The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-09-10
EBENSRURG. PA. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,

was the town of Schwartz, on the Vistula,
and at the rate we were going we should
be there in a few minutes, for each minute
carried US over a mile. The shrieks of
the passengers now rose above the crash
of the rails, and more terrific than all else
rose the demoniac yells of the mad en-
gineer.
"Merciful heavens |" gasped the guards
nan, "there's not a moment to lose
Schwartz is close by. But hold" he ad-
ded, '.lets shoot him."
At that moment tall stout German
student came over the platform where we
stood, and we saw that the madman had
tlni- heavy pistol aimed at u.s. He grasped
sa he1Vy stick of wood, and with steadiness
of nerve which I could not have command
ed, he hurled it with such force and pre-
cision, that he knocked the pistol from
the maniac's hand I saw the movement,
and on the instant that the pistol fell [
sprang forward, and the German followed
me. [ grasped the man by the arm, but
/ should have been nothing in his mad
power, had l been alone He would have
hurled me from the platform, had not the
student at that moment struck him upon
the head with stick of wood, which he
caught as he came over the tender.
Kroller settled down like dead man,
and the next minute I shut off the steam
and opened the valve. As the freed steam
shrieked and howled in its escape, the
speed began to decrease, and in few
minutes more the danger was passed. As
/ settled back, entirely overcome at the
wild emotions that had ragged within me,
we began to turn the river, and before |
was fairly recovered, the fireman had stop
ped the train In the station-house at
| Schwartz.
Martin Kroller, still insensible, was tax
en- from the platform, and as we carried
him to the guard-house, one of the guard
recognized him, and told us that he had
been there about two weeks before.
"He came," said the guard, "and swore
that an engine which stood near here was
his. He said that it was one that he had
made to go to the moon in, and that it had
been stolen from him. We sent for more
help TO arrest him, and he fed"
"Well," / replied, with a shudder, 'I
wish he had approached me in the same
way but he was more cautious at Dant-
zig"
| at Schwartz we found an engineer to
| run the engine to BrOmberg; and having
taken out the Western mail for the next
Northern train to take along, we saw that
Kroller would be properly attended to, and
then started on.
The rest of the trip was run in safety,
though l could see that the passengers
were not wholly at ease, and could not be
until they were entirely clear of the rail-
way. A heavy purse was made up by
them for the German student, and he ac-
cepted it with much gratitude, and [ was
glad of it; for the current Of gratitude to
him may have prevented a far different
current which might have poured upon my
head, for having engaged a madman to run
a railroad train.
But this is not the end. Martin Krol-
Ter remained insensible from the effects OF
that blow upon the head nearly two weeks,
and when he recovered from that, he was
sound again-his insanity was all gone
[ saw him about three weeks afterwards
but he had no recollection Of me. He re-
membered nothing of the past year, not
even his mad freak on my engine.
But | remembered it, and l remember
it still and the people need never fear
that l shall be imposed upon again by a
crazy engineer