Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-30
A MILLIONAIRE IN A FIX.
How MIR. Durant WAS Captured by the
Unpaid Unien Pacific Railroad La
bOrers-A Combination of ihe Ludi-
crOus and Dans ,rous. 't.'1

\ -@-A>~ - c&Aos
A Cheyenne correspondent of tn
} New York Sun says: ss'-A
"The delay in the ceremony o
1aying the last rail- on the Paeifi
railroad, as the readers of the Suj
have already learned by telegraph
arose from the involuntary deten
| ton of Mr.. Durant by a party o
unpaid laborers, who insisted OF
being paid before he should pro
eeed. The scare, although ludi
erous in some respects, also touched
| upon the dangerous. The situation
Ia bowling wilderness, with two
hundred or three hundred very de-
termined and somewhat lawless
men, generally well armed, insisting
that their just. claims should be
fully answered by one mild-man-
nered gentleman, who hadn'tit in his
power to make the payment at
once, was certainly not Charming. :
| "The train which bore Mr. Du-
rant and some other officials of the
road carried other passengers and
the mails. On arriving at Pied
mont station an obstruction was
observed short distance from the
station, consisting of ties laid across
the road so as to form q breast high
barricade, and a rail immovably
| spiked across the track. About
this was a small guard of laborers,
while the main force gathered about
| the train when it stopped at the
station, and took possession of the
caboose, expelling the engineer
and fireman. Eager searchers shot
through the train to ascertain the
car in which Durant was seated.
Having found him they secured the
doors, and, detaching the car from
the train, they showed it off
the main track and left it closely
guarded on a side track. They
next returned to the train, and their
leader gave the conductor permits
sion to proceed, explaining that it
was not their intention to delay the
mails nor incemmode the passen-
gers. The barricade across the
road disappeared in fash, and the
spiked rail was torn up; the bell
rang, and the train moved off over
the open waste toward the Pacific,
leaving Mr.. Durant and few Of the
officers in the hands Of the victOrs.
When all means of escape for the
managing director had vanished,
his elegant prison was thrown open,
and he was invited to come forth
and engage in a conference with his
captors relative TO the conditions of
his release. The leader informed
Mr.. Durant that the men about him
had earned $4,000, which had not
yet been paid them. Unfortunately
the character of the disbursing of.
ticers for promptness was not high
among them, and, as they had al
ready waited long beyond payday,
they expected MIR. Durant to come
down without delay.
"Mr. Durant endeavored TO COM
verse with the workmen in a pleas
ant vein assuring them that it would
be all right The leaderreplied that
he had no doubt that everything
was and would be just as lovely as
the managing director had repre-
scented, But we want our money,
and you shall not leave until we
get it, Again Mr.. D., with his
bland countenance made up in the
most fascinating wreaths Of smiles, |
applied the soft sawder, all of |
which was duly appreciated by the
civil spokesman of the party, but |
ELECTED in the end the determined |
We want our money In
vain Mr.. D. represented that he had |
no money with him; that if they |
wished him to pay them they !
should permit him to proceed to
point where he could obtain the |
money. They were memorable.
He could pay it out of his waistcoat
pocket without inconvenience, or
at least he could telegraph for it;
or, in any event, they must have it
before he could go, wherever it
came from.
"The impatient workmen began
to grow restless, and not a few
drew their revolvers, Just to exam
inc the caps. One Of these was
accidentally discharged, and the
bullet pierced the splendid car
within a few inches of the head of
a lady connected with the official
party. OF course no offence was
taken at this trifing indiscretion,
and the incident passed off with a
laugh and joke over the close
shave.
"a CLEAN Of hope shot through
the minds of some of the minor
officers as the announcement was
made by the telegraph operator
that train was approaching with
two companies of soldiers, On an
expedition to perforate redskins.
Mr.. Durant saw no hope in this. 1t
was full of danger. He knew his
captors, and he feared the approach
of the troops would bring on q
crisis in his own affairs, which |
might take the form of suspension
to telegraph pole by means Of
piece of telegraph wire. He de-
cided to delay the military train
and send for the money, He tele-
graphed to stop the train at the
next station, and sent message to
Cheyenne for special train or
locomotive with discussing clerk,
and the $4,000. I'D $3.50
1.-The money arrived and the men
were paid; but all this consumed
the day and night, and it was not
until the following day that the
managing director resumed his
journey" tll
FRosT.-The Madison (Ga.) Farm
Journal, Of the 22d instant, says it
learns from Judge VIM. Neal, and other
gentlemen of this county, that slight
e AZ