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KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN HIGH BALLING (train talk for checking out)FROM DE QUEEN, ARKANSAS
THE GREAT TRAIN RIDE
TO MENA, ARKANSAS
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James T. JonesWhen growing up I attended School at De
Queen, Arkansas. I was close friends to Charles Miller, better known to all
the school as “Bear.” He and I run around together , hunting , fishing and
many other fun things. Some of them were things we shouldn’t be doing. We
played hooky from school several times and went fishing. We couldn’t bring
the fish we caught home. That was good because that way we didn’t have to
clean them.
In January or February of the winter of 1943 Charles Miller,
George“Biddy Boy” Jones and myself had begun to plan a freight train
ride. We had planned to play hooky from school and hop a north
bound freight train and ride it to Gillham. We then intended to jump off
the train and walk the 12 miles back to De Queen. We could then just
drift on home just as we would on any other school day. We thought we
could get off because it was uphill all the way to Gillham, leading us
to think the train would still be going slow when it got there.
Charles and I was 15 years old. Biddy was about 13 years old. We were much
too young to be hopping freight trains.George Anderson Jones
"Biddy Boy"
9/29/1928--6/24/1996
We worked a couple of weeks masterminding the trip . We had decided
there was no way this plan could fail. We had forgotten about Murphy’s Law.
We finally set a day for the trip. The day turned out to be on Friday. We
had planned on all three of us meeting just north of the Kansas City
Southern roundhouse, at 8:00 O’clock in the morning.
I had not slept much from thinking of all the fun we were going to
have touring on that train. At daybreak when I slipped from slumber back
into the real world, I arose from my bed and discovered that it had turned
very cold during the night. This was the beginning of my
disappointment.
It must have been 25 degrees or less.
The battery was down, on my dads car that morning and it wouldn’t start
.My dad told me to put it in my bicycle basket and take it to town and
have it charged. This would take me over an hour so I knew I was going to
miss the train. As I was leaving with the battery I could hear the train
whistle giving the high ball. Thus alerting me the train was leaving De
Queen. I was so disappointed because I was going to miss the ride. I kept
thinking that they might not go since it had turned so cold, but they left
just the same.
Bear and Biddy said that when this train got to the town of Gillham it
was running somewhere near 70 miles an hour. Well this was another thing
in our plan that we hadn’t figured on. With all things being the way they
were, Bear made a decision to keep his seat on the train until it slowed
somewhere. This of course was the wisest decision he had made so far this
day.
There were several little towns north of Gillham. The train just
whizzed right through them. Bear said he was beginning to think it wasn’t
going to stop until it got to Kansas City. However the train did eventually
stop in a town named Mena, Arkansas, located 55 miles due north of De
Queen. At this point they were wishing this train ride was over.
The railroad tracks in Mena run parallel with US Highway 71. They
could hitchhike and maybe catch a ride. But with such bad weather few
cars were rolling. So they decided to go to a little restaurant and get a
cup of hot coffee. Bear only had may be a dollar and Biddy Boy had
nothing. They waited around Mena till sometime in the afternoon. Most of
the trains coming through Mena going south were running much to fast to
catch.
Meanwhile the environmental factors were going from bad to worst, and
it had begun to spew a little bit of snow. The temperature was dropping
rapidly. Biddy and Bear hadn’t dressed for weather so cold before leaving
home. They only had a light coat.
After a considerable wait they finally lucked out as a train stopped
in Mena. At that time they didn’t know it was a local. A local is a
train that stops at all most every town. It will usually pickup some
freight cars or uncouple some. Well it begin to seem as though their luck
was changing.
They latched onto the train and headed south. The train was
stopping< at every town. This consumed a lot of time and it was beginning to
get late in the day. They were in a boxcar which helped them to keep a
little warmer. They got so comfortable that they went to sleep.
The train stopped in Wickes, Arkansas and was switching cars. It got
the switching done and gave the high ball to indicate it was leaving. The
shrill whistle in the dark awakened Bear. It then dawned on him that the
train was leaving because he heard it give the high ball, but the car they
were in wasn’t moving. Now this got Bears attention in a hurry. He shouted
to Biddy to wake up.
Well OLE Biddy did wake up and figured out what was happening.
Bear started running trying to run fast enough to catch the train , which
he did. Well things didn’t work out so well for OLE Biddy-Boy. He got out
of the boxcar but the train was running to fast by this time for him to
catch. Bear said as he was moving out to the south on the train he could
hear Biddy-Boy hollering. “Bear don’t leave me, don’t leave me.
At about 5:30 in the Evening it was dusky dark. Biddy-Boys father
had died a few months earlier and his mother had moved her family just
across the street from my family. Mrs. Yeary, Bears mother, was getting
very worried because he hadn’t come home. She come over to Biddy-Boys
home to ask his mother if she knew where he might be. Since my aunt didn’t
know and she was also worried, they come across the street and ask me.
By this time I had begin to think something might have happened to
them. When they ask me I hated to tell them but it seemed that it would be
better if I spilled the beans. This answered their question of what they had
done but since they were not home they were still worried.
Bear made it to the railroad yards about 9:0’clock that night.
Thetemperature was down to near zero outside by this time. It was
pitch black. He couldn’t see anything it was so dark. He started walking to
the house by guess in the dark. He and I had traveled this little trail until
we knew it like the back of your hand. His home was about quarter mile
from the track. A little creek flowed through this area. The only way to
cross it was to walk a footlog. We had walked the log many times in daylight,
but night was another story. I am sure you have guessed by now that
he slipped and fell off of the log and into the creek.
This hastened his journey home an awful, lot. When he got to the house
he was very very cold. His step father was in the house setting by the
fire. When Charles walked in the house Mr. Yeary ask him where he had
been. When he told him he had ridden a train to Mena, Mr. Yeary ask him if
the Chamber of Commerce had the welcome wagon out for him. He said
of course that they didn’t. Mr. Yeary comment, was I wouldn’t go back
again if I were you.
Now OLE Biddy was left in the cold at Wickes, Arkansas. This young
kid had a big decision to make. He couldn’t stay out in the weather all night
or he would freeze to death. So what do you do now. As he looked around
he could see a faint light in the distance. He started walking toward it. As
he got closer he could tell it was a farm house. His knocking on the door
was answered by an elderly lady.
He related his story to her. She of course felt sorry for him and had
him come inside and warm up. While he was soaking in the warmth of the fire
she was preparing him something to eat. After he warmed up a little she
showed him their extra bedroom and he went to bed for the night. Early the
next morning the gentleman of the house woke him. They eat a hearty
breakfast and the man took him into Wickes. The bread delivery truck from
Mena come through Wickes every week day at about 8:00 O’clock each morning.
The man turned him over to the bread truck driver and ask him to deliver him
to De Queen. When they got to De Queen, Biddy come home as fast as his
little legs could carry him.
All is well that ends well. None of us ever mentioned
another train ride.
REVERSE
To read about the shoot out
at the ladd Bridge click here.
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Copyright © January 1, 1993
James T.
Jones