Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-04-06
OrIgin Of "Under the GasIIgh,.,'

A few years ago, when the old Port
land Railroad was paying a dividend Of
~ninety-nine cents on the dollar, and
trains were run ahead Of the schedule
with Government mules, an incident
occurred which has since passed into
history, and mSdo the subject of a thrill
ling drama. On n beautiful moonlight
night in August, II solitary footman
with II tin bucket in one hand and q
bottle of whisky in tho other, might
have been seen provided the reader
had been there) vending his serpcntine
course along the track leading to Port
land. He was an honest but dissipated
plcbian, returning from his weeks toll.
Having stopped at several of the q gro
Gerry stores on tho way, he had laid
in u supply beyond the capacity of his
weary limbs to carry. He appeared
very much absorbed, and q casual OBJ
server might have been led to suppose
that tho poor fellow had lost the bridge
of his nose aud was hunting for it.
Such, however, was not the case, the
solitary traveller was meditating OH n
subject that deeply concerned him. AT
the first switch below Sixteenth street
he made the painful discovery that the
bottle was empty, and there was no
half way house on the route. AS he
was about crossing the Salt river
road junction, the unfortunate plebian
stubbed his toe against one Of tho ties,
and something was heard to drop,
which ho shortly afterward discovered
to be himself.
After several Intellectual attempts to
perpendiculnrizc his body, ho gave it up
in despair. There he lay in all his ma
tive innocence across the track, rs firm
tly bound to the spot rs If he had been
tied down with n bod cord. The dread
full thought flashed Owe his mind that
the . O'Clock train coming northward
was due ut the junction in ten minutes,
yet he could not move q muscle. While
he was contemplating the situation, his
car caught the low rumbling noise of
the approaching train, and the I" tramp,
tramp, tramp" Of the mules, which
sounded to him like the shoveling of
earth upon his coffin. He thought of
all the sins he had ever committed of
the many honest and conliding barkeep-
ers he had heartlessly "bilked," and
tho numerous innocent girls he had
promised to marry when free lunches "
were fully in vogue. All these, and
many moro of minor import, crossed his
guilty conscience as he lay there in the
tight ".embracc Of DEATH" AS the gal
Looping mules drew near, n poor IN
with u market basket OF her arm cam
up on n dead run to catch the passing
train. Seeing the impending fate of the
man on the track, with that presence Of
mind peculiar to her sex, she caught
him by the feet and threw him about
ten yards in n. friendly gutter. As the
mans head was leaving tho track the
train flew by at the rate of Mt least five
knots an hour, one Of the front wheels
cutting off q lock Of his hair.
On the following morning, the poor
man and poor were presented in
the City Court, the former for drunken
ness and the latter for stealing the con
tents of n clothes.line near Portland.
They were fined So each, in default Of
which the poor people'were consigned
70, a term Of ten days to the workhousc.
We wrote up the thrilling affair at the
time, but forgot to make it sensational.
However, II vas copied by several New
York papers, and some " jenkins " with
u keen Grammatical eye, had the audacty
to change the character and plot, and 1t
is now being produced in thsaters under
the flaming head of Under the Gas
Light"
We might also add that the hero OF
IL plot afterward reformed, and is now
n local reporter on one Of our contem-
porariOs, while the heroine is at this
time playing q successful engagement
ut provincial theater. Such is the
story of tho above thrilling drama, the
author Of which is still living in obscu.
rity on n small income.