Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1869-02-10


next day-yesterday, I had reasoned my,
self ouf of belief in anything of the kind.
1t was hallucination, said, and to prove
it so, would go out there again, and see
if it would appear for the second time. ]
went again yesterday, and sir, the same
thing was repeated It will come once
more-and then shall go to my death p
Nonsense r. said I, ''Come, Earl, be hon
est, and confess that you had been taking
too much whiskey !"
Il never drink anything, as you know,
MIR. Woodbury." returned he, ''and this
thing was fearfully real And of one re-
suit, I am satisfied. If I run the ma
| train out to-night, shall be killed, ant
Heaven knows what will be the fate of the
train suppose it could be taken off fol
tonight ?''
Taken off What in the duce do you
mean ?" snapped I-''this road runs trains
as advertised | Cowardly engineers to the
contrary, Notwithstanding.
He looked at me sagely, reproachfully-
and could have kicked myself for the way
1 had spoken to him.
'1t was not on my own account, sir,
said he-''but it is only few days befor'
Thanksgiving, and the train will be a full
one. If there is an accident it may be q
bad one"
Accident p said 1 contemptuously-
''Fiddlestick ! Come in tomorrow, and
let me laugh ut you.
He bid me good night gravely, and went
ont.
Presently the clock struck twelve and J
heard the three sharp, successive whistle
that told me the train was nearly ready
A strange feeling of apprehension seized
me. What if anything should happen ::
Yielding to an impulse which would not be
controlled. ! threw on my overcoat, turn
ed ont the gas, lock ed the Office and hur
ried over to the depot just in season t.
catch the rail of the rear car and swing my
self on board
Earl Rogers stood at his post, pale anG
silent, yet alert and watchful By the head
light in the locomotive he could see the
track for half mile ahead, and his keen
eyes scanned every inch of the way as the
train swept on. Past Romiane station
past the Mill Cut past Hills Embankment
and they plunged into the belt of wood
which skirted Rocky River.
Suddenly as they swept around curve
Earls check whitened and he drew his
breath in quick and hard What he saw
just before the train warned him that only
death and destruction lay ahead. He
could, probably, save himself by leaping
off, but that would doom all on board
Not second did he hesitate. The sharl
whistle to down brakes sounded-he re
versed steam and did everything in his pow
er to stop the train. When he saw that hi;
efforts were in vain, that the obstacle which
lay across the track only few rods in ad-
vance'could not be avoided, he sprang owe.
the wood-box and unlocked from the car
riages. The engine, released from the
drag, shot ahead, and the next instant
plunged forward into the gulf ? There
was crash-a succession of shril whistles
from the escaping steam, and all was still !!
Not one of the cars went down-the first
one halted on the very brink of the abyss
as if the more fearfully to impress upon the
minds Of the passengers the terrible danger
they had escaped.
Before the train came to stop had
jumped ont, and was flying forward
looking for Eearl Rogers. They pointed
into the river in answer to my inquiries,
and seizing lantern from the hands of one
of the brakesmen, I climbed down the
bank and found him.
He lay under the wreck of the locomo-
tive-pale and bloody, with no breath
coming from his icy lips.
The two strokers were little way off
stone dead.
am an old 1nan, but did not feel the
weight of that poor fellow as carried him
main-which happened to be the nearest
residence.
| OF course, old Domain could not refuse
him admittance under the circumstances,
and in five minutes Laura was with me try
ing to restore the lifeless man to conscious
ness She was all courage and hope but
for her we should have given him up for
dead, and to this day firmly believe that
her presence and her care, brought him
back from death.
| She never finched while the surgeon
amputated his leg at the knee-it was the
only way to save him, DIR. Green said, and
Laura held the poor head of the patient to
her bosom and his hands in hers through
the whole operation.
The accident, it was found, had been oc.
casioned by a stick of timber pinned across
the track, and the railroad company offered
I reward of thousand dollars for the dis,
covery of the rascally perpetrator.
No matter how we found it out, but, il
was ascertained beyond doubt that Prince
! Carleton was the guilty party. He confess
ed it when we had him snug and safe-and