| Charlie Birger | L&N McLeansboro to Shawneetown |
| I heard of
Charlie Birger Way back when I was young,
My daddy told me all about the day that Charlie hung. I've heard so many stories, Someof his ghastly deeds, Another tells how Charlie Helped poor folks in their needs. One said he was a kindly man who never told a lie, But when somebody crossed him, That man was sure to die. That Charlie had no Master You can tell from all the tales, He fought the system all the way, And stayed out of their jails. Ive seen so many pictures, they're hanging on the walls, The pictures tell the story of Birger's rise and fall. And when they finally caught him He was sentenced to be hung, But they hadn't broke his spirit the day the trap was sprung. When the State had had its vengeance When Charlie's life was done, It made one stop to wonder, Who had lost and who had won. John L. Gwaltney |
An eerie
silence hangs aloft Where the L&N once ran, The sleek
black coaches pulled by steam Will never run again. The tracks where once her drivers ran are now in disarray, No more we'll hear her whistle "wail" At the crossings on the way. Or see her travel through the night, Her head light gleaming bright, As she hauled her freight and passengers Through a dark and lonely night. She ran through farms and villages, Up wooded hills and down, While a fireman fed the engine coal On the way to Shawneetown. John L. Gwaltney |