Tope Family Page

    While working at the handle mill in Lilbourn at onetime he was the night 'oil man' and watchman. One night he slipped on some grease and hit his head on the corner of an engine base. He was knocked out for sometime but when he came to he just went back to work. There was no one there to report it and no first aid station and no forms to fill out. When work at the mill was slack he would do odd jobs around town and on farms. Later in 1919 and early 1920 he worked, along with Harold, in Granite City, Illinois, with a construction company building the St. Louis Coke and Chemical Company building. They began as 'riggers' for the gang and were fortunate to have work. An uncle helped them get the jobs, probably Uncle Will Tope. They were paid $6.75 a day, plus time and a half for Saturday and double time for Sunday. That was good money for those days. Harold did not like the work so he quit and took a job as 'news butch' on the train from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri. He made one trip then doubled back to Springfield, Illinois: whereupon he quit and returned to Lilbourn. Harry stayed at the construction work until the completion in February 1920.
    February 1919 brought one of the most severe snow storms on record to southeast Missouri. Everything shut down from the trains to the pony express. James Harvey saw opportunity with the Snow so he made a 'mud boat' and used it to bring logs out of the timber to the mills. He had a team of Percherons that could pull heavy loads, making more money that winter than ever in his life, $50.00 a week. The big problem was keeping his feet warm. Someone suggested that he put Sloan's Liniment on his socks before he put his boots on. He did and blistered his feet. Blisters were worse than frostbite.
    Harry and Harold were about 19 years during this time and enjoyed going to the young people singing parties and to church. They would trick the girls from time to time and the girls would never know for certain which twin they were with. Harry saw Harold make a date with one girl to walk her home after church, so he made a point to meet her at the door before Harold. He walked her home and she never knew the difference. Needless to say, Harold 'repaid' Harry a few nights later.
    Work in southeast Missouri was scarce in 1920, so on May 1, 1920, Harry, Gus Towery, and two of Gus's sons left for work in Kansas with the promise of work on a school building. Harry had $50.00 in his pocket for travel money. They stopped in Rockwood for the night with Uncle Will and his family, and were in St. Louis by the second night. Along the way to Kansas they camped out at night and made as much time as they could during the day with flats and car trouble. Somewhere near St. Joseph, Missouri, an axle in the Model-T broke so Gus sold the car and they continued on the train to Oberlin, Kansas. The work there did not come about as Gus's half-brother did not get the contract for the school building.
    Harry arrived in Oberlin with 15 cents left from the $50.00 and spent that on a sack of tobacco with no cigarette papers. He had to bargain for them so he could roll his own. He found work with a man in Dresden, Kansas, who was the county road supervisor. They milked 12 cows each morning and evening and then worked all day on the county roads. The pay was $40.00 a month plus room and board, With his first $40.00 he bought one pair of overalls and a shirt, a night in a hotel and being tired of milking cows headed on north to Rexford, Kansas. There he found work with Alvin Gains, who was in the midst of his wheat harvest, driving a 'barge' to the grain stack, and the wheat truck to the elevator. While in town with a load of wheat, Mr. Gains found him to tell him of the telephone call giving the news of his brother's death, James Harvey, Jr.
    Mr. Gains paid Harry the $90.00 due him and after buying another new pair of overalls he caught the Rock Island to Kansas and onto St. Louis. With the windows open and dust and soot coming in the windows, by the time he arrived in St. Louis he was less than clean. Taking the Frisco train, he arrived in Lilbourn early Monday morning. The trip had taken from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning.
    Since he was back in Lilbourn, Harry decided to stay there and find any work available. On August 20,1920, he went to work for G. W. Ford in his General Merchandise Store. They sold everything from horse-shoe nails to chewing tobacco and groceries. Allan Pollock's uncle Louis had worked there, but had quit to go to work in Michigan. He worked from daylight to 9:00p.m., six days's week and was living back at home.
    Robbery was frequent at the store so Mr., Ford's dad would sleep there to 'watch' them. One night Harry was there watching because Mr. Ford was out of town, Harry came in from 'courting Mabel' about 11:00 p.m., and was awakened about 2:00 a.m. by a robber lighting a match to check the sleeping watchman. The robber had broken a window as the night train went by which covered the sound of the breaking glass. Harry recognized the robber as he moved away from the cot and knew that the man had been in trouble before. The Winchester pump rifle near the bed was no use because the robber never turned his back on Harry. The change from the cash register, some razors, watches, and pocket knives were taken, but the safe, which had some $700.00 to $800.00 in it was not bothered. As soon as the robber left by the window, Harry grabbed the gun and shot at him but did no harm or good. The thief was never caught and has since gone on to his reward. Granddad Ford returned to brag how no one would ever rob him that way. However just a few weeks later he was robbed and made to crawl on his hands and knees across the street and behind Sickery's Store, where he was locked in a garage.