The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1867-04-24

the "Lady's" speed she would not leave
the track, as the outside rail isfhe one
which guides the train oD curve, and
this was impact Jim Torrance bad come
on the train with me, and / turned to tell
him to jump for his life when saw him
standing upright in the center Of the ten.
der, yrasping a huge block Of wood, and
his eyes cleaning like Goals. Il was sna
time to look after his safety; Isaw him
hurl the stick Of wood at Macleod as he
ran down the embankment, a9d the next
minute we struck the ground and plunged
into the break.
My calculations had been correct. jolt.
ing violently over several cross ties, shat
tering "cowcatcher" and "heailight,"
MASKING the baggage and first passenger
cars; throwing Jim Torrance with great
violence from the tender on 10 the loco.
motive, leaving him senseless by the
shock, and nearly throwing me on to 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 hurt but Jim seriously in.
jured.
Except Macleod. Jim,s m had been
too true, and the block Of wood hurled
with all bis force, gaining additional We
ocity from that Of the train, and struck
Macleod as he ran and felled him sense
less-the fact is, as we soon found, dead.
The billet had struck him aud killed him.
Jim Torrance was never tried for 1t on
earth poor fellow, he's gone since, and l
don't much think they recorded any YER
dict against him in Heaven.
After Jim was taken care of, the Ian
terms were put out ahead and behind us to
warn approaching trains, and the disabled
train was gone through to see after the
wounded. John MacLeod's corpse was
taken up and carried back to the station
which he had just left.
"Frank," said Carew, when matters
were slightly settled aga'n, "gho is to
tell this story to Macs wifo!"
"She does not suspect anything-that
! is, she don't know hoU it occurred"
"She knows there has been an accident,
but she does not know that Mac was
thrown out Of the locomotive aud is the
only one killed"
Good Even Carew himself did not
suspect how Macleod had been felled by
Torrance's blow and killed
NJ will tell her." I said, determined
that she should never know his crime,
nor learn how he had been suddenly and
terribly punished.
| Her grief was terrible to witness. She
lay on my shoulder and sobbed half the
night away, but 1t was less from love Of
the mau-who had always been cruel to
her-than from her woman's nervousness.
Atthe inquest, next day, when she iden.
tiled his body and told the story of his
misauthropy and superstition to the Jury
she was more collected and surprised me
her calnness. The jury thought its
course in the matter plain sailing-no
suspicion Of the mans crime arose Tor.
rance and myself were not examined We
kept our secret to ourselves, and the jury
brodghtin verdict Of "Death by acci.
dent" They knew nothing of his chief
incentive to the crime-the chief cause
of bis death-jealously.
have told the story of my midnight
trip on the "Lady Franklin" Is it nee,
essnry to tell any more? Sudden transl
iions from death scenes TO marriage cere-
monies are always as offensive in the tel,
ling as in the hearing, aud therefore |
think it useless as we'll as 10 bad taste to
waste further words in saying that jus,
one year and half after the fatal acci
dent | took Isabel home as my wife, and
that ever since, by Gods help, I've made
her happy wife, and repaired the wrongs
Of her youth by being good and kind
husband to her --''-