Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-02-18
and was just on his way to Berlin. He was
pale and excited.
''Sir, he gasped, ''s Martin Kroller on the en-
o;oo 2'j

eyes" told him.
"Holy Virgin didn't yon know him!"
"Know him 2" | repeated, somewat puzzled,
what do you mean2 He told me his name was
Kroller, and that he was an engineer. We had
no one to run on the engine, and -
"You took himm interrupted the man.
"Good heavens, sir, he is as crazy as man can
| be- He turned his brain over q new plan Tor
applying steam power. saw him at the sta
ton, but did not recognize him, as | was in a
hurry. Just now one of your passengers told
me that your engineers were all gone this morn
ing, and that you found one that was stranger
to you. Then knew that the man whom |
| had seen was Martin Kroller He had escaped
from the hospital at Stettin. You must get hun
off somehow"
/ The whole fearful truth was now open to me.
The speed of the train was increasing every mo-
ment. and | knew that q few more miles per
| hour, would launch US all into destruction. l
called to the guard and then made my way for
ward as quick as possible. / reached the after
platform of the after tender, and there stood
| Kroller upon the engine-board, his hal and coat
off, his long black hair floating wildly in the
wind. his shirt unbuttoned ut the throat, his
sleeves rolled up, with pistol in his teeth, and
thus glaring upon the fireman, who lay motion,
less upon the fuel. The furnace was stuffed tlll
the very latch of the door was red hot, and the
whole engine was quivering and swaying us
though it would shiver in pieces.
"Kroller Kroller" cried at the top OF my
voice. ,,
The crazy engineer started and caught the pis-
to in his hand Oh! how those great black
eyes glared, and how ghaStly and trighttul the
face looked.
"Ha ha ha !" he yelled Economically, ,glaring
upon me like a reused lion.
..They swore could not make it But see
see! See my new power See my new engine.
made it, and they are jealous of me l made
it, and when it was done they stole it from me.
But have found it! For years have been
wandering in search OF my great engine. and
they swore it was not made But have found
lit! knew it this morning when l saw it at
Dantzic. and was determined to have it. And
I've got it! Ho! no! ho!-we're on the moon,
| saw! BY the Virgin Mother, we'll be in the
moon in four and twenty hours. Down, down,
william! If you move III shoot you'll"
This was spoken to che poor fireman, who at
that moment attempted to rise and the fright
ened man sank back again.
"IIere's Little Oscue right at hand!' cried
out one of the guard But even as he spoke the
buildings were at hand A sickening sensation
settled upon my heart, for | supposed that we
were gone now. The houses flew by like light
ming. knew if the officers here had turned OF
the switch as usual, we would be hurled into
ternitv in one fearful crash. | saw a fash-it
was another engne-1 closed my eyes; but still
we thundered on The officers had seen our
speed and knowing that we would not head up
at that distance, they had changed the switch,
SO that we went on.
But there was sure death ahead if we did not
stop. Only fifteen miles ahead was the town ol
Schwartz, on the Vistula. and at the rate we
were going we should be there ina few minutes,
for each minute carried US over mile. The
skrieks 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.
sMerciful heavens!" gasped the guardsnan,
there's not a moment of time to loose; Schwartz
is close by But hold" he added, "let's shoot
himm
At that moment tall, stout German student
came over to the platform where we Stood ana
we saw that the mad man had his heavy pistol
aimed at us. He grasped heavy stick OF wood
and, with steadiness of nerve which could mol
have commanded, he hurled it with such force
and precision, that lie knocked the pistol from
the mauiacs hand. | saw the movement, and
on the instant that the pistol fell, sprang for
ward. and the German followed me. grasped
the man by the arm, but should have been as
nothing in his mad power had been alone. He
would have hurled me from the platform, had
not the student ut that moment struck him upon
the head with stick of wood which he caught
as he came over the tender.
Kroller settled down like dead man, and on
the next instant shut off the steam and opened
the valve. AS the freed steam shrieked and
howled in its escape, the speed began to decrease
and in few minutes moie the danger was pass
ed As settled back, entirely overcome at the
wild emotions that had ragged within me, we be-
gan to turn the river; and before | was fairly
recovered, the fireman had stopped the train in
the station-house at Schwartz.
Martin Kroller, still insensible, was taken from
the platform and, as we carried him to the
guard-room one of the guard recognised him.
and told us that he had been there about two
weeks before.
s'He came" said the guard, "and swore that
an engine which stood near here was his. lie
said it was one he had made to go to the moon
in, and that it had been stolen from him. we
sent for more help to arrest him, and he He'd
sWell,n replied with shudder, 81 wish he
had approached me in the same way; but he
! was more cautious at Dantzic."
At Schwartz we found an engineer to run the
engine to Bromberg; and having taken out the
western mail for the next northern train to take
along, we saw that Kroller would be properly
attended to, and then started on
The rest of the trip we ran in safety, though
} | could see that the passengers were not wholly
at east. and would not be until they were entire
" clear of the railway. A heavy purse wa:
made up bv them for the German student, ano
he accepted it with much gratitude, and | wa:
clad of it; for the current of gratitude TO hin
may have prevented far different current, which
might have poured upon my head, for having
; engaged mailman to run railroad train.
But this is not the end. Martin Kroler re-
mained insensible from the effects of that blow
upon the head nearly two weeks, and when ne
recovered from that he was sound agaln--hl>
insanity was all gone. saw him about three
: weeks afterwards, but he had no recollection o
me. He remembered nothing of the past year
not even his mad freak on my engine
But remembered it, and | remember it still
and the people need never fear that | shall be
imposed upon again by a crazy engineer.
LOVE ToKENs.-The ancient English custom
of giving love tokens on the twentieth Of August
was a very wise and far-seeing plan for settling
Young ladies in life. and would, if revived, Ell
able mamma with large family of girls to get
rid of them as quickly as pine apples at penny
a slice. 1t was the custom in England, long
time ago, for 'enamored maydes and genti wo-
men" to give to their favorite swains, as tokens
of their love- little handkerchiefs about three or
four inches square, wrought round about, often
in embroidery, with button or tassel at each
corner, and small one in the centre. The finest
of these favors were edged with narrow gold
lace or twist; and then, being folded up in four
cross folds, so that the middle might be seen,
they were worn by the accepted lovers in their