|
<br />IW j 9.0
<br />
<br />COLORADO'S SERVANT
<br />Death of Cliff Stone
<br />
<br />"1 80,,('0); }'I.t:~II:O;(;.
<br />\Xl HA TF.VJ,;P. wu goil'lll: into
<br />1\ Ihi~ sp3ce tOO8)', it ..an
<br />wait. I Wlll'lt 10 ltJl )'01.1,
<br />ilU\ltlld, about ll. man ....ho !ill'r-
<br />allyo\tl','orkt'dhimstlrtotltlllh
<br />!or I~ llk{'~
<br />of ~'ou and
<br />1111', torsmllll
<br />pit)' and lilliI'
<br />lhank_.
<br />Whtnt,"tr
<br />)'ou htar
<br />l'omPl'l/'lt'run-
<br />ning: down
<br />the lO;Q\'tm-
<br />ml'nt and
<br />.snl'"nng: al
<br />'0 u r" a u-
<br />era 1 ....
<br />pl('tl~" think
<br />ot Cllffon! }1"mlnr.
<br />SlOtH'. lalt, dirl'c1or ot the eal<>-
<br />nldo ....a!f'f ronsN'vlllion board.
<br />1 haH' nl'\'!'r knO\.\"n IIny olht'('
<br />1'0 tirtless and rip,-oll'd a, man in
<br />a public j0b. WI' eoulrl bl'llrr
<br />h/t\'<!' sparf"d any olhf'r Colorado
<br />public oflicial-)"t's, any OIh"r
<br />."iti7f'n. What \H~'lI do without
<br />him, I don't know.
<br />iii_ work wtl'k an-ragl'll. to be
<br />ron~('f\'IlTi,'I'. about tilthty hour.!.
<br />OI1('e I1:0t Il!:limpsf' ot a Iypirlll
<br />001'. Ill' ~p('nt all ~londllY in hi~
<br />ollkl' h('N', IhE'n look thl' pllln~
<br />for Wa~hmf(lon. ~nlllching II lil.
<br />Ill" ~itup$l...tp on thE' .....lI}'. It wll!\
<br />IlI!E'. ~o~"'l'ntrillht into amN"I-
<br />ing wilh only Ilm~ 10 $olllch .
<br />bill' of br("lIkfllSl.
<br />Tht- ml"~ting Tan lalt Wl'dnl'~.
<br />oay. ~o h.. (:ot on I~ pllln.. ll(:ain.
<br />J:ot lllitllt 5itup ~ll""'p, lInd wl"nt
<br />righl inlo II. ml'l'ting hfrl' on Ih~
<br />Thur.<dllY Ihat hfo hart ~..t up bt.
<br />fo~ 11'1I\ing.
<br />11I:1t niJ:ht hf' \il:ot homl" 10
<br />BouJdl"r. \\'hl"r... h<' Iiw'd ~o hi~
<br />childrl'n <,ould ]:1:0 10 C. {j.. but
<br />Fridll)' hf' WlIS riJ:ht l'olH.k on
<br />In.- job di~::ill~ inlo II. Iwo-foot
<br />stack of papl"r~ lIod ll'ttl"T!< Ihlll
<br />had pill'd up. S..e whf hfo di...d~
<br />.
<br />I I t: READ him~..lt into Tll'llT'
<br />sll:htt'dIlI'SS ~Cllnnlm:: Ihl'lln"
<br />print in watM d()('umpnl~ ....hkh
<br />l~ II.t important ll~ Ihllt on lln
<br />Insuranc.... <'01'111"11('1. H.. TlI'\'I"T
<br />took 11ml" olf. Wh...n I llnrl othl"r
<br />fril"nd~ triM '0 s.;old him into
<br />Lt. h..'duy; ..It'sgoIHlt'l"dOl'le,
<br />and soml"on....~ got 10 dn il."
<br />Of COUNI' hl' mad.. mi~takf'~.
<br />He did a lot of thini:~ hf: didl)'t
<br />h..n" 10. H... \\'a~ II nol"-man
<br />~how, with littl... di~criminll.tion
<br />hf"lwM"n1hl' \'lllllll.mlThe tn\'illl.
<br />But that'~ IhP \~IIY M "a~. U It
<br />WI" bu1111...1~ ('I( Ih... f"'opJ.. o(
<br />C.)]nrado it \\ll~ \'ila1.
<br />For ,hi~ ...normnu~ Inil llM tn..
<br />
<br />
<br />,;en'k.. or Ihl' nation's mwt
<br />~kil1('(j and Jnform('d mind on Ih..
<br />,;ub,kct Ihat's b>' far t~ mOliI
<br />\[tal 10 Colorilrlo, \\1" paid him lit
<br />flut $:;.000 IInd finally a[t('T long
<br />>'tal''li, S~,400.
<br />Ho:" cO\Jld h,,\'1' made !oe\-('ral
<br />tim..s lhat mUt'h ",Ih hair lhl'
<br />wOIk. u a private allornl'Y and
<br />('on~ullant. Ill' ('ould ha\'l' lakl'n
<br />a month's Jea\'l' II F'ar. and
<br />doubll"d IllS MatI' income. Ill!'
<br />wouJdn-t do o:"lthl'r. lie tried a
<br />coupll' or coosullanein onCl'. and
<br />quit 'Nn becAUS(". as Ill' said.
<br />thPY "ot in th!" "ay ot hi~ work
<br />for the slatP-lor you and mI".
<br />He ne\'l"r IIclually "ot his
<br />Ilall"'d salary by Il'\'eral hundrPd
<br />dolllln II >'ear. because hI' hlld 10
<br />Irll,....l so much, be'CllUSl' he "a~
<br />ab5pnt-mindf'd about {"xp...ns('~.
<br />IInd berau$l' h.... frequ('ntly had 10
<br />o\'ern.m Ih", 'tale allQwance.
<br />.
<br />] ]": HAD 10 do ("\'el)'1hing the
<br />hArd way. l'l'W we('k~ ago I
<br />had a long yarn in "ROllnduj'"
<br />about the big dangerous black
<br />cloud or fur1hf'r conlro\'ersy
<br />JoomillJ; o\'er the Colorado rh'rr.
<br />Clift relld e\'ery word of Jt fif'l;t,
<br />lakinJ:' lIn hour 10 rlo il. and lip-.
<br />pro\'inlt e\'l'ry word. I wllnl..d to
<br />J:'i\'e him ('redil, but hf" ,.lIid ",,",0,
<br />jwt 10 It'~ ri>;hl." A lot ot nthl:'r
<br />peopl.... picked his hrains from
<br />tlm.... 10 tim.. and look thl:' rredll.
<br />but h.... n('\'1'r carM, ju~t so it
<br />WIIS for Colorado.
<br />Pf'rhap,~ his bl\il:J:...st sinltle job
<br />was hplping to g('t IIn upper Colo-
<br />rado TI\'....r compact 1Il wl'rks,
<br />wherl"u our ('n('mies were look-
<br />inlt IOI"\.\llrd i:1('{'fully 10 sM"inJ: us
<br />qunnel for yell~. Ill' did it ~
<br />caus(" 11I1 Inlstf"d him llnd l.:w-
<br /><'lIU.!' hp ('ouJd M'e Ihl' c>!hpr f('l-
<br />]O\\'s 'il"wJK.Iint. and Allow for II.
<br />An ..normnus lot of h:lcksuJ:'('
<br />"plld... work wpnt inlo !ho!'e
<br />Ihinl:'''''
<br />
<br />.
<br />~ow Ihllt ~.~ i:OflI', lh(' C~l.
<br />. ifomilln~ ma.y hllw" :on "~'l('r
<br />limp. flarticularl~' 1f thf'Y .-!..rt
<br />whAt'!'-hi!'-naml' \'ii'P presidenl.
<br />llnd \)('at S..nl\Tor J~ O'~b.hon('y
<br />lip in WyominJ:. a~ lhl'y'rl' tT)"
<br />in~ 10 do. Joe's lIno!hl'r of toP.
<br />bulldOl.: brl'ffl Iikl' Clife l'lon...
<br />Jlp'n Bin' ttwm Hf'l")' drcp :h..y
<br />ha\'l" romin,,: but h....ll ",w"
<br />..\'try drop .....('.\-1' ~ot ('ominl::.
<br />That i~_ if he's rl'-'l'lecte<:l.
<br />Rllt Ih,~ i~ Cliff Slone's 1'i(',-e
<br />loo:1ay. A !':<I,d farP.wl'll to a ~l'f'al.
<br />ImCI'TflllM and undN1l:'l;o !'('r\,-
<br />...nt oe ~'C11.1 ilnd m..-d Col(lradn.
<br />lh.. r"Rlon an" lh.. natIon. We
<br />~hllll not SM" hi" lik.. a;::l\in.
<br />
|