The Springfield _Republican_, of 1877, is responsible for the following
story:—“The industry of railroading has developed some thrifty
characters, among whom a former employé of the New York, New Haven, and
Hartford road deserves high rank. He was at one time at work in the
Springfield depot, and while taking a trunk out of a baggage car from
Boston he was thrown over and hurt, the baggage-smashing art being for a
time reversed. The injured employé suffered terribly, and crawled around
on crutches until the Boston and Albany and the New Haven roads united
and gave him 6000 dollars. He was cured the next day. Shortly
afterwards a man on the Boston and Albany road was killed, and the
Company gave his widow 3,000 dollars. The former cripple, who had scored
6,000 dollars already, soon married her, and thus counted 9,000 dollars.
He recovered his health so completely that he was able again to work on
the railroad, but finally, not being hurt again within a reasonable time,
he retired to a farm which he had bought with a part of the proceeds of
his former calamities.”