Railroad Man Receives PPB in 1973

     In 1973 a railroad brakeman named Doak Rogers found Leroy's perfectly prepared bacon on a track switch handle.  In 1973 there was much flooding up and down the Mississippi River.  Trains slowed to a creep.  It made for some very long work days.  The flooding was bad, not like in 1927 when the river got be 80 miles wide at Vicksburg but bad.   In late may a Missouri-Pacific freight was traveling through Lee County Arkansas when Doak met Leroy.  Doak and the engineer L. L. Lindsey were the only ones the 12 car train.  L. L. Lindsey was extremely safety conscious.  He had Doak walking every trestle looking for washouts.  On those long days Doak called L. L. Lindsey Lob Leg Lindsey because when he first stepped on the train he would always use his right hand to lift his right leg.  Lindsey was in a logging accident as a youth near Alto, Texas.  Perhaps that was why he was so safety conscious.  Lindsey also was very waste conscious.  He made sure folks on his crew did there jobs in such a way that they did not waste a step or minute.  It was about 2 p.m. and Doak was walking another trestle when he heard a splash.  He looked to see if one of the giant cypress trees had fallen into the swamp.  To his surprise he saw big bacon shedding Leroy swim by.  He knew if he stopped to watch Lindsey would be on him about wasting time.  So he didn't give Leroy a second look.  Then about 10 steps later he saw on the track switch arm just 3 steps out of line 4 pieces Leroy bacon.  Doak knew L. L. was watching and would give him a speech about waste if he stepped over and got the bacon.   He got the bacon!  It was great bacon!  Doak says he has thought about Leroy many times since 1973.