The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1870-03-31

a mao rise in the carriage. He leaped
over to where was seated. / saw the
CLEAN of knife in the air.
Mad with passion and surprise, /
grasped the descending arm. A furi-
Gus determination to preserve my
life inspired me with the strength
Of giant. The ferocity with which /
seized the wrist forced the hand open.
The knife fell and then commenced a
silent, furious struggle.
He seized me by the collar and elung
with the tefiacity of tiger. heard
him snapping his teeth as if he were
endeavoring to bite. We swayed from
one end of the carriage to the other.
/ felt how weak i'll health had left me
and prayed to pass out into the light.
that might better see how to encoun
ter the rufiian.
Suddenly felt myself swung around
with tremendous energy. l bounded
against door which opened, and we
fell on the lines in the very centre of
thetunnel.
The fan seemed to have stunned
him, for he fell under me and remain
ed there or time motionless. For
myself ] received an indescribable
shock, such as is experienced in coll
Ii ion; bat retained my senses. l
heard the roar of the train dying away
in the distance. saw the red gleam
fading like the eye of dying demon.
still ciutched him by the throat,
nor did dare relinquish it. My situ
alton Was frightful. / suspected that
a down train would soon be passing,
and in the intense blackness Of the tun-
mel could not see on which line we
had fallen. / would have stretched
forth my hand to grope for the rails
/ might have found place of safety
by Judging the distance between them;
but ! felt the form OF my assailant
beneath me. His struggles grew fer
Ger. He endeavored to rise, but with
the fury of dispair kept MIN pressed
down, one hand on his throat the 9TH
er or his breast What l desired was
to render him insensible. / would
then leave him in darkness, and grope
my way as could
1t never occurred to me at the time
that there was no need to make
him inscnsibIe in order to elude him.
The darkness would have rendered
my presence invisible to him.
But my mind was hopelessly confus-
sed. l was breathing sulphurous air
made thick and difficult by its black
ness. Ny only thought was to keep
the ruffian down. I was only capable
indeed, of this thought.
4 few minutes had elapsed when
| heard distant rumbling like ap-
preaching thunder. 1t increased. l
seemed to feel the wind blowing a
gaihst my face. tasted too contin-
uous draught of smoke and steam.
! knew that train was approaching,
and my hair lifted on my head What
rails were we on 4? The suspense was
frfghtful.
My assailant increased his struggles.
He became furious. He was evident
ly fighting to throw me down, and o.
yer in the direction of that side of the
tunnel along which came the roar of
the train. l saw his object and madly
pressed upon him. His body frantical-
ly writhed He twisted under me as if
he revolved upon pivot. He endeav-
ored to shrek some words to me, but
my throttling grasp made his voice no
more than horrible hoarseness.
saw the red and green lights of
the engine approaching. They grew
in size and lusture with hidious ra-
pidity. There was roar, shower of
dust, wind that struck me down
Ikea blow from q strong mans flst; then
followed by the dying, rattle ending in
a dull and sullen moan.
/ rose to my feet. / crossed over to
the wall, and, feeling along it, took
walk with all the speed my sink
ing frame would suffer me to put forth.
How long l walked / know not. My
passage seemed interminable. The
damp of the wall against which my
hand constantly pressed, froze my
blood. Now and then stumbled over
piles of rubbish lying grouped against
the side; and sometimes my cropping
was bewildered by coming across re-
cesses into which my hands guided
me.
At length / saw a star, tremulous,
glorious, in the distance. 1t was day
light the aperture of the tunnel, and
pushed forward with invigorateG
spirits. neared it slowly; for this
star seemed to maintain an inexorable
distance and would not enlarge. How
shall describe my joy as l gained the
twilight of its retlection-as | advan.
ced and felt the pure air of Heaven up
on my dry cheeks ard burning lips
l saw the blue sky, and the dim vista
of the pale green banks,
AS got into the light, 3 cry escaped
my lips. My trousers were splashed
with blood. There was soneensanguined
line, as if a fountain OF blood had play
upon me.
] seated myself to recover my
strength. / could see that l presen-
tented dismal and terrible specta-
Gle. My ccat was torn, my hands
were black SO, too, judged was my
sace-my collar had been torn from me
and the skin at the ends of my fingers
had been lacerated. After reposing my