Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1857-02-11

iSSe anu NIT q poSSSnSCt Ou tiC PldL-
form. He was one of our chief owners
of the road, and was just on his way to
Berlin. He was pale and excited.
Sir" he gasped, sis Martin KrOller
on the engine?'
"Yes," l told him.
Holy Virgin didn't you know
him 90
''Know him ~ 1 repeated somewhat
puzzled. "What do you mean? He
told me his name was Kroller, and that
he was an engineer. We had no one to
run the engine, and"
"You took him - interrupted the
man. "Good heavens, sir, he is as era
zy as a man can be ] He turned his
brain over new plan for applying steam
power. l saw him at the station, but l
did not then recognize him as 1 was in a
hurry. Just now one of the passengers
told me that your engineers were all
gone this morning. and that you found
one that was stranger to you. Then l
knew that the man whom l had seen,
was Martin Kroller! lie has escaped
from the hospital at Stettin. You must
get him off somehow"
The whole fearful truth was now open
to me. The speed of the train was in
creasing every moment. and l knew that
few more miles per hour would launch
US all into destruction. l called to the
guard, and then made my way forward
as quick as possible. l reached the after
platform of the after tender, and there
stood Kroller, upon the engine board /;
his hat and coat off; his long black hair
floating wildly in the wind; his shirt un-
bu!toned at the throat; his sleeves rolled
up; wi b pistol in his teeth, and thus
glaring upon the fireman, who lay mo-
tionless upon the fuel. The furnace was
stuffed till the very latch of the door
was red hot, and the whole engine was
quivering and swaying as though it
would shiver to pieces
"Krollerl Kroller!" l cried at the top
of my voice.
The crazy engineer started and caught
the pistol in his hand. Oh how those
great black eyes glared. and how ghast-
ly the face looked!
"JIa! hal ha!'' he yelled, demonical-
". glaring upon me like routed lion.
"They swore could not make it =
But see! see! See my new power! See
my new enginel l made it! l made it!
-and they were jealous of me. 1 made
it, and when twas done, they stole it
from me! But l have found it. For
years 1 have been wandering in search
Of my great engine-and they swore it
was not madel But I've found il! l
knew ii when saw it this morning at
Danzig-and 1 was determined to have
it. And I've got i'll Hol Lo! hol-
we're off TO the moon, l say By the
Virgin Mother! we'll be in the moon in
four and twenty hoursl Down, down
Vi!lianl If you move I'll shoot youl'
This last was spoken 10 the poor Ere
man, who that moment attempted TO
rise; and the frightened man sank back
again.
"Here's Little 0scue right at hand -
cried one of the guard.
But even as he spoke the buildings
were at hand. A sickening sensation
settled upon my heart, for l supposed
we were gone now. The houses few by
like tightening. 1 knew if the officers
here had turned the switch as usual, we
should be hurled into eternity in one
| fearful crash! | saw a fiash-it was an
other engine-I closed my eyes-but
still we Numbered on. The officers had
seen our speed. and knowing that we
could not haul up al that distance, they
had changed the switch, so that we went
on.
But there was sure death ahead if we
did not stay. Only fifteen miles ahead
was the town of Schwertz, on the VS.
tula, and at the rate we were going, we
should be there in a few minutes, for
each minute carried US over mile =
The shrieks of the passengers now arose
above the crash of the rails, and more
terrific than all else, arose the demoniac
yells of the mad engineer.
Merciful heavens!'' gasped the
guardsman, 'there's not a moment Of
time to lose; Schwertz is close by!"-
But hold he added" Let's shoot
himl''
Al the moment, tall, stout German
student came over to the platform where
we stood, and we saw that the mad-man
had his heavy pistol aimed at us. He
grasped heavy stick of wood from the
tender, and with steadiness of nerve
which could not have commanded, he
hurled it with such force and precision,
that he knocked the pistol from the me-
MACS grasp. l saw the movement, and
on the instant that the pistol fell, I sprang
forward, and the German followed me.
I grasped the man by the arm, but I
should have been a mere infant in his
mad power, had I been alone. He would
have hurled me from the platform. had
4