The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-05-09

with whistle blowing and usually at slow
gait. But feeling in good spirits at Mac
Leod' $ absence. the Aproapect of good
run, having the 'y4ady, IN fine condi-
ton, with the trains we were to meet re-
ported ''al right afld the track clear, i
'slet the dogs loose" opened valves,
dashed through the cut, and
Very, very nearly into eternity! DANCE,
is said to be very fascinating: it is particu-
| larry so when you see it coming, have
time to reflect upon it, and plan and exc
| cute a rescue or what you hope to prove
! so. I saw it plainly this night, the raj
half removed, the figure Of the mailman
still bent at his hellish work. I saw him
| as he completed it saw him shake his fist
| savagely at me and jump aside to watch
the slaughter he had plotted. Twas not
second in sounding sdown-brakes not
an instant in reversing the engine, blu,
nothing could have saved the engine ex.
cept the mailman S lack of method, u
or want Of skill of the despised surveyors
For want Of this knowledge, perhaps fol
want of time, Mcleod had removed but
one rail, and that the INSIDE o.esof til.
cuyue. | knew if [ could check the la
dy's speed she could not leave the track
| as the outside rail is the one which guides
the train on curve, and this was impact
jim Torrance had come On the locOmo-
tive with me, and [ turned to tell him
to jump for his life when [ saw him
standing upright in the centre of the ten
der, grasping huge block of wood and
his eyes glenming like Goals. 1t was nc
time to look after his safety; [ saw him
hurl the stick of wood at Mcleod as he
ran down the embankment, and the next
minute we struck the ground, and plung
ed into the break.
My calculations had been correct
Jolting violently over several cross ties,
SCATTERING s'cowcatchero and headlight
MASKING the baggage and first passenger
car; throwing Jim Torrance with great
violence from the tender onto the loco
motive, leaving him senseless by the
shock, and nearly throwing me onto the
boiler, the Lady struck and stopped
without leaving the track except upon
the side where Mcleod had removed the
rail, We were disabled for the time,
with nobody but J i'm seriously injured
Except Mcleod. Jim's aim had been
too true, and the block of wood hurled
with all his force gaining additional velo-
lty from that OF the train, had struck
Mcleod as he ran and felled him sense
less-the fact is as we soon found, dead.
The billet had struck him and killed him.
Jim Torrance was never tried for it on
earth; poor fellow, he's gone,H and [
don't much think they recorded any YER
dict against him in heaven.
After Jim was taken care of, the lam
terms put cut ahead and behind us to
f,.oln hn IL
led train was gone through to see after
the wounded, John Mcleod s corpse was
taken up and carried back to the station
which he had just left.
Frank, said Carew, when matters
were slightly settled again, who is to tell
this story to Macs wife?'
''She does not suspect anything-that
is she don't know hoao it occurred. -
"She knows there has been an ac-
cident, but she doesn't know that Mac
was thrown out of the locomotive and is
the only one killed.
Good Even Carew did not suspect
how Mcleod had been felled by Tor
rance's blow and killed.
II Will tell her, II said determined that
she should never know his crime. nor
learn nnow he had been suddenly and ter
ribly punished.
Her grief was terrible to witness She
lay on my shoulder and sobbed half the
night away, but it was less from the love
of the man-who had always been cruel
to her-than from he woman's nervous
ness. At the inquest, next day, when
she identified his body and told the story
of his misanthropy and superstition to
the jury, she was more collected, and
turprised me by her calmness. The jury
thought its course in the matter plain
sailing-no suspicion of the man s crime
arose; Torrance and myself were not ex-
amined; we kept our secret to ourselves,
and the jury brought in a verdict Of
death by accident They knew moth
ing of his chief incentive to the crime
the chief cause of his death-jealousy.
I have told the story of my midnight
trip on the Lady Franklin" Is it nee
essary to tell more? Sudden transitions
from death scenes to marriage ceremonies
are always offensive in the telling as in
the hearing; and therefore [ think it use
less as well as in bad taste to waste furth-
er words in saying that just one year and
a half after the fatal accident [ took Isa-
bel home as my wife, and that ever since
by Gods help. I've made her a happy
wife, and repaired the wrongs of her
youth by being a good and kind husband
to her.