Burk Letter

To the Forest-Area Historical Society,

Hueston Cemetery plats and burial records were, at one time, maintained by my father, William W. Burk who, as a licensed surveyor, platted the new section which was added to the east. I was with my father when markers were put in the ground to designate lots and the location of trees and roadways. When I became older, I was a draftsman for my father. I was put in charge of the cemetery plats. Additions and corrections were made to the plats as burials were made and recorded. I made smaller plats for each section which were put into book form. I also made a plat designating lots on which Odd Fellow members were buried, to assist the Memorial Day committee in placing flags at the graves.

One day I noticed the records indicated a burial of a human leg - no body, just a leg. As I recall my father’s explanation, a man was being chased by the town Marshal to make an arrest. I believe he was after one of the "Tarleton boys" who were known for their lawlessness. The escape route taken by the fleeing man was over the railroad tracks. This would have been an easy way to cross the tracks normally but on this occasion there was a train on the tracks! The fugitive evidently decided to risk crawling under the freight car rather than be captured. That was a dangerous thing to do. If the train moved and you hadn't quite got off the rails, you could lose a limb under the car’s wheels. He did!

Railroads have always been dangerous whether you crawled under or over the cars. Switchmen rode the top of the cars to apply the hand brakes or to get from car to car. Harry McKean, a retired conductor on the Big Four Railroad and our neighbor on Dixon Street, told me abut [sic] one of his trainmen who was riding on top of the cars as they approached the railroad water tower located in Patterson. The trainman’s job was to fill the engine’s water tank from the water tower using a large spout which was extended from the tower and lowered into the engine’s tank. The trainman’s attention was diverted by some attactive [sic] ladies who were waving to him from the ground. The spout struck and killed the trainman. I also recall the time when a retired crossing watchman, who knew all the train schedules, was killed when a "special" passenger train came through town - unscheduled! The watchman was killed. Hobos, who "rode the rails", were often killed or injured. One hobo I recall, was killed while riding on the outside of a Pennsylvania Railroad car. He was killed when he was hit by the extended part of a mailbag support located just west of the Martin Street crossing.

by Rodney H. Burk 6-12-1996
3-24-2000