Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-01-31

When / reached the exact spot |
dismounted, and carefully examined
the ground The dew was still on
the grass, but there was not foot
print to be- seen on it, | went over
every inch of the bank, and the bOr-
der OF the fields below, with as much
minuteness as a well-trained pointer:
then examined the bank of the ca
nal, and crossing by lock little
way below, went over the farther
bank with equal care. There only
remained the road to examine No
vehicle had passed over it since the
previous night except the mailcart,
the tracks of whose wheels were
freshly marked As followed them
with my eye | noticed little spot of
ground slightly blackened and caught
glimpse of bright metal. | hast
oned to the place and found a strange
looking object, made apparently with
two pieces of Tin or zinc which bore
the traces of recent explosion
This, then, was some clew to the
mystery.
| walked along the road, scrutin-
izing it carefully, and about twenty
yards farther found another of these
Internal machines not exploded. -
Farther on | came on the track Of
child which had crossed the road
from the cambridge to the fields
! could see that the child had stop
ped in one place ; for the footprints
were repeated, one over the other,
and there were the marks of hand
in the dust, where little fingers had
scraped it in the act Of picking some
thing up. looked across the fields
and saw small lad L" keeping birds
He was the only one astir, so | Lailed
him and asked him if he had found
any thing like what held in my
hand aud he ut once produced one
from his pocket, saying he found it in
the road. | gave him sixpence, which
was of more value to him and safer
supposing he laid it all out in sweets
than the explosive article which
took from him.
Then | mounted the cart again and
drove on toward Grasslands, but did
not see any thing more. In order to
test whether the things | had found
would sound like pistol, | selected
a safe and quiet bit of the road, laid
one down, aud drove over it. 1t ex-
ploded with "a flash and sound very
like a pistol. Being prepared for it
| saw whence the flash came but
the doing driver was hardly likely
to observe so much as that
As was driving on | was sur
prised by the sudden appearance Of
Mr.. brakes keeper.
Hold hard !" he cried, stopping
the horse. Was that you shooting?
That's the second this morning. What
have you got in the trap"
| did not choose to explain matters
to him; and he clearly suspected me
of poaching. and vowed he'd take me
before his master. To this | had no
objection SO he jumped into the cart
and we turned round.
To make a long story short Mr..
Drake was reused, and came down
to find me virtually in custody. A
few words explained how it was. The
keeper was Sent away--not without
praise, though, for his vigilance
and then related my discovery to
Mr.. Darke. He at once recognized
in my internal machines the fog
signals in use on railways.
He insisted on my coming in and
taking breakfast before | prosecuted
the search farther, and | readily con,
sented Mary came down in a charm
ing morning-wrapper and presided,
and-the danger being ovcr-was
told all about it,
1t was determined that the mail
cart-which was an unusual convey
ance, and might attract needless at
tention-should be put up at Grass
lands, and that | should 60 on the
nearest railroad in Mr. Darke's dog
cart
On reaching the station ! found
from the station-master that there
was most objectionable careless
ness about the fog-signals they
were not served out to particular
men, but kept in box accessible to
any one about the station. The
plate-layers, he told me, were the
men who used them oftenest and |
found that party of them were lay
lag fresh rails about a mile of.
| drove to the nearest point to the
place named, and made my way
across country to the gang on the
line. | recognized my two friends Of
the pOst-office among them and .
mode of procedure at once suggest
ed itself to me. 1t was not strictly
legal, perhaps, but it answered my
purpose. | went to the ganger, or
foreman, and told him | wanted two
of his men on a charge of murder
He did not seem inclined to assist
me, and told me must help myself.
Luckily had the pistols with me. |
went up to the two men, told them |
was L police-officer, and that | had
come to take them up on charge of
numbering Mr.. Darke They seemed
a little taken aback, but denie,i ihe
charge stoutly.
! "You laid fog-signals on the road
last night to irighten his horses, and
they upset him into the canal and
he's drowned" said | /; SO it's mur-
der, my lads. Come along !"
There seemed some inclination to
resist the capture, so ! took out the
pistols
"Look here" said | "if | can't
take the two ] want, lads, | shall
shoot the first two that come to hand
: nr,l &hn,,ll ko tho E,.rt tLnt :r,to,.tnra