Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-09-19
WHOLE NUMBER 697.

coming, have time to reflect upon it,
and plan and execute a rescue or
what you have to prove so. | saw ii
plainly this night, the rail half remov-
ed, the figure of the madman still
bent at his hellish work. | saw him
as he completed it, saw him shake
his fist savagely at me and jump aside
to watch the slaughter he had plot
ted. / was not a second in sounding
"down breaks not an instant in re-
versing the engine. but nothing
could have saved the train except the
madman's '1ack of method" or want
of the skill of the despised surveyors.
For want of this knowledge, perhaps
for want of time, Macleod had re-
moved but one rail. and the inside one
of the cure. | knew if | could check
the " Lady's speed she would not
leave the track, as the outside rail is
the one which guides the train on a
curve, and this was intact. Jim Tor.
rance had come On the locomotive
with me, and | turned to tell him to
jump for his life when I saw him
standing upright in the centre Of the
tender, grasping huge block of wood
and his eyes cleaning like Goals. II
was no time to look after his safety
| saw him hurl the stick of wood at
Macleod as he ran down the embank.
ment, and the next minute we struck
the ground, and plunged into the
break. rs- Ha bass
My calculations had been correct
Jolting violently over several cross.
ties, shattering +" cowcatcher," and
headlight" " mashing the baggage and
first passenger car; throwing jim
Torrance with great violence from
the tender into the locomotive, leav
ing him senseless by the shock, and
nearly throwing me into the boiler, the
Lady struck and stopped without
leaving the track except upon the side
where Macleod had removed the
rail. We were disabled for the
time, with nobody but Jim seriously
injured. a-#z5F
Except Macleod. Jim's aim haC
been too true, and the block Of wooc
hurled with all his force, gaining ad
ditional velocity from that of the
train, had struck Macleod senseless
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, hes gone
since, and | don't much thiuk they
recorded any verdict against him il
heaven.
/ After Jim was taken care Of the
lanterns put out ahead and behind u:
to warn approaching trains, and the
disabled train was gone through tC
see after the wounded, John Mac
Leod's corpse was taken up and car
ried back to the station which he hat
just left.
Frank said Carew, when mat
ters were slightly settled again, "whC
is to tell the story to Macs wife ?H
"She does not suspect anything
that is, she don't know hoU it oc
Cured"
"She knows there has been all acci
dent, but she doesn't know that MAJ
was thrown out of the locomotive anC
is the only one killed."
Good! Even Carew did not sus
pect how Macleod had been felleC
! by Torrance's blow and killed.
'I will tell her." | said, determined
that she should never know his terri
BILE crime, nor learn how he had beer
terribly and suddenly punished.
| Her grief was terrible to witness
She lay on my shoulder and sobbeC
half the night away, but it was less
from love Of the man who had alwav.
been cruel to her, than from hel
woman's nervousness. At the in
quest, next day, when she identified
his body and told the story of hi
misanthropy and superstition, to The
jury, she was more collected, and sur
prised me by her calmness. 1
The jury thought its course in the
matter plain sailing-no suspicion of
the mans crime arose; Torrance anC
myself were not examined; we KEEP
our secret to ourselves, and the jury
brought in its verdict of "Death b,
accident. " They knew nothing of hi
chief incentive to the crime-th,
chief cause of his death-jealousy.
| have told the story of my mid
night trip on the "Lady Franklin.
Is it necessary to tell any more
Sudden transitions from death-scenei
to marriage ceremonies are alway.
offensive in the telling as in the hear
ing; and therefore | think it is use
less as well as in bad taste to waste
further words in saying that in jus
one year and a half after the fata
accident, took Isabel home as m,
wife, and that ever since, by God'
help, I've made her happy wife, ant
repaired the wrongs of fer youth b,
being a good and kind husband to her
F rFEF ae. ID.
! THE DANGER OF. SoUEEzING.-Ar
exchange relates an incident of recenr
occurrence which illustrates very