The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-02-12

ieSi MN managing tne engine os quietly and
carefully as if il was summers day. and
he had the lives of hundred passengers to
answer for, beside his own. .f "a
IA few minu,es-ten or twelve, perhaps,
had elOpscd since ] looked at my watch, and
had begun to think our journeys end was
near. We were passing, as near as-I could
Judge by the sound and the wind, over level,
open tract Of country, when I fancied'1 felt
a momentury in;so slight however, and uu.
important, that it would have passed from
my recollection at onces had it'n5t been for
what followed. Just at that moment lon
ger and brighter & tsh Of lightning than any
| had before seen, ATTENDED, not followed, by
an awful crash Of ,hander, lit up 'Ogafa the
surrounding scenery. But high above the
deafening peaI--above the lesser thunder Of
the wheels, above the taSiGg Of the wind, I
heurd shrek, a shout of horror, so wild, so
awful, so like the utterance of a loet soul,
that it vex, g my dreams to this hour. Itwas
sound which no physical pain could have
ELECTED from a hum an being, which pothing
but supernatural fear could have produced,
and which no one who once hcard it could
ever bauish from his recollection.
"Involuntarily ! felt for my companion, -
lie ,cGs gone! l CROPPED hastily about the
confined space in which we had been stand.'
ing, and at once realized the awful nature
OF my position. 4 was alone, upon an engine
which was tearing mudly forward At the rate
of sixty or seventy miles an hoaf. rapidly
approaching my destination, about to @dush
headlong, at full speed, into the midst OF an
eager and excited crowd, and with no more
knowledge of the management or govern
ment Of the crazy thing than an infant. For
IN instant was thoroughly paralyznd BY
fear. Cold drops of perspiration stood upon
my brow, and fairly screamed in imputent
agony. But in moment more recovered
myself. | had some indis'nct notion that
the speed of an engine was accelerated or
checked by operating the levers which stood
by my side, and fo-thwish commenced ser.
les Of experiments with them. But my un-
skillfulness or agitation prevented my EN-.
ploying the proper means, and fancied
had only increased the speed. Another
resource flashed upon me, | might pull put
A. l. vynoJ DpI cnu1u upJ roJ,,cr ~ n
FIRE. 1t was . mad idea, for my ungloved
hands were my only tnols ios',lss .erlt Y 5rise !;
bat chuckled wildly to myscIE, as thought
how feasible il was, and how sure OF success,
Eagerly stopped down atd pulled a flaming
stick from beneath the boiler. The seeth
ing pitch scaled my hands, and the live
embers burnt them cruelty; but hardly felt
the pain, asI hurled it franiically into the
darkness. 1@. @ ~ @'@t
But did not stnop aga;n. For, as Turn
ed to continue my vain .burs, another flash,
one of those lingering, wayy, dancing fash
es. which seem to tarryas deliahtiUg to
gaze upon the terror they cause, cnce more
lit up the scene. trust that death will
efIace its horror from my mind. know
that can never forget it on this side of the
grave. The shrek ofmy companion, which
was still ringing in MY ears, no longer sur
prised me. no longer wondered at his
mad leap from the engine. 1t was the ex
cess of my terror aIo,e which prevented my
following his example. no longer cared
for The murderous speed Of the locomotive;
| no longer thought of my own danger. All
the miseivings, all fears for myself were
swallowed up and merged in one vast, shud.
dering, indescribable horror. For there,
inst be fore me upon the boiler, with it's lips
parted into liendsh grin. with its eyes wide
open, and staring Upon me, and the glare
impartihg a life. Hike glow to its stony fea-
tures; there with reach ofmy palsed hand
even as I shrunk back in craven fear to the
farthest limits of my moving prison, sat a
pale. CORY. hideoGs and hangled HUMAN
HEAr .4to...y5 .,g
"You smile, gentlemen," continued The
ugly man., with melancholy air, sand il
seems to me that III should hear the story
told by another, ns you are now doing, in, I
quiet room, with firm floor beneath my feet
a cheerful fire before me, and friends around
should dothe same thing; but, believe me, !
dropping his voice so low that could hard
| " hear him, at is different thing in awilt
night, alone, and witha sudden and awfu
death pending over you,'' 5aa3 y
"Keep moving, straHger," said the mar
| in the red shirt, crocking hickory nut. it'
| as good as sermon. Pass on to the secon'
1 head" .,, .u a.q9; ast.a, Hgag
1T could, of course pursued the ugl!
man, without needing the untimely Jest, %
1 but few minutes or perhaps seconds, be
fore this terrible drama must conclude; bu
no prisoner ever longsa for freedom as l di
i for the final crash, which knew would en-
myqife aud torment together. / made n
4 further effort to'stop tie locomotive. va
hardly aware that il was still tearitg madl
i on, us though frightened, like myself, nt II
shastly burden. The ligh,ning stilliaashe
!. al intervals, and illuminated the clayey face
but did not need It's gleams to see the hol
i rid hing. For through ihe pitchy darkpes
and the binding rain elarediupoalme as
had beheId ii at first. Nor do I considt
4 ,his iifiaeihSiion! ItAink that terror had !