the excursion train, and after it had run three or four miles the con¬ 
ductor called for my ticket. I handed it to him, he gave me an angry 
look and asked me where I got on the train. I told him Russellville. 
He said, “Did you know that this was the excursion and no one could 
ride except those that came from Fort Smith ?” I told him I didn t, 
that I had purchased the ticket from one of the excursion passengers, 
and if it wasn’t good, I would pay my fare in money on to Fort Smith. 
“No,” he said, “You will get off this train right here.” He reached 
and pulled the bell cord and the train began to slow down. He still 
had my ticket between his finger and thumb, and seeing he was going 
to put me off, my Irish raised to a white heat. I rose from my seat, 
took the conductor by the wrist with my left hand and took the ticket 
out of his hand with my right, saying to him, “This ticket belongs 
to me.” It took him by surprise and I could see him weaken and 
show yellow. I did not take the ticket from the conductor because I 
wanted it, or thought it would be of any value to me, but I thought 
he would start something, which I wanted him to do. If he had I am 
sure I would have smashed him up, for I was mad to think of being 
put off in the woods like a dog. The train came to a stop and I walked 
off. It was about four miles back to Russellville. I had a heavy 
valise to carry so I sat down at intervals to rest. Once as I stopped 
to rest I felt in my vest pocket, took out the ticket and it read, ‘ ‘ Good 
for one first class passenger to Little Rock and return to Fort Smith,” 
and the dates were given but it mentioned no names. As I thought 
over the matter I could not see why my ticket would not be good for 
any passenger and when I arrived at Russellville I decided to see a 
lawyer, which I did and explained the case. He said, “You have a 
good case; you had just as much right on that train as the conductor.” 
He inquired of me my business and what I wanted to. do, then he said, 
“We have a clear case of damage against the railroad company, and 
if you want to fight them a year or two we may get a judgment against 
them all the way from one to five thousand dollars. But if you don’t 
want to go into a law suit we can notify them and they will propose 
a compromise.” This I told the lawyer I thought best as I did not 
want to worry around with a law suit. 
All this happened on Friday. The lawyer immediately wired 
the company, which was at Little Rock, what he had against them 
and offered, if they would come to Russellville Monday, we would 
try to come to a compromise. 
Representatives of the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad were 
at Russellville Monday. We came to a compromise by dividing $500.00 
between my attorney and me and they gave me a first class ticket 
on to Fort Smith. 
I remained in ‘Fort Smith about a week, during which time I 
became acquainted with a man by the name of Bill Reading, a man 
about forty-five years old. He told me he lived in the Territory and 
gave me an invitation to come to see him, after we had become pretty 
intimate. As he found I was a wild Bill myself, our friendship grew 
at once. I went home with Reading and met his family. There were 
several of them. 
In my next chapter 1 will tell of my first Indian experience 
— 40 — 
