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Erie, Pa.,
Monday, Sept. 25, '39.
I hung around on pins and needles all morning waiting for my Republic friends to arrive. They weren't on the  9:35. They arrived finally about 1:30 PM by auto from Massillon, O. There were two men - Bert Ladley, apparently the railroad boss, a big, pleasant, moustached chap 38 years old and in the business for 23 years - and Jim Donovan, the maintenance man, about 65, big, lumbering, twinkly eyed, white haired. We gave them a good demonstration, getting about 1000 tons over in our yard, and horsing it around impressively. Ladley, as an old railroader, was in his element, giving signals (like Gammon last week), kidding the brakeman and yardmaster. Afterward I gave them a whirl through Bldg. 26 and 10 and about 5:15 PM we were off for downtown. They planned to drive back to Massillon today so I was a little dubious about whether they'd ever let me buy them a drink but how wrong I was! We established ourselves in the City Club about 5:30 and were there drinking quite steadily until 7:30. I was soon "Forie" and they were "Bert" and "Jim", and I really had a swell time, finding both of them very pleasant companions. Ladley is evidently quite a "party boy", recounting many "bouts" here there and everywhere. He used to be with J&L and was familiar with the small Moncons. We had dinner in the Den, which went over big too, and then Ladley insisted on the City Club for some liqueur. Donovan, a great ladies man when under the influence (he kidded the pretty blond waitress in the Den to the point of really embarrassing me), was getting anxious to get away

Transcription Notes:
I changed "Marrillon, O." to "Massillon, O." near the top of the page.--thomasc