A Near-Miss and a Generous Gesture

It is not often that a man pays $50 and a warm expression of gratitude for knocking a man down and nearly killing him, yet that was the good fortune yesterday of Gripman James Houlihan, of Front street cable car No. 7. A couple of weeks ago, Col. K. P. Edson, while trying to catch an electric car at the corner of Third and Pike streets, was knocked down and narrowly escaped being killed by cable car No. 7, which turns up the hill at that point. Mr. Edson was not paying any attention to the cable car, and in fact, when he had gotten to the tracks, he turned his head to speak to some friends following him. But although going around a curve very swiftly and almost upon Mr. Edson, Gripman Houlihan saw his peril and, quickly throwing off the clutch and putting on the brake, he managed to greatly slacken the car so that when it struck the colonel he turned a somersault away from the track. After Mr. Edson got over his bruises, he went to the office of the street car company and told the officers that the gripman was not to blame and that the accident was all his own fault, and, in fact, that it was only the watchful eyes, self-possession and promptness of the gripman which saved his life. He learned that Mr. Houlihan had been a highly-esteemed employee of the company for over two years and was a man of family, and he resolved to show his esteem in some substantial manner. So yesterday he called Mr. Houlihan to his office and in a feeling speech expressive of his gratitude and appreciation of the gripman's watchfulness and promptness he presented him a purse of $50.