The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-07-21
From the Washington Republic.
AN INTERFERING STORY, WELL TOLD.

I CHAT WITH THE CONDUCTOR Its nc
! often a man loses anything by kindness
know little matter Of that sort save
my life, and perhaps the lives of man,
!, tothers at the same time" se@E.
"How was that!n asked we of our lrient
!. Rawlings, the model conductor.
"Why, we had an Irishman on the roat
4 watching tunnel. 1t was warm weather
SO he used to 90 into the tunnel to keep cool
| rather think he used to take little liquor
when he was lonesome; any way, he lale
down on the track one day to listen for the
cars. He fell asleep, and very imprudently
got his head cut off by the express train
Well, there was the last of that Irishman.
There was the devils own row in his shan
ty when we took the poor fellow up, and
we got away as soon as we decently could
for you know its not agreeable to be sur
rounded with distracted family when you're
neither doctor nor nurse nor preacher.
Somehow was always sorry when pass
exactly the same thing-but just as bad
might happen to me some day, and then
there'd be another row in family. | told
my wife about it, and she sent the family
some little things. The widow fthe dead
Irishman was Catholic, and, as was then
on very fast train, would sometimes take
up the old woman on Sunday and carry her
to church at Martinsburg. somehow
thought it was salts faction to her to 90 to
church, for she had but little chance in the
world, any how. certainly did not expect
to get anything for it in this world, and |
expected they had SO much scored against
me in the other that it wouldn't amount to
anything there. ss
''Thatwas during the summer One night
the next winter it was very cold, and the
mountains We're covered with snow; we
were running to make time, when, on turn
ing a curve, the engineer saw waving light
on the track, and we soon heard some one
ahead shouting. Twas then out on the plat
form. The engineer Stacked up andstoppedI
the engine, and we got out and went ahead
in the dark to see what was the matter.
There it was. A large landslide had fallen
across the track, near the shanty ofthat old
Irishwoman. She had built up large fire
and watched for the train, for the curves
were so sharp that we might have been up
on the slide before We could see it. So, when
W ran up, there was the cid lady, with
her calico cap, swinging the chunk OF fire
ike a reVOlVlHg il8HL-lOuSe. anu tHeTe were /
the little Irish carrying brush, like 70 many
little beavers She had watched all that
night in the cold. But for her, in another
minute we should have run into pile of dirt
and stone as big as Barnum's Hotel.
should have got pit ticket certain, for /
was on the platform. What would have
become of the passengers and train you can
guess as well as can."
M1fi ne ee1Rg6sSssg h0l2s hl that at the old widow
dollars; the company afterwards gave her a
shanty rent free, the brakemen and engi-
neers bought her COW, and she made out
very well. But when handed the money
to her that night, she said; Gentlemen and
ladies, I'm thankful, and may ye niver know
the WANT of what We give me. But what |
did was mostly on account of him there. lie
was kind and thoughtful to the poor and the
afflicted, and I'd watched till froze before
harrum should have come to him, if could
ha helped it,"
"D-n the thing, it made me choke right
up"
.Passen jars for the Rela-ay," Don't
forget your umbrella, sir; there might be an
explosion, and you'd want it to keep oit the
cinders." '.Let me passyour bandbox, miss.
"Take care of your little boy, madam, mol
insurance on him. Gall right. go ahead"