The Rutland County herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1852-1855, 1854-09-08
RUTLAND VERMONT FRIDAY MoRNIS6 SEPTEMBER g 1854

management or government II the cra.
~ ,l,inr than an Infant. For an in.
star, VA. lhorourhly raralssed by
fear. Cold drops OF perSpirsticn stood
upon my brow. aud fairly sereamed
in impo,cni sgony. Roi in snomcnt
more ] recovered myself had some
indisiinet notion that the speed of an On.
rine was acccicralci or checked hy or
Grating the levers which stood by my
side, and forthwith commenced a series
Of experiments with them. BOT my
nnskiliuness or agitation prevented my
employing the proper means, md fan.
cied had only increased the speed -
Another resource flashed upon me. !
might pull Out The blazing wood and
Goals, aud reduce the fire. II was
a mad idea, for my unslorei hands
were my only tools for the enterprise
but ! chucklcd wildly TO myself as
thought how feasible il was, aud how
sure Of success. Eagerly stopped
down and pulled flaming stick from
beneath the boiler. The seelhinr pitch
scalded my hands, and the live cmbers
burn, them cruelty but hardly felt
the pain, as hurled il frantically into
the darkness
Bat did not stoop again. For, MS
! turned TO continue my vnin lnbors, an
other flash, one of those lingering, wuvy.
dancing flashes, which seem 10 larry MS
II delighting to gaze upon the terror
they cause, once more liz up the scene.
! trust that death will cilace its horror
from my mind. know that can
never forget il on this side of the grave.
The shrek OF my companion still
ringing in my ears, no longer surprised
me. ] no longer wondered at his mud
leap from the engine. II was the ex-
cess Of my terror alone prevented my
following his example. no longer
thought of my own danger. All mis-
givings, all fears for myself, were swal.
lowed up and merged in one vast, shud-
dering, Understandable horror. For there,
just before me on the boiler. with its
lips parted into a iiendiSh grin, with its
eyes wide open. and staring upon me,
and the glare imparting life.like glow
its stony features: there, within reach
of my palsied hand, even ms | sbrunk
back IN craven irnr to the iarhercst
limits Of my moving prison, snt n pale,
CORY, hideous, and manglcd HUMAN
HEAD!
You smile, gentlemen continued
the ugly man. with melancholy air,
"and it seems to me that if ! should
hear the story told by another, as you
are now doing. in quiet room. with
firm floor beneath my feet, n cheerful
fire before me, and friends around, |
should do the same thing but, believe
me-" dropping iis voice 50 low that !
could hardly hear him, F" It's different
thing in a wild night, alone, and with
sudden and awful death impending over
you"
Keep moving, stranger" said the
red shirt, cracking a hickory-nni, ats
rs good rs sermon. Pass on to the
second head"
IL could, Of course, pursued the ugly
man, without needing the untimely Jest,
'be but few minuies,o perhaps seconds,
before this terrible drama must conclude;
but no prisoner ever longed for freedom
as ] did for the final crash, which
knew would end my life and tormer
together. made no further efforts I
stop the locomotive. ! was hardl
aware that il was sill tearing madl'
on, ms though frightened, like myself,a
its ghastly burden. The lightning sli
flashed at intervals. and Illuminated IL
clayey face but did not need Il
CLEANS TO see the horrid thing. Fo
through the pitchy darkness and blint
ing rain it glared upon me as ! had b,
held il at first. Nor do consider ID
Imagination. think that terror had .
sllarpened my vision that, though
else was wrapped in impenelrnb,
gloom, could see its CLASSY eyc-ball
its pallid cheeks, and its bloody, griI
ming mouth.
IL have since lcarned--I do n,
think ] knew il At the time--ihnt q
this while, the firewood in the tend
behind me was blazing iuriously.
had caught either by spark from II
engine or, which |. more probable, fro
the burning stick which ] had so has
/ ly tossed away. But, As ! said. [
not know that ] was aware Of il II
had been, il could not have added
other pang Of terror to ny heart; ~
] only mention il now ~ an incident
element in The horror Of my SITUATE
and also from the faci HAT the nnusu
light alarmed the watchers at the >,
iion, anl putting them upon their guar
prevented any destruction Of life onn
arrival.
can never bring myself 10 belle
that 30 short time elapsed. as ! kn
must have passed, before ilii. awful
ion ceased. II seems 20 me now.
always when ! recall ihat dread
night, as thoash must have spent aou
braced back against the tender, not d
ing TO take my eyes from the spsci,
face, paralyzrd and crazy with frig q,
my hair Ike reeds, and the cold ssl
bunting from every pore. Daring 1
this iims. kso4 fha, never regard I