DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Reuben Gaines' memoir, undated

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Page 42

PAGE 42 Buxton.
To make a fortune by muscular force is a triumph and a complete victory to anyone that has per servered long enough to have acheived and accumlated a small fortune of $12,000.00 to $14,000.00 dollars: Pete Moore and Judge Yancy of Buxton, Iowa did accomplish this feat. They each accelerated more coal tonnage than 600 coal miners each day according to the bulliton board. I was in Cedar Rapids and was notified of Pete's passing at Consol; a small station between Buxton and no.19 mine. I was there in a few hours and was tol that the cause of death was "Black Lung" so the mine had claimed another victom A high percentage of miners could not endure 20 years of mining without having some kind of lung damage. Pete died at a young age and Judge Yancy8 longevity was also shortened. $12,000.00 of $14,000 dollars were worth every cent of every dollar at that time. It was a sizeable fortune that leaves us with the adage or proverb that reminds us of the consequences: "What does it matter if you gain the whole world and loose your own soul".
My mentality would be questionable: and I would be ungreatful if I did not give a part of James Henery's life story who was my friend and business pardner for more than twenty years, I gave the Capital for the Pool Halls and Club Rooms and he gave his time on a fifty, fifty basis. He was faithful and his integrity was unquestionable and he was liked and respected by everyone. He was slightly handicapped by having his left hand off at the wrist and since he always carried from $800.00 to a $1000.00 dollars on his person, the young fellows tried to win from him by playing short cards or head and head; but they did not have a chance for his long experience and good judgement was too much against them. He was a good provider for he had four children in St Louis and he forwarded money to his relation often to supply their needs. 
Buxton is now dead and so will Haydock suffer the same fate by 1930 which brings us back to my friend and business pardner James Henery who was about 50 years old and met with an unusual tragic death by the exofficer Tom Roman. He was a corrupted officer; also a black mailer and would collect money from any body for the tinest infraction of the law. several times he pawned a two or three dollar gun to me for $20.00 dollars. He was half blind or near sighte and was unable to locate a coin that he had placed on the green cloth on the pool table as a bet but not blind enough to stop him from committing one of the most schocking and perpartrated crimes in the annals of History: Murder; robbe Arson , all in one night. With planning and deliberation he went to Haydock and pried the steples loose in the basement door of the pool hall so that he could make his entrance three days later. He came to Lovilia by train from DesMoines and got to Haydock by Midnight; a distance of 15 miles from Lovilia and knowing what few people were there would not be out at that time of night. He entered the basement door that he had made accessible and now he is in the furnace room

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PAGE 42 Buxton. To make a fortune by muscular force is a triumph and a complete victory to anyone that has per servered long enough to have acheived and accumlated a small fortune of $12,000.00 to $14,000.00 dollars: Pete Moore and Judge Yancy of Buxton, Iowa did accomplish this feat. They each accelerated more coal tonnage than 600 coal miners each day according to the bulliton board. I was in Cedar Rapids and was notified of Pete's passing at Consol; a small station between Buxton and no.19 mine. I was there in a few hours and was tol that the cause of death was "Black Lung" so the mine had claimed another victom A high percentage of miners could not endure 20 years of mining without having some kind of lung damage. Pete died at a young age and Judge Yancy8 longevity was also shortened. $12,000.00 of $14,000 dollars were worth every cent of every dollar at that time. It was a sizeable fortune that leaves us with the adage or proverb that reminds us of the consequences: "What does it matter if you gain the whole world and loose your own soul". My mentality would be questionable: and I would be ungreatful if I did not give a part of James Henery's life story who was my friend and business pardner for more than twenty years, I gave the Capital for the Pool Halls and Club Rooms and he gave his time on a fifty, fifty basis. He was faithful and his integrity was unquestionable and he was liked and respected by everyone. He was slightly handicapped by having his left hand off at the wrist and since he always carried from $800.00 to a $1000.00 dollars on his person, the young fellows tried to win from him by playing short cards or head and head; but they did not have a chance for his long experience and good judgement was too much against them. He was a good provider for he had four children in St Louis and he forwarded money to his relation often to supply their needs. Buxton is now dead and so will Haydock suffer the same fate by 1930 which brings us back to my friend and business pardner James Henery who was about 50 years old and met with an unusual tragic death by the exofficer Tom Roman. He was a corrupted officer; also a black mailer and would collect money from any body for the tinest infraction of the law. several times he pawned a two or three dollar gun to me for $20.00 dollars. He was half blind or near sighte and was unable to locate a coin that he had placed on the green cloth on the pool table as a bet but not blind enough to stop him from committing one of the most schocking and perpartrated crimes in the annals of History: Murder; robbe Arson , all in one night. With planning and deliberation he went to Haydock and pried the steples loose in the basement door of the pool hall so that he could make his entrance three days later. He came to Lovilia by train from DesMoines and got to Haydock by Midnight; a distance of 15 miles from Lovilia and knowing what few people were there would not be out at that time of night. He entered the basement door that he had made accessible and now he is in the furnace room