Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-12-26

there was more of the same sort, and turn
ed over to sleep again. But all were not SO
philosophical as he. Some cursed the rail
road company, some cursed the fate that
had placed them there, some cursed their
folly in leaving comfortable quarters in or
der to fast in the snow on Thanksgiving-D Day.
li Presently the impatiently- pulled out
watches showed ten clock, and still il snow
ed. Then rumor ran through the train
that there were couple Of barrels OF
chickens, ready.dressed for market, In the
expresscar, and general rush in that di.
rection followed One of the first to hear
of it, and one of the first to be on the spot
was Samson Newell. , ninrippd no s-.l +
Stand back, gentlemen" be cried To the
! foremost of the thront that poured eaqerl,
into the car, stand back moment. Thi.
poultry is in charge of the express messen
ger, aud we have no right to take It withou
his license .o IaTlefiG4I adi rls,
As he spoke, he placed himself beside thu
messenger. There was a determination il
in his eye and manner that held the CROWD
back for short time. lI.f 9rtauJ .f|
"The chickens are NINE" the messenger
said; II bought them on speculation they
will spoil before can get anywhere with
them, and they are now too late for Thanks
giving. You NAV have them for what gave. y
I'll will give five dollars towards paying
for them and Samson Newell drew oul
his pocket book.
Here s dollar 70 "I III give balfl''
"Count me In for two dollars I" cried the
crowd, favorably struck with The notion n
paying for their provender.
But one hulking fellow, with large mock
diamond in his shirt front. and clnmsv r;na.
on his coarse and dirty fingers. stennsd for.
ward and said that he was bnngry man
that he had lost money by the w.- com,
pany already. waiting dav and night in
that blamed snow. bank. and that he was
going TO have chicken or two cb;ckens
IF he wanted tbem.-and he was decidedly
of the opinion that there was mn ernress
messenger on this train who would see the
color of his money in the transaction
Samson Newell was ey;dentIv q man n,
few words in n case of emergency III
paused for only an instant To assure himself
that the man was in earnest then he AID
omen one of tb. side. doors of the exnress.
car, and stretched forth hand whose clntci
was like the closing of a claw of steel He
seized the beieweled stranger bv the ooat.
/ collar. shook him for an Instant and dronned
him,-dropped him into a soft snow.dr;fi
whose tor was level with the car. floor'-
| Whether the II ,f5rtunate work ed n suh
terranean passnre to one of the nassenoer
cars and there buried himself in tba nr;vsc,
of a saloon is NOT known he oerta;nlv Wa,
not seen again till after relief came 70 tn.
imprisoned train. I-' - ''' w
There was neither noise nor confusion II
/ tho matter of having tai. and diuidinr th.
poultry. Samson Newell had already mad,
himself prominent among the captiye travel
lers. He had eaten nothing himself tha
he might the better provide. so far as hi
limited provision went, for his wife ant
children; he had even gone through The
cars with his scanty luncheon of cakes ant
apples, and economically fed other people
| little ones, besides administering to the
wants of an invalid lady upon the train. VIII,
was journeying alone. He was, therefore
u favorite with all ON board. His action
enforcing payment for the provision, tha
would very likely, but for him. have bee,
taken by force, caused the passe ngers 4
defer to him as leader whose strength an,
courage fitted him for the post, and so h,
presided at the distribution Of the chicken
without dispute. '~2 ''7''~ : -
The fuel in the stoves was replenished
aud quite large space was cleared to tn
leeward OF the locomotive, where a fire wa
built from the neighboring FENCES, so tina
in an hours time from the finding of N
poultry the entire body of passengers wer
busy picking the bones of roasted and broi
ed fowls. Il was not SO bad diunerl I
, be sure, it was rather chilly, now and ther
|, when the opening Of car,door, to let in
half.frozen gentIeman with halfcooke
chicken in his hand, admitted with him
snow-laden blast from without; and the
, the winds were not served a Ia, l.Soysr bu
there was an appetite for sauce and certai
$ gypsy-like feeling of being at picnic ths
served as relish. And so, in the year
Y our Lord 49,, two thousand strangers s,
;, down together at most extraordinar
4 Thanksgiving dinner, of which no accour
:, has hitherto been published, if | except
b vote of. thanks, together with an exceed
$ ingly chaste and richly chased silver goblet,
r (so the newspaper description read, whic
0 were presented to the conductor by 'ti
! surviving passengers, after he had procure
# help and rescued them from their perple,
! inc predicamcnt. G - n i-7.iV7
!, But dinners end. Twelve o'clock cam
0 and still the snow was falling thick and fas
!, and still the white plain about them noun
l. ed slowly and surely towards the skies.
6 Then the passengers became vet more wea
and unhappy. Old Woollen. the unfr
eI . Jt:5J re-; -, =. -, - ! - l