Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-06-10
CHEAT RAILROAD A ADVENTURE.

Great Railroad Adventure" and "Reyont
the Eines,' are the titles of two very inter
esting books published by j. w. Danghaday
3OS Chestnut street. Philadelphia. They arr
true stories of the war, wrttes by returned
prisoners, and no romance could be more ex
citing. The first book is by Lieutenant VIII
liam Pettinyer, one ofthat little band Of dar
ing men who penetrated the cnemy's line,
lin Georgia. in 1862, seized an entire railroad
train and dashed of with it into the country
to destroy the railroads aud interrupt IN,
movements Of the rebel armies The cxpe
dition was audacious, but it nearly succeed
ed. We quote, for the pleasure Of our read
ers, the graphic account of the adyentur,
which Lieutenant Pcttngcr has given. Tn,
rest Of the book is devoted 10 An account O
prison life, and the efforts Of tn. prisoners /,
escape, 1t is well to premise that the ad
venturers were dressed in citizens clothes
and have Travelled unsupported as far as Ma
rietta, where they seized the train The Lieu
tenant SAYS: ......t 49, . E-. r.
The waiter aroused lis at four o'clock ir
the morning, as we told him we wished tt
take the train at that hour back to Camt
Mcdonald, which is located az place called
Big Sh ,nty, eight miles north Of Marietta
and is also breakfast station. Aadrews haC
gone to another hotel, and warned the part,
there to be in readiness to take passage
Two Of them, Hawkins and Porter, who Ar
rived earlier, were not warned and wer,
therefore left behind. 1t was not their faul.
as they had no certain knowledge of the tim,
we were to start, but rather thought it woult
be the nest day
w. a,tSt t,x,n -. oc a.. {.
Andrews and ninrt' Oh Others of whom seve
raj were engineers. We went along very
quietly and 'nofensivcly, just as any othc,
passengers would do, until we reached Bi.
Shanty. knew that we were to take pos
session of he train at this place, but did no
know just how it was to be done. | though
we would probably have to fight, and compr
the conductor, train hands aud passengers t.
get off. We might have done this, but i
would have required very quick work, fo,
thoIe were then some ten thousand troops
mostly conscrpts, camped there, and gr,art
was placed watching tho train Blu, fan
better plan was adopted. -#
AS soon as we arrived, the engineer, con
dnctor. and many Of the passengers wen
over to the eating house Now was our op
portunity Andrews and one or two Other.
went forward and examined the track, TO Sc,
If every thing was in readiness for Iapil
start
Oh! what n thrilling moment was that i
Our hearts throbhed thick and fast with emo
tons we dared not manifest to those who
were loaling ihditfsiently around. In min
ute, which seemed an hour, Andrews cam,
back. opened the door, and said very quietly
and carelessly,' Let us 90, now, boys
Just as quietly and carclcsSy wc arose ant
followed him. The passengers who were Ia
zily waiting for the train TO move on to carr,
them to their destination. saw nothing in th,
transaction to excite their suspicious. Lei
surely we moved forward reaching the head
Of the train---ihen Andrews, Brown, our en-
gineer, and knight, who also coulG run an
engine, leapcd on the locomotive Alfred
Wilson took the top of the cars rs brakes
man, and the remainder Of us claInbered into
the baggage car, which with two others, had
been previously uncouplcd from the hinder
part OF the tram. For one moment of mos,
intense suspense all was still then pull
jar clang-and we were flying away OF,
our perilous journey. ...''.
There are times in the life of man when
whole years of intcnsest enjoyment Seem
condensed into a single moment. Ii was SO
with me then. | could comprehend the emo
ton Of Columbus, when. he first beheltl
through the dim dawn Of the morning the
new fonhI but long dreamed. of shores of
America, or the less innocent, but no less
vivid joy Of Cortez, when he first planted
the cross of Spain over tho golden nails OF
Montezuma. Ny breast .hrobsed full of emo.
tons Of delight and glsanesa, that words la
hor in vain to express. 4 sense Of e,heiral
lightncssr ran through all my veins, and |
seemed to be ascending hgher--highsr
realms Of inexpressible bliss. with each pul.
sation Of the engine, 1t was moment of
triumphant joy, that will never return again,
Not dream Of failure now shadowed nv
rapture. All had told us that the or, attest
difficulty was to reach and take possession
of the engine, and after that, SUCCESS was
certain. IL acou,d haze been, but for unfor.
seen contingencies. ".. 5s
Away We secured. passing field, and vii.
lage and Woodland. At each leap of the en-.
ginc our hearts rose higher, and we talked
mcrri|y OF the welcome that would greet Is
when we dashed Into Huntsville a few hours
ia.er--our enterprise done, and the brightest
laurels Of the guerrilla Morgan far eclipsed /!
But the telegraph ran by our side, and was
able by the singh flishing of single light.
ming message ahead, to arrest our progress
and 'iissipate all our fondest hopes. There
was no Geographic station where we took the
train, but we knew not how soon our enes
mics might reach one or whether they might
not have portable battery at command. TO
obvate all danger OH this point, we stopped
after running about four miles, to cut the
wire. 1 saa sa. .....n 1sf .f.
John Scott, an active young man, climbed
the pole, and with his hand knocked off the
insulated box at the top, aud swung down
on the wire. Fortunately there was a small
saw on the engine, with which the wire was
soon severed. While this was being done
another party took up rail, and put it into
the car to carry off with us. This did no,
long check our pursaers, bit we had the sat
isiactien 0! learning that il threw thena down
an embankment, as will be narrated more
fully in Confederate account inserted here.
after.
When the engine frs. stopped, Andrews
jumped off, c'asped our hands ia ecstasy.
congratulaling US that our difficulties were
now all over that we had the enemy at such
u 'SnafoitaSc tt1'@t nc CDull HOL marin us,
and exhibited every sign Of joy. Said he,
Only one more train TO pass. and then We
will put our engine 10 fnll speed, burn the
bridges after Us. dash through, Chattanooga.
and then on to Mitchell at Huntsville" The
would have been filed if we had
met only one train.
We were ahead Of time, and in order to
mcetthe down train just on time, we were
obliged to stop on the track awi.ic. Thcs..
were tedious moments while we waited, .a,t
soon We moved on very slowly again. AT the
next station Andrews borrowed a schedule
from the tanktender, telling him that he was
running an express powder.train through to
Beauregartl. He give tho schedule, saving
he would send his shirt to Beauregard il hp
wanted it, When asked aiterward if he did
not suspect anything, he said he would as
soon have Thought of suspecting jeff. Davis,
AZ one who talked with so much assurance