The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-03-18
FACTS AND FANe1Es OUT OF TOWN.


tors and breakmen,and locomotive engineers, to
be partial to travelling by railroad. But don't
know that it is the especial duty of any body
else to be fond Of inhaling cnders, iolting for
hours in a confined space, with stunned ears
and bedusted eyes, and not knowing what
minute you may be rolling down a steep pre-
cipice, or groaning with fractured limbs be-
meath a pile ofbroken iron, splinter9 and MANNED
bodies. Duty or decency, I never did like
railroad travelling and don't suppose ever
shall. In fact, my experience has not been
very happy in that respect. 1t seems to me
that if but one accident in a year happens on
prominent road, | am thar. Why one Of the
first railroad rides ever took, was on a GER
tain Eastern railroad, and it was the boast Of
its managers, that never fatal accident had
happened on the road since its construction
am not sure but enc Of the Directors of the
road was informing me Of this very fact, when
a startling whistle, followed by a thump and
crash, and-the stock of the road had depreciat-
ed full five per cent. They were sometime dig
ging Director and myself out, but fortunately
seat had been thrown in such manner across
us, that we were advertised the next day as
only GLADLY bruised" We felt very grateful to
Providence, at least the Director said we ought
to do so, because the couple before us were
published as almost instantly killed. while
had the pleasure of relieving from the wreck
one of the gentlemen behind, who lost his
scalp, and afterwards had a leg amputated.-
Indeed, as there were eleven killed or MORALLY
wounded, l tried my best to follow the Direc-
tors advice about feeling grateful But the
only sufferer who appeared to feel at all CRATE
ful, was seedy looking individual, who tho't
he had very fair prospect of loosing his crush
arm, in which case he considered five or ten
thousand damages pretty certain.
But am entirely wandering from my sub
ject. told you last week about losing my
valise. After leaving the Capitol, my valise
lost me! At Richmond being told the cars
remained fifteen minutes, l walked some piece
from the Depot endeayoring te recognize some
of the landmarks, as 1 had known the place
in my earlier days from short visit. look
ed at my watch once, and only five minutes
had passed. so l walked a little further and
turned back. When within about two hun
bred yards of the depot, another look at my
watch said only ten minutes had fed. Then
there came a whistle, and saw train slowly
starting was just going to strike for a run,
when noticed the train was moving, as | could
have sworn at the time, the very direction
from which we had just come towards India
napolis. I took fresh chew, and walked on
lesurcly, wondering if it wasn't nearly time
for our train to start. l thought some fellow
waved his hat very mysteriously from one car
window, and was trying to make out who it
could be saluting me in this manner would
have bet hat that hat belonged to my friend
Rob, of the Capital, who was my fellow
traveller, yet knew he was making up to a
young lady in the car had just left. There
fore we couldn't be in this train. Well there's
ne use talking, left that depot melancholy
man.
The fact is, that train was bound for Day
ton with Bob in it. and that yourg lady in it,
and my valise in it-and had got completely
turned around. What was still more singu-
lar when 1 looked at my watch an hour or
two afterwards, there the hands tucks at the
identical place / left them when the whistle of
! the departing train broke upon me. So
should probably have got left anyhow. Isaw
| Richmond, however, and discovered it had
grown out of my knowledge Moreover, l
found venerable Quaker friend, who with
proper hospitality took me to his house and
gave me good bed Next day 1 was in Day
ton. For once my friend Bob had exhibited
some sense. lie had recovered my valise and
thus prevented its proceeding to the lakes. He
said the young lady wanted to know whether
l was born in Indiana asked him why so.
j Why, she said when the cars were leaving
you at Richmond, your feet seemed to have
such native attachment for the soil that they
couldn't be lifted up fast enough to answer the
purposes of lncomotion. She thought I, in a
very slow walk with watch in hand, was try
ing to catch the cars-but wasn't.
Dayton is large and handsome place, re-
markable for its wide streets the more promi-
nent of which, are park like. They are very
smooth and handsomely graded, and must af
ford delightful drives. There was less mud on
them than on the streets of any of our Indi-
ana towns While Dayton has fine rows Of
business houses and beautiful residences. some
big enough for hotels and having the outside
appearance of Female Academies or Hospi-