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

same thing was repeated! 1t will
come once more-and then | shall GO
to my death!"
"Nonsense ~ said l. "Come Earl,
be honest, and confess that you had
been taking too much whisky"
Il never drink anything as you
know, Mr.. Woodbury." returned he,
"and this thing was fearfully real. If
/ run the mail train out tonight, |
shall be killed, and heaven knows
what will be the fate of the train /
it could not be taken off for
tonight.
"Taken off! What the deuce do you
mean?" snapped I, "this road runs
trains as advertised! Cowardiy engi
neers to the contrary Notwithstanding.
He looked at me sadly, reproachful-
ly-and / could have kicked myself
for the way l had spoken to him.
1T was not on my own account sir,
said he, but it is only few days be-
fore Thanksgiving, and the train will be
a full one. If there is an accident it
may be bad one"
"Accidentp' said I contemptuously
''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.
A strange feeling of apprehension
seized me. What if anything should
happen
Yielding TO an impulse which would
not be controlled, threw on my over
coat, turned out the gas, locked the of,
flee and hurried over to the depot just
in season to catch the tail of the rear
car and swing myself on board.
Earl Rogers stood at his post, pale
and silent, yet altered and watchful.
BY the head light on the locomotive
he could see 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 Hips embankment,a land they
plunged into the belt of woods which
skirted Rocky River.
Suddenly, as they swept around the
curve Earl's cheek whitened and he
drew his breath in quick and hard!
What he saw before the train warn
ed him that only death and destruc-
tion lay ahead.
He could probably save himself by
leaping off, but that would doom all on
board.
Not a second did he hesitate.
The sharp whistle to down breaks
sounded. He reversed steam and did
everything in his power to stop the
train.
Whnn he saw that his efforts were
in vain, that the obstacle which lay a.
cross the track only few rods in adj
vance could not be avoided, he sprang
over the woodbox and unlocked from
the carriages the engine released from
the drag, shot ahead, and the next in
slant plunged forward into the gulf.
There was a crash, a succession of
shrlll 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 if TO impress more
upon the minds of the pass
engers the terrible danger they had es-
capped. Before the train had come to.a
stop, had jumped out and was flying
looking for Earl Rogers.
They pointed into the river in an
swer to my inquiries, and seizing a
lantern from the hand of one of the
l soon climbed down the
bank and found him.
lie lay under wreck of the locomo-
tive, pale and bloody, with no breath
coming from his icy lips.
The two stokers Werea little way off,
stone dead.
am an old man, but | didn't feel the
weight of that poor fellow as | carried
him up the bank, and on to the house
Of Domain, which happened to be the
nearest residence.
OF course old Demain could not re-
fuse admittance under the circumstan-
ces, and 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 l to this day firmly be-
Iieve that her presence and her care
brought him back from death.
She never flinched while thesurgeon
his leg at the knee, ii was
the only way to save him, Doctor
Green said, and Laura held the poor
head of her patient to her bosom,
and his hands in hers through the
whole operation.
Inc acclueHbi III was lOuAIu hou pCOh
occasioned by stick of timber across
the track, and the railroad company
offered reward of a Thousand dollars
for the discovery of the rascally per-
petrator.
No matter how we found it out, but
it was ascertained beyond doubt that
Prince Carleton was the guilty party.
He confessed it when we had him
snug and safe, and said that he wanted
Earl Rogers out of the way, and be-
cause he hated the whole concern
the railroad and the corpor-
alton, he had formed this plan of dia'
boIical revenge.