The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1870-09-09

and sir, the same thing was repeated |
1t will come once more-and then l
shall go to my death r E'
"Nonsensel" said l. Come, Earl
be honest, and confess that you have
been taking too much whisky"
"I never drink anything, as you
know, Mr.. Woodbury." returned he,
land this thing was fearfully real
If run the mail train out to- night, /
shall be killed, and Heaven knows
what will be the fate Of the train -
suppose it could DO taken off to-
tonight" ~.
"Taken off! What the duce do
you mean9" snapped / /; this road
runs trains rs advertised. Cowardly
engineers to the contrary notwith-
standing"
He looked Mt me sadly, repronch-
fully-and ! could have kicked my
self for the way had spoken to him.
1t was not on my own account
sir" said he, :" but it is only few
days before Thanksgiving, and the
train will be full one. II there il an
accident it may be n bad one"
Accident !" said 1, contemptuous-
ly, " fiddlestick. Come in tomorrow
and let US laugh at you"
He bid me goodnight gravely, and
went out.
| Presently the clock struck twelve,
and | heard three sharp successive
whistles that told me that the train
was nearly ready.
Yielding to All IMPULSE which would
not be controlled, threw on my
overcoat, turned out the gas, locked
the Office and hurried over to the
depot just in reason to catch the tail
of the rear car and swing myself on
board.
Earl Rogers stood at his post, pale
and silent, yet alterated and watcbful.
BY the head light of the locomotive
he could zee the track for half mile
ahead. and his keen eye scanned every
inch of the way as the train swept on
Past Roman station-past the Mill
Cut-past Hills embarkment, and
they plunged into the belt of woods
which skirted Rocky River.
Suddenly, as they swept around the
curve, Earl's check whitened and he
drew his breath in quick and hard
What lie saw before the train warn
ed him that only death aud destruc-
ton lay ahead. .--..
He could probably save himself by
leaping off, but that would doom all
on board.
Not second did he hesitate.
The sharp whistle to down the
breaks sounded, he reversed steam
and did everything in his power to
stop the train.
When he saw that his efforts were
vain, that the obstacle which lay across
the track only few rods in advance
could not be avoided, he sprang over
the wood box aud unlocked from the
carriages. The engine released from
the drag, shot ahead, and next instant
plunged forward into the gulf.
There was n crash, succession OF
shrill whistles from the escaping
steam, all was still
Not one of the carriages went down,
the first one halted on the very brink
of the abyss, as il the more fearfully
to impress upon the minds of the pass
engers the terrible danger they had
escaped.
Before the train came to n stop,
had jumped out and was flying for
ward, looking for Earl Rogers.
They pointed into the river in an
swer to my inquiries, and seizing n
lantern from tho hand of one of the
brakesmen, l soon climbed the bank
and found him.
He lay under wreck of the loco
motive, pale and bloody, with no
breath coming from his icy lips.
The two stokers were little way
off, stone dead. ...-
am an old man, but I didn't feel
the weight of that poor fellow as /
carried him up the bank, and on to
the house of Demain, which happened
to be the nearest residence.
OF course old Domain could not re-
fuse admittance under the circum-
stances, asd in five minutes Laura was
with me, trying to restore the lifeless
man to consciousness.
| She was all courage and hope but
for her we should have given him up
for dead; and to this day firmly be-
lieve that her. presence and her care
brought him back from death.
/ She never finched while the sur
/ geon amputated his leg at the knee
it was the only way to save him Doc
tor Green said, and Laura held the
poor head OF her patient to her bosom,
and his hands in hers through the
whole opration.
The accident, it was found, had
been occasioned by stick of timber
pinned across the track, and the rail-
road company offered o reward of o
thousand dollars for the discovery of
the rascally perpretrator.
j No matter how we found it out, but
it was ascertained beyond doubt
j that Prince Carleton was the guilty
4 party.
j Ho confessed it when we had him
snug and safe, and said he wanted
Earl Rogers out of the way, and be-
cause he. hated the. whole concern
meaning the railroad and the corpora
ton, he had formed this plan of dia-
bolical revenge.
4 His father was millionaire, and
bought up our silence handsomely.
! Prince went to California, and do
not know what became of him.
Il Old Domain proved himself trump
after all, and gave in gracefully.
j He is dead now, and Earl and
T,a,Ira live ,it the old nlaca ma hanny 3