Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-06-01

IL ollppcu OuG - my GllC oolCh ultl,
and was STOPPING to pick it up--yards
away from her, when she screamed out,
Let it be !" and drew pistol, sir; a re-
volver with eight or ten barrels It's true,
upon my honor thought tie train was
stopping, but I'd have jumped out of it if
we'd been on a viaduct, for Pm sure she's
raving"
There have been so many cases lately
of ladies assaulted in railway carriages
that perhaps" was simply intending to
say that perhaps my aunt was not an es-
capped lunatic, but had armed herself under
! that mistaken fear but ! was stopped
Good heavens Is that the way you
look at it !" exclaimed my companion, ris-
! ing horror stricken from his seat. :" as
sure you | never touched the lady | never
was within a yard of her till | had to
brush past You don't believe it, | see !!
! Pm a married man. and have five children
at home Is it likely-is it reasonable !?
My bankers will tell you am respectable,
sir. never put finger on her, and no
| body would do so, for she's as ugly as sin.
My soul To think Of such a charge as
this ! She's seventy years of age, sir. Is
it likely"
She IS not fifty yet, sir" l stammered
out.
But didn't touch her III swear it I!
Interfere with a moman armed in that way
is it reasonable to think it," he again
pleaded. But" he quickly went on,
"who knows what lies she'll tell the guard?
| And my names on the stick in full--it's a
presentation stick Oh dear !" he groaned
tumbling back on the seat.
81 suppose, from what the guard said,
| he'll ask the lady but | din't think you
need be afraid,"I remarked soothingly
"After this row in the papers, the magis-
trates would commit saint; and there are
/ lots o folks who'd believe it against new
| born babe. Let me get out! | may as
well be killed as disgraced What would
my wife say? | should never have another
hours peace. Let me go have a bit Of
| luggage, but anybody may have that-you
may! But | swear | never touched her.
an if it's the last word | say, | vow it's
| true"
He had become so excited that | won't
say he would not have left the carriage in
stanter, if | would have allowed him
was obliged to confess that | knew the la
dy, and that she was very eccentric but
| assured him she would never make any
] ~
some time | succeeded in quieting the gen
tleman a little and in the intervals of wi
ping profuse perspiration from his face
head and neck, he repeatedly intimated
| that if would but recover for him his stick
his house. his lands, the balance at his bank
er's, and nearly everything that was his,
shonld be at my disposal whenever | chose
to visit the neighborhood of Gainsborough,
where, it seemed, he resided.
"Fvc seen somewhere, it's forty shillings
for getting into a carriage while the trains
moving" said my companion. "I'll give
the guard two pounds willingly, and end it"
he said, pulling out his purse to be ready,
for the train was stopping for collection of
tickets at Peterborough "By .jingo, there
it goes! She's finished somebody" And
the money ratified to the bottom of the car
riage, as | leaped to my feet, for the sharp
crack of pistol was heard from the adjoin-
ing compartment All was instantly com
motion. The train stopped, and every win
dow was crowded with heads; the woman
shrieked, and the men shouted, | opened
our door, for | was Mortified to see a man
in railway uniform stretched on the ticket
| platform.
as he ticket collector? | thought he
was a rufian!" Uttered my aunt's rough
and now agonized tones, as she leaned out
of the next window, with the revolver in
her hand Then, long, loud scream esca-
ping from her, she loosed the deadly weap-
on, which ratified down among the wheels,
and closing her eyes, she grew very pale.
and subsidized in a swoon.
A number of us hurried to the man in the
railway uniform, who still lay on the plat
form quite motionless Upon raising him,
he was seen to be wounded on the upper
part of the forhead. A rivulct of blood
trickeed down. and the front locks Of hair
were singed and frizzled l believed for
| the moment, that my aunt had reloaded the
pistol, and startling visions of trials for
murder fitted before my eyes But the
man almost instantly rallied, and surgeon,
who was among the passengers, pronounc-
ed that the wound was only a skin-graze
| from the wading The collector, in answer
| to the fifty and one inquiries made at once,
| explained that as the train was stopping
he put his hand on the carriage door to ask
| for the lady's ticket, when she instantly
| lifted her arm and shot him! Aunt Tab,
amidst all the hurly-bnrly which prevailed,
was lifted out of the carriage, and carried
veyed to the station-masters room, fortu-
nately remaining unconcious the while
| cot my Gainsborough friend (who in the
interval had contrived to secure his stick
to accompany me to the head official, and
relate what he had observed Of the lady's
demeanor, urging this in corroboration Of
nv own account Of the craze my aunt had
been encouraged in by that ridiculous Mrs.
LeesOn.
From my unlucky relatives own story,
when she had little come round, it ap-
peared that she had been lying back in the
carriage, with her eyes shut Illuminating on
the narrow escape she had had from I'M
heard-of peril by the forced fight of a
cowardly assailant at Huntingdon, and as
the train slackened for Peterborough she
opened her eyes to find mans face at the
Window, wnereupon she raised the pistol,
and pulled the trigger instantly. 1t was
very fortunate for the man that | had ex-
tracted the original charge, and as no bull
lets were found in the other barrels, the
charges of which were at once drawn, |
represented that my aunt's only object was
to raise an alarm. The wounded man,
however, intimated that it was no part of
i l,,+, b, I, chnf Of Nv 1x-