut of it. In IvM yi.unu llughiit applied at the olllce for the posilli h of openili ! and was taken on the force. II wui not bum until (lie young man trom New York was lemarked In the olthe. From tin i omplimeutni y gossip of the clerks he came to the notice of the olllel.ils nf tlie coMipnny, and when a vacancy oc ciirred he was made superintendent of the otnee. The railroad systems of I he west were in ilielr Infancy al that time. There had not been either time or opporiuuit to educate men to the business The fact that a tele graph company had a k I superintendent soon ipread ami the St. I.ouis & Chicago railroad now the Chicago Sr Alton offered .toting llughltl the position of superintend i lit of telegraph for the line. This posi tion embraced the work of train dispatcher, and il was in this that Mr. llughiit not his llr-1 Inkling of railroading, lie took to his new duties with all his native enthus iasm When I he road llnalh was absorbed by the Chlrngo Alton system he wen! over to tho service of the Illinois Central road, nctlnt; as trainmaster for the south ern division, with lie.idipiarleri at Ceiitralla. III. It was nt (Vntrnlla Hint Mr llughlii found opportunity for a piece of work that attraitnl wnlespiead attention War was on law force of Hoops with anus, a 1 1 n ii u 1 1 i t loti, artillel) ami supplies tv.is lo be moved as speedily as possible Hum St. I.uuls to Cairo The guvcriiiuc in made a iiqulsllion on the Illinois Central to do the work. Trainmaster Hiighltt was Instructed lo see that the task was enr ileil out is pi it-1 t y as possllile and with as Utile o to regular tralllc as might be pi sslble llughiti loi.k the train dispatcher's table al headquarters. naillug Hie task before lilm. but unwilling lo even divide respousi 1 1 1 1 1 1 wltli anyone else. For thirty-six In ins he sat at Hie table, anil when ho re linipilshed Hie kc, the last Hoop train was safely In Caiio. Scarcely hail the train master rested from this long shift when another older came for him to see to moving the same troops from Cairo to Virginia, so far as the Illinois Central lines extendi d Then, for another stretch of thlry-sl hours he sat at the dispatcher's key, moving I funis without a hitch. When he was done not a I rain In the regular serv ice had been delayed or abandoned. A few days later Ihighln received an order lo ic port at Hie general olllce In Chicago as as sistant Min'i Inii ndi'iit of I he Illinois Cen tral road. Ill Iv'.l Mr. HugliHt was made gn. lal supei iiili illicit! of the sy-tlem, a position which he ie:aliii"l while John M llnng'a was pri s dent When I'leHldenl I oug ih r -tiled Mr. llughlii was made stipe In e ileal of tho I'ullniaii Car compaii., lint si on ri signed to become assistant general man n KIT of the Chicago Milwaukee .V S' Paul road Fcbruan 1 1"7-'. he was appointed gi n eral supei Inii mlein ot Hie i imago -N'urthwedtcru railroad t'ldeio I Janus II llowo was manager, and lucm-i- of his lack of pr.ii Heal know ledge In asked for I he ass.siance of Ml. llughltl iituully this made Hiighltt manager ot 'In mad ami when II II. Potter hail sincifdiil llowo ami lellred 111 IS"''., llughlii was appointed mamicer in fact. Il tins lime his ability and value to the io.nl hail been recognized. In ISM) tho dire, nils elecled him second vice presi dent In 1 SSJ he was Hum n president of Hie Chicago, St. Paul, Minno upidiH A- Omaha line. In 1SSI he was clcclod president of the Fremont, KIKhorn H Mis souri Valley railroad, anotlni dependency of Hie sst in. and )U lllled thai position for Hue)' ears. Tlien, in 1 SS7 . when Piesl denl Albert Keep was made chairman of the boird of dlieetors - an olllce new to the management I highlit was unanimously Heeled to the presidency nf the Chicago & Northwestern system. 1 1 1 m VIi'IIiimIn iih I'i est ill-n I, Fourteen ears as Hie president of 11 yitnl railway compani have left few luniks upon Hie man lie. hair is an iron urnv, with a trace of silver in Ills beard, but his color Is unlmpc o liable and Ills c.w's dispute Hie fact that he Is neatly ill years of ago. As n railroad prinident, his familiarity with eveiy detail of railroad work gives hint 1 1 cineiidous piestlge as a great executive force III the machine. He i a u handle an engine, throw a switch, or lelleve a trnlti dlspntchei at a inoinenl's notice Tho crew of the tialu which pulls "I ho old mint's" car knows that not n detail of stopping, starling slowlm; down or making time is lost upon him. There is a suggestion of militarism in tho man. Hut behind Hie 111 in taee is a depth of eje that robs it of Us aggressive licss He exacts of all null their duly, giving his own oi ice as an example and holding mil to them thai in winking for Hie good of tile Hjslem the ale working for i lie good of themselves. At no time In Ills career has he engaged ill liny husHics outside tile duties of the position lie has lllled op the various roads Willi which lie Inn been conned cd. Hiving his entire Unit', thought and energies to the luleiesls lie i cprcsciited, ho has shunned loniiecl ion with any and all schemes, no mailer how equitable or Just or prob,ibl piolllnhlc. lie lias always believed II to lie unwise for a person occupying high positions of I rust to allow one's mind to lie distracted by outside ventutos and has never been a speculator in lauds, town lots, construction companies, grain, slocks or bonds, although his position has offered him many supeiior openings What wealth he has accumulated has In en uiado leglll mali!l. If n piece of laud was bought It w us paiil for In cash and was purchased simply ns an Investment. Mr. Ilughllt's recreations are few. He prefers a trip to the woods of Hie north west to the excitement of the eastern watering icsorts He Is a splendid billiard pluer anil has a Hue billiard room in his 1'ralrlo avenue resilience, l-'or politics he never evinced liny taste. He was a greni admirer of Stephen A. Douglns, but after tho death of the "Uttlo Clalit," ho tilllul himself with Hie republican patly. wlih which body he has since allillated. He served one term ns president of the Chi eago Cotnmerilnl club, all Hint is per mitted, this being the only other olllcu lllled by hlin since ho went Into tho service of the Northwestern road. Episodes and Incidents That Enliven Court Proceedings HlMHtAII for a court that knows something about a boy and is will ing to do him Justice, At Tori Scott a 15-year-old lad was sum moned Into the probate court on the complaint of his father lo show cause why ho should not be sent to the boys' reformatory. 'I' he father took the stand and told that on several occusions when the boy ought to be out ill the sun hoeing torn he ran away to the creek and wen llshlnt,'. "Was ho bad other ways?" queried the Judge. "No-o-o," reluctantly admitted the father "Case dismissed; costs at tached to thu complaining witness," sharply said the Judge. Sir Hurry Poland, n Ilrltlsli magistrate noted for his brilliancy. Is careless In his dress. Oncn his family persuaded him to go to Poole and order a fnshlnunbly-cut suit. To the chagrin of the household Sir Henry looked more outlandish In tho now clothes than in his old ones. Ills brother-in-law went to see Poole about it. "It Is not my fault, sir," the tailor assured him. "Kvery care was taken, but how could wo lit a gentleman who would Insist upon being measured slttltiK down?" And the only sat isfaction that could bo obtained from Sli Harry Poland himself later on was the dry comment "Well, It's my business nnd not yours. I like to be oomfortnble. I spend thtee parts of my life sitting down and I preferred to bo measured so." Jim Webster was being tried for brib ing a colored witness, Sam .lohnslng, to testify falBely, relate.? the Detroit Tree Press. "You say tho defendant oifered you f."ai lo testify In his belialf" said the lawyer to Sam. "Yes, suh." "Now, repeat what ho said, using his exnet words." "Ho said ho would give me .".u if I "Ho didn't speak In the third person did he"' "No, sail he tuck good inre dat dur were no third puson 'loan I dar was only two us two." "I know tliui, but he spoke to ou In Hie llisl person, dldn'l ho?" "I was de fust pusMin myself, h ill." "You don't uiiilei'stniul me. When h was talking to oti did he say 'I w 11 pay you f..u?' " "No. piiIi, lie didn't say nothing' 'bout you palu' me J."n. Your name wasn't men Honed 'ceplln' he told me ef eber I gol hit i a scrape you was the liesi lawyer in San Anioiie to fool do jedge ami de Jury III flic' you was do best in town to covin up rcskellty." For a brief, lueathless moment the trial was suspended, A complaint, which a correspondent of Case ami Ciimmeni says was llled In an Idnho court, runs as follows: "I. Tlint at. all times hereinafter men tioned plalnlllls, . . ., weie associated to gether ns a musical orgniilallon under the name and style of Hie Hrangevllle llrnss Hand. "II. Thai Hie ilefcmlanis nro, and nl limes hereluaflei mentioned were, asso ciated together ami doing business nt thn county and slate of Idaho under the iiaiiio and stylo of the Hemocintle Kxcciltlvo Committee of Idaho county. Idaho, and that the Mild defendants constituted the head PAt"-AMELrMe.AN L.XPO.blTI OFT WUMr Bu I L DTn fa" PAN -AME.FxK2.AN LXP05ITI0N -WOMAN6 liUILPINGj push of what Is lomiuonly known and styled as the Un l ' rr I II i'i or (ireut Unwashed, and are and were organised and existing for the purpose of knocking thu Btutllng out of thu H. O. P., nnd then and thereby drawing public pay and growing fat and sleek there from. "Ill, That during Hie mouths of Septem her, October nnd November, 1900, nt tin county and stale of Idaho, tho defendants then nnd then being desirous of rallying the Unlerrllled to listen in the shooting of anvil, cannon nnd other big guns and fore lug and compelling the Cl. (). P. to dunce In the music of defeuduiits. employed plain tills to furnish music for the entertainment ami Inspiration of the (ircat Unwashed ami for thn terror nnd Intimidation of Hie (',. O. P. "IV. That defendants have failed nnd refuued to pay the suld sum or any pnrt thereof, although they are now enjoying the fut mid lucrative olllces much coveted by tho (!. O. P ami the pnp eiitniunuU called 'hayseeds.' "V. That plalnlllls have demanded in willing payment thereof 1 1 ml Hieie Is now duo and owing from defendants the said sum of i;n, together wlih V aoorno's fees, us piovlded by law. "Wlutrefoie, plaintiffs demand Judgment against defendants for the sum of ?''.u, tu gellier with " ailorney's fees and costs of i his act Ion." Shuffle lli'ltolt Jinn mi I I'eicelvlug now III. i tho block wus inevitable. Hie noble pi loom bethought him of suicide, "Shall I shuili, on tills nun tnl coll''' mused he. Ilut the exi eiitloner, being a man of "nine nil withal, divined his thought. "You tihullle after I i n i ' ' ' quoth tin funcHoiiury, brlelly Tin duki vas sib nt at Hii" It wan no' hi ftie i "i wiiit to i Hid', hi ids with inn from Mil' commonalty