Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-12-06
towards the scarp of the noun

4
tain. tl u 5i l-I -
When the details of this lucky
escape reached me, l felt that my
reputation was at stake. This
was evidently Number Three of
the diabolical attempt of the same
hand. The first inquiry made was
Who drove the train? And one
or two questions of similar char
acter put me in possession of this
important fact, that the driver of
the train and the driver of the
coal-engine trains at the time the
trucks were thrown of, was one
and the same person. 'Now, then,
for the driver" said /, and march
ed to his lodgings, l found him a
quiet, inoffensive sort of young
fellow, not a likely man to have a
malignant enemy. He was un-
married, and somewhat fresh to
his duties on the line, not having
been in the position very long.
We at once touched on the SUBJ
iect of the accident, but | found
he was quite at sea as to the cause.
"Have you an enemy" said |,
cor any one who entertalns any
malice against your"
No; he thought not.
"You are unmarried, l believer"
Yes; he was.
"Courting, perhaps?" 1 sugges-
confessed to the softimpeach-
ment.
"Have you any objection to tell
me who the lady is?" inquired |,
for we police'officers are sometimes
obliged to override delicate scru-
Piles. He mentioned the name of
a young woman residing at farm
house six miles down the valley,
and within half a mile of the
scene of the accident. I drew a
long breath, but kept my own
counsel.
"Oh, SO the damsel lives there,
does she? Now has she any 9th
er sweetheart besides yourself?'
He thought there had been one,
a carpenter; but quoth the driver,
complacently smoothing an incip-
lent beard-"She has no lover now
but me-"
"Where does this carpenter
live?"
"About half a mile from the
farm" he answered; and with that
Ileft, fully satisfied now that was
on the trail, E,a .r, r..
The morning after, and at the
scene of, the accident, | had found
a large thick stake, cut evidently
from the adjoining wood. This
had been used to pry up the rail
from the sleeper. Examining it
minutely, l saw that it had been
cut recently, and that with a
notched knife.
So, with this idea uppermost, |
started on my mission, and after a
pleasant drive, reached the little
hamlet where the carpenter lived.
The district was very mountainous
and rugged; and as mounted the
winding road towards the house, |
could hear the monotone of the
river near which so narrow an es-
cape had taken place. Honder
was the scene. Was the criminal
here2 The door Was soon opened
to my knock, and by the carpen-
ter himself, a cool, selfpossessed
young man, who seemed to read
my errand in a moment, yet asked
me what I wanted, without the
change Of muscle. Ientered into
his little room, and told him [ had
a suspicion he could enlighten me
on the cause of the railway acci-
dent. ~ -. ~ s-
No he couldn't; he bad heard
of it, like the rest. .. s..t.-
Would he allow me to search
him?
Certainly; and forthwith vari-
GUS articles were in E my hand.
On his person / found two pocket
knives, each of which would have
served to cut the stake AS |
paused moment, and held them
in my. hand, he heedlessly obsery-
ed: aThat knife" ;" (pointing to
one) sI only put in my pocket this
morning, as | generally keep it at
home" I opened the knife !;
the blade was aotched; and look
ing up from the article to the car
'penter caught his eye. We knew