The history of Bannock County, Idaho

by A. C. Saunders

Two of the worst characters in the neighborhood at that time were cowboys, gamblers and probably murderers; “Tex” and “Johnson,” as they were known to the people of American Falls.

One night some Chinamen were murdered and the more law-abiding citizens decided that if the culprits were found they should suffer for the crime. The two cowboys, “Tex” and Johnson, were suspected of the murder, but as no certain proof was obtainable, they were not punished, but ordered to leave town. This they did, going to the east side of the river and spending the night in a house occupied by Buck Houston. The next day they returned to the west side. The law and order element immediately organized a necktie party, with “Tex” and Johnson as the chief guests. With a grim brevity the two were taken to the river, ropes thrown over an iron span, and with a short wait for the usual last words they were hurried into eternity. Their bodies swung back and forth, suspended from the bridge, the falls roaring and splashing beneath them, and the spray shooting up into the air, wetting their high boots and leather chaps.

Afterwards the two bodies were cut down and taken to the top of the bluff, overlooking the river, and there they were buried. Two rough slabs, with “Tex” carved on one, and “Johnson” on the other, were placed at their heads. The mounds where these men were buried are still discernable.

In most newly-settled communities, justice is administered quickly and without the formality of legal proceedings. This was especially true of the early days in the west. Time was when the regular method of collecting overdue bills in Bannock county was at the mouth of a gun, and this within the memory of living men. Horse theft was punishable with death throughout the far west, the penalty being no more than proportionate to the crime. For the west in those days was a desert country, and the loss of a man’s horse often meant a horrible death by thirst because the next watering place was further away than a man could walk. So it happened that while a cowboy sometimes paid a hundred dollars for his saddle and only twenty-five dollars for his pony, he would forgive the man who stole the former, but without scruple hang the man who stole the horse.

The terminal facilities of the Oregon Short Line at Pocatello have been steadily increased and the roadbed improved because of the immense traffic caused by the development of the tributary territory. In 1904 the “Michaud Cut-off” was made in order to straighten the track a few miles west of Pocatello. Since 1910 the road has been double-tracked between Lava Hot Springs and Michaud, and in that year the system of mechanical block signals was completed from the eastern to the western boundary of the county. A branch line, connecting Alexander and Grace, a distance of about six miles, was opened in 1913. Among other noteworthy recent improvements are the Batise Springs water plant, the Center street viaduct and Halliday street subway in Pocatello, the new shop buildings and depot, now being built in the same city, and the new depot and water plant at McCammon.

The Oregon Short Line is the artery through which pulses the very life blood of Bannock county. In the Pocatello shops over eleven hundred men are employed, and those who find work on the Montana and Idaho divisions bring the number to about 4000. It is, therefore, a very fortunate thing for the community at large that the Oregon Short Line Railroad company is one of the apparently few large corporations in this country today that realizes a moral responsibility toward the general public. A comparison of the Safety First movement as conducted by this company with the conditions that are not only tolerated but apparently encouraged by the owners of the Colorado mines shows what a great blessing or curse the attitude of big corporations toward the public welfare may be.

Some years ago, Mr. Harriman, while talking with the claims attorney of one of the roads in which he was interested, about the policy to be adopted in dealing with injured employes in the matter of settlements, and particularly of providing them with some kind of work when they had been so seriously injured that they could not fill their former positions, said that he wanted “all injured men to be dealt with along the lines of practical Christianity.” That this idea is still followed by the company is shown by the fact that in June, 1914, only one injured employe had a suit pending against the company for injuries received in its service; the rest being satisfied with the terms of settlement accorded them by the company.

The Safety First movement, by which the Oregon Short Line seeks to guard the safety of its employes and of the public alike, is an educational measure inaugurated about two years ago and intended to interest all people.

The work is carried on by means of committees. At each division point is what is known as a “sub-committee,” composed of men from all branches of the service, who suggest changes in the road’s equipment or in existing conditions, that will make the work of railroading safer. If the suggestions made cannot be acted upon locally, they are referred to the “division committee,” which in turn accepts or rejects them, and if unable to enforce them by its own vote, recommends them to the “central committee.” This body is composed of officials of the road and their decision is final. In this way the entire Short Line force, from the newest and lowest paid employe to the highest officer, is interested in the common safety, and is in a position to suggest measures for the general good. That the system is successful is shown by the fact that during the year ending June, 1913, there were 2829 people injured on the Oregon Short Line. During that ending June, 1914, the total was reduced to 1711, or 39.5 per cent. During the first six months of this year there were only 606 accidents, as against 955 for the same months of 1913—a reduction of over 61 per cent.

The company is also conducting a campaign to eliminate the accidents caused by trespassing. In 1913, 5434 trespassers were killed on the railroads in the United States. Of these, 10 per cent were tramps, 70 per cent young men or heads of families, and 20 per cent were children under 14 years of age. By trying to educate school children, their teachers and the general public in precautionary measures, and by attempting to secure proper legislation on the subject, the Oregon Short Line Railroad company is trying to still further enhance its value to the people at large and to reduce to a minimum the accidents connected with all great railroad corporations.