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Vol. 11.
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Comic.
The Grand Monkey Act ( ! ) against the
Florida Short Line, ( i. e. the Florida Sure
Lying.)
The Spotted Steed, as usual, poking his
nose into other people’s affairs.
The New, Thrilling and Instructing Serio-comic Tragedy, entitled,
THEY INWERNTA.VII IT; OR BITTEE RIRI>, COME AGAIN!
In three acts, — each a good one.
He Laughs Best who Laughs
Last.
One reason for the success of the W.
& A., and its steering safely through
the most serious difficulties, is work.
There is scarcely a drone anywhere in
its hive.
They don’t talk much, but show a
remarkable amount of tact and pru
dence in not giving forth in the public
press their programme for the conduct
ing of competitive business. Their
policy is emphatically that of the still
hunt.
This fact was never more decidedly
demonstrated than in the freight war
which they had with their chief com
petitor in 1884-5, and in the passenger
war which raged with such unprece
dented fierceness between these two
companies in the fall of 1885.
For several months preceding the
first, the newspapers bristled at times
with notices of tjje_ readiness of their
competitor for hostilities. All the
world and his grandmother were put
on notice that that self-styled “splen-
THE “THEY UNDERSTAND IT” NUMBER.
A humorous dare-devil—the very man. to suit my purpose. Bulwkr.
did line” was in first-class condition
for a rate war, and would cut local as
well as through rates, etc., etc.
On the contrary, there was an al
most absolute absence of any counter
blast, or even a whisper from the AV.
&A.IL IL people. The public could
not determine whether this was from
indifference, or timidity; but subse
quent developments indicated that this
studied silence was for the purpose of
letting their rivals believe they were
afraid, and thus bringing about a feel
ing of over-confidence which would
meet its due reward at the proper
time.
We well remember the answer of one
of the W. & A. officials to a very prom
inent citizen of North Georgia, who
had just stated to him that the other
company was getting ready for the war
which was inevitably to be fought some
day between the two, and that in the
meantime the W. A A. seemed to be
resting on its oars.
“Not resting so much as appears,”
said he, with a smile, “when it comes,
ATLANTA, CA., FEBRUARY I, 1887.
AY
Dramatic.
Result: Poor Monkey !
Moral: Don’t monkey.
Eh! wait and see.
He thinks he’s “come the giraffe” on
him.
as it certainly will, they will find our
decks cleared for action, and that ev
ery gun has been loaded with ball cart
ridges.’
“Well you are very quiet about it,”
was the remark, “how are you man
aging it?”
“Wait and see,” was the response.
Their rivals were “spilin’ for a fight”
and a fight they must have, so the great
freight war began in October, 1884.
It ended in February, 1885, and, al
though both companies and all others
in the territory, lost tens of thousands
of dollars, yet the AV. & A. came out
holding possession of the field.
The same circumstances attended the
inauguration of the passenger warfare
upon the AV. & A. during the fall of
1885. The provoking quietness of the
AV. A A. was in striking contrast with
the newspaper notices outlining the
methods which would be adopted by
their competitors, every movement of
which was discounted by the AV. A A.
before it was made, whereas nothing
was known of its own intentions until
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Tragic.
“Please make him let go, Mister Monkey, I plead
the baby act.”
The Spotted Steed, as usual, gets the worst of
the “deed was done” in each case.
“You tell me what vou will do and
everybody can tell you what I have
done,” appeared to be the motto of the
AV. A A.
Everybody knows the result of the
fight. The W. AA. folks laugh.
One of the most remarkable features
of both fights was the extraordinary
zeal and devotion to the road which
was shown by every employe of the
AV. AA. No matter whether he was
a brakeman or a car greaser, a con
ductor or a blacksmith, an engineer or
a baggage-master, each one seemed to
not only perform his regular task but
to transform himself into a voluntary
soliciting agent for the road.
AVith such devotion as this, and with
the knowledge that their officers are
proud of them, and constantly looking
out for their physical protection and
general welfare, it is no wonder that
the AV. A A., with 140 miles of road,
whipped a great system with over 1400
miles of road, whicti reached out far
beyond it in all directions.
NO. 3.