The Kanzas news., 1859-07-23
.Aow iomo
iIacfdsnt in the Life OF q locomotive

tAHcIoent IN the Lie Ola locomotive
20, - Engineer.Sr
{ s'Fivs years lsincaI waseTunning on the
n. Y. Central Railroad. by run waszfron
Buffalo TO Rochester. ItsSas the lightning
/ iexpressi tfains and K vas what its namefde-
notes. kT it Tas fast-a very fast run, and
| if I do say ID, the old Tornado could go-z I
have seer. her.throw her SIX foot drivers 50
as to be almost invisible te the eye. And
let me bere remark III is supposed by many
that railroad fengineers aEs a hard-heafted
lset of men; their hfes are hard, 'tis. true,
! but do claim to have as sfNe feeling, and
a heart that can synRathise with the Hpfor
ftuRate. as any man-that breathes. But to
my story. About half a mile from the VII
ilage of B-there is a nice little cottage
but few feet from the track. ,,Atthat time
| a young married couple lived there. They
had one child, little by aboat four years
lold, bright, black eyed, Curly headed chap
as you ever saw. I had takgn5 "a great deal
of interest in thelitte fellow.and had thrown
candy and oranges to him from the train,
and l was sure to-see him peeping through
the fence when my train passed. y" '..
| One fine sunny afternoon We We're be
hind time and y running fast, nor did not
tstOp at B., and Twas making up one hour
before reaching Rochester I'VE come up
at tremendous speed, and, when sweeping
around the curve, my .eyeo followed the
| track; not overj two hua dred feet she9d sat
the little fellow playing Fith q kitten which
! he held in his lap. At the, sound ef9our
lapproach be looked up and laughed, clap
plug his little hands in high glee at the af-
| frighted kitten as il ran from the track
Quicker than the lightning that blasts the
tall pine upon the mouatain top, s1swhistied
''down. brakes, and reversed my engine.
but knew it was impossible to stop. No
! bly, did that old engine try to save him.
I The awful stTaining and writhing iof-its iron
drivers told but too plainly of the terrific
velocity we had attained. l was out of the
cabin window and down on thee COW catch
er in flash. The little fellow stood still.
/ motioned him off and shouted, his little
blue eyes opened wide with oastonishment,
and merry laugh was upon his lips.
held my breath as We rushed upon him,
made a desperate attempt to save him, but
missed, and as his little body passed heard
the feeble cry of t'mother i" and the for
ward truck crushed his body to atoms !"
I go God ~ that moment may live,
sir. to be old man, but the agony of that
moment can never be erased from my mem
lory. The cars stopped some. rods from the
l-spot, and backed as soon as possible
His mother saw the train stop, and fearful
foreboding flashed upon her at opce.E She
came rushing frantically to the spot where
we stood. Never shall I forget the look
she gave me as she belleld her 6rst-borne 8
shapeless mass. would have given my
whole existence to have avoided that mo-
ment l have seen. death in. all its forms
upon railroads. l have seen men, women
and children mangled and killed-I have
seen all this, but that little innocent boy As
he looked up in my face, and was killed al
most in my arms-it' unnerved me and
from that day made a solemn vow never
TO run a locomotive any more. s, 49,,
! THAT young mother is now in the Uticd
lunatic asy lum. From the hour her boy was
killed reason had left its throne"
! He stopped and wiped the tears from his
eyes and said, ''you may think it weak il
me to shed tears, but l cannot help it. =
Mo- replied, ''but think it noble; ant
sir. would to God every man had heart as
large as yours 5@7 +