Final answer:
The information provided does not directly answer the question about who informed Dutch about Joe's comments regarding Author, as there are no characters by those names in the given text excerpts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The text provided appears to reference two distinct stories and thus does not directly answer the question about who informed Dutch about Joe ragging on Author. The two narratives suggest that Josephine tells someone of a railroad disaster involving Brently Mallard, and a 'rantipole hero' is courting Katrina, dissuading other suitors. As the question seems to pertain to a narrative or literary context, and the provided reference does not contain a character named Dutch nor the specific event described, it is impossible to confidently provide an accurate answer to the student's question based on the given information.