Casey Jones

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 06:03:18 GMT

Well, I was just looking at the fourth season of the original TMNT series again today when I watched the "Casey Jones" episode and it made me think of the actual Casey Jones, and how odd it was to give him (the Turtles character) that name.

For those who may not know (most Turtles fans I'm sure have at least vague knowledge of the subject),
Casey Jones was an engineer who died in a train crash in 1900, and was immortalized shortly after in a ballad/folksong that has seen many variations, with the first published version appearing in 1909 by
T. Lawrence Seabert and Eddie Newton**, though beyond (and even a bit during) that the information I have found has had more than it's share of contradictions, while Sigmund Spaeth in his book "Read 'em and Weep: The Songs You Forgot to Remember" describes Seabert and Newton as "two actual railroad men" other sources I have run across have said they were vaudevillians. Perhaps they were both at one time or another? I must confess the subject has not held my interest tightly enough for me to look too deeply into the matter XD. The ideals expressed in the balled are a bit foreign to the modern Yankee (*gasp* just like Superman!) sure, Casey is a hero because he stayed with the train until the crash presumably trying to stop it, but also because he was reckless in trying to do his duty - specifically trying to deliver the mail on time. So it is no wonder, and perhaps simply time, that his legend faded into the distance.
The Man himself if wiki is to be trusted: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/CaseyJones.jpg

**It is worth noting that this version was billed as a "comedy" because after receiving news of Casey's death his wife responds with the line "Go to bed, children, and hush your crying, Cause you got another papa on the salt lake line." an accusation that apparently caused the real Mrs. Jones no end of grief in her life.
...all I can say is some people had an odd sense of humor a hundred years ago.

First Post

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:55:39 GMT

Hm, well I've never really blogged before, though I do hope when I get in a philosophical mood (which doesn't happen as much as it used to, but eh.) I'll say something people might actually find interesting.
Until then... here's to LJ and my first post I suppose ^_^.

Ratty's Rants

Casey Jones

First Post