William T. Doolittle Biography


	This biography appears on pages 515, 518 in "History of Minnehaha
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

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DOOLITTLE, WILLIAM T., was born in Loudenville, Ohio, March 30, 1849.  He attended 
school until he was fourteen years of age, and then entered a railroad machine shop 
as an apprentice.  When nineteen years old he became a locomotive engineer, and 
since March, l873, has been engineer on passenger trains.  He was in charge of the 
first passenger engine that ran into Sioux Falls, and, except for a little more 
than a year, has been the engineer on the passenger train between Sioux Falls and 
Worthington Minnesota, since then.

In 1879, an incident occurred which gave him an unexpected vacation for thirty days.  
He was engineer of the train which during that year started out from Worthington 
with R. F. Pettigrew and a Mr. Bottineau on board, each of them having in his pocket 
a deed which he was particularly anxious to get on record in Sioux Falls first, and 
was induced by Mr. Pettigrew to detach the engine about two miles east of the city 
and bring Mr. Pettigrew in on the engine. Mr. Bottineau made complaint to the 
superintendent of the road, Mr. John F. Lincoln, stating the facts and demanding 
$50,000 damages. Superintendent Lincoln sent for Engineer Doolittle, and when he 
appeared the following colloquy took place: "William, if what is told is true I 
am afraid you have got the company into trouble.  I am told you detached your engine 
and took a party into Sioux Falls that he might get a deed on record before another 
passenger who had a deed to the same property could do so.  Is this true?"  Mr. 
Doolittle - "It is." Mr. Lincoln - "I could not believe you would do such an act.  
The party having the other deed says he is damaged $50,000 by the transaction, 
and demands your dismissal, and threatens to sue the company for damages." Mr. 
Doolittle--"If my dismissal will appease the wrath of the gentleman it is a 
small matter; but as to the damages, that is another thing." Here Mr. Doolittle, 
who had been advised of all the facts in the case, related them to the 
superintendent, and told him it was simply a robbing scheme and so satisfied the 
superintendent that it was true, that he ended the interview by bringing his list 
down on his desk, saying: "Let him sue, he can't recover a cent; but William, you 
need a rest of thirty or sixty days; take a vacation; I will see that your pay goes 
right along."

Mr. Doolittle resides with his family in Sioux Falls, and was elected alderman from 
the First ward in 1896, and re-elected in 1898, and has been president of the council 
since May, 1897.  He is prominent in Masonic circles, and at this writing (1898) is 
Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of the Knights Templar of South Dakota.  
Socially and as a citizen he stands well, and has a host of friends.