Whispering Smith

by Frank H. Spearman, N.C. Wyeth (Illustrator)

In this classic western, a railroad business in the Rocky Mountains is disrupted by a gang of renegade railroad employees who are wrecking and robbing trains, spilling cattle--and blood. The railroad's best hope is an ordinary looking man with his own scores to settle and his own way of settling them. A man called Smith.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Audiobook, Literature

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1906

About the author

Frank Hamilton Spearman was an American author.

Reviews

[John Peel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gordon "Whispering" Smith is a railroad employee charged with bringing in a renegade railroad worker who is now attacking the company and its trains. The man, Murray Sinclair, is also married to the women Smith loves. Romance and revenge get mixed up in this long-winded novel. Lots of silly discussions are broken by occasional action. The book inspired a movie and a TV show, both are which are far better.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably well-written Railroad Western, but I felt no connection with the characters. I see there is an old TV series that starred Audie Murphy as the title character, and that it is on DVD. I may have to check that out as the action scenes in the book were good.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I'd have read Whispering Smith sooner if I'd realized it was set in the same story "universe," as we say nowadays, as Spearman's railroad short stories that I love. It was fun seeing familiar characters like Bucks, McCloud, Callahan, and others from the crew at Medicine Bend appear in a full-length novel. Most of them make small supporting appearances or just get name-dropped, but it's actually McCloud's story almost as much as it is Whispering Smith's. It's a story that by no means fits the narrow pop-culture definition of a "Western," for rather than focusing exclusively on a few cowboys or outlaws, its cast of characters are involved in railroading, ranching, mining, and the town life adjacent to these professions, assisting and clashing with each other in a variety of ways; the antagonists range from run-of-the-mill cattle thieves to a river in flood. (The one chapter where a railroad construction crew battles a blizzard, almost a stand-alone story in itself, is classic Spearman.) It's a practical West where a sheriff's posse are relayed information about their quarry by telephone, and a deputy marshal who stops to ask a favor from a rancher who is also a deputy sheriff takes his place mowing alfalfa in the meantime. The plot, somewhat characteristic of many early-20th-century Westerns, sprawls and rambles a bit, taking a few chapters here and a few there to focus on each of four or five central characters in turn, but it all gradually and purposefully draws together—and I enjoyed every minute of it.

[Ron Routon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised to learn that there was an entire genre of railroad
related books written during this time. I enjoyed all of the railroad related terms and the geographical setting of the book.

[Barbara Glasier]

Good read. Story focused on building and protecting a railroad across western US. Copy I have is original printing and lists 1906 as copyright date, not 1907. Printed September 1908. Illustrations N. C. Wyeth. Binding is red cloth, still red.

[John Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2 stars. Characters from his two short story collections show up here. And it takes place on the Medicine Bend line, which also appeared in the earlier short stories.

Whenever there is a wreck on the mountain line, Sinclair is sent out to supervise. He allows his men to steal whatever freight they wish. McCloud, an office man, comes out to the wreck site. When he sees this, he orders the men to stop. He orders them to smash the wine bottles.

Sinclair orders his men to do no such thing and then orders his men to stop working. McCloud fires them all.

McCloud has the freight cars set on fire. The column of smoke draws Dicksie Dunning to the site. She is co-owner of a nearby ranch with her cousin. He falls immediately in love with her. She hates him. A man injured in the wreck and ignored by Sinclair, Wickwire, is saved by them.

Then a series of events occurs, which seems to indicate Sinclair is seeking vengeance. Smoky Creek Bridge is burned to the ground; several rail cars filled with granite are left at the bottom of a grade, and finally a train is robbed.

Gordon “Whispering” Smith is called in by Bucks to take care of the situation. When he arrives, he goes to the saloon to see Sinclair. Smith asks his demands and is told he wants McCloud dead. He’s also told to stay away from Sinclair’s wife, Marion., who owns the millinery shop and is very friendly with Dicksie Dunning.

A sudden snowstorm puts a building crew in danger. McCloud’s ingenuity saves the men. He earns the respect of some, but not of all of the old-timers.

McCloud visits Lance Dunning, who claims the railroad is abusing its right of way. Dunning threatens McCloud’s life and, on his way, back to Medicine Bend he is shot at. Things get worse when Dunning files lawsuits against the railroad and the construction of the new line comes to a halt. McCloud is given another position.

Seasons change. And with the new season flooding threatens the entire Dunning ranch. Dicksie goes off to get help from McCloud. She meets the dreaded Gordon Smith and realizes she has been filled with lies.

They ride back to the ranch and McCloud offers her cousin help. He realizes the rancher and his cow hands are doing no good and changes the plan of attack and they begin to make progress. McCloud saves the ranch

Smith learns from Dicksie that her cousin is losing it cards and spending time with the wrong crowd.

The number three train is robbed and the conductor the engineer is killed. They get away with $60,000. A posse is sent after them. The gang stops to rest their horses at a ranch owned by a sympathetic rancher. He lets it slip that a posse is on the way. They leave his son an orphan.

Smith does not go after Sinclair directly at first. He wants to leave the man friendless. He goes after rustlers who might help. He is very reluctant about a confrontation, as they grew up together.

There are several more violent encounters with Sinclair’s friends. Sinclair makes a run on McCloud again.

This came out in 1906. It is little known now. It is as good a story as The Virginian, though Wister is a better writer. Both Smith and McCloud and several others are heroic. They know right from wrong and attempt to negotiate and reason with their opponents. Dicksie Dunning reminds me of Molly Stark Wood in The Virginian.

Zane Grey is known for his descriptions of landscape in The Riders of the Purple Sage. Spearman writes of mountains and raging waters and bitter storms at least as well.

Grey emasculates both of his male leads, though Venters tries to recapture his fortitude.

Spearman spends time showing men at work; the risks they take, their ideas good and bad and the way they do that work. This is unusual as very little fiction in America ever does this.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't to tear up, I can tell you that.

I really enjoyed this one. I love that you see characters from Spearman's short stories show up. (Although let me tell you, for about the first two chapters or so I was outraged due to a misunderstanding....because Georgie Sinclair, a favorite of mine, would NEVER. Thankfully, I was right, for it wasn't Georgie Sinclair.)
Whispering Smith quite lived up to the high expectations I had (in this specific instance I'm referring to the character himself.) I quite enjoyed McCloud as well, with whom Smith shares the spotlight for a while. Spearman does an excellent job showcasing noble men. And also pointing out the waste of men who could have been noble and refused to be.
I'll definitely be reading more by Spearman.

I must say though, for you gentle readers out there, prepare yourself for that one chapter. My heavens, it's a heartbreaker.

[Samantha Glasser]

This book was adapted to the screen in 1935 as Whispering Smith Speaks.

Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29572/...

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review at my blog.

[Ray Latiolais · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written that I'm willing to overlook the unthinking racism and sexism of 1906.