New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-21
THE MURDER IN THE TUNNEL.
A Tale of Circums,antiai Evidence.


to us in an age. Yes, yes, story from
Gray
Such were the ordinations that met the
individual of that name as he entered the
coy conductors room of the L. and G.
railroad at =.
Well, boys, l am pretty near drained o.
nv adventures" said Gray, - but if
haven't told you it before, | don't mind
letting you hear about an incident that
happened to me out West, before | came
among you boys here. Did ever tell you
of the murder in the tunnel Well. then,
here goes and we let him tell it in his
own words:
You see, when was on the old w. and
V. line in Missouri, / ran what was known
as the Drovers' Express, going West, but
which had the name, suppose, in contra
dction TO that title-of the gentleman s
wagon coming East The drOvers, when
coming TO market with their cattle, always
went with the beasts on the freight train,
but going home and westward they went
with me.
One night | had an unusually rough
crowd aboard. They were generally rough
enough, but this time they were worse than
usual. | had their car for | kept them to
themselves placed in the rear Of the train,
and, to prevent their trespassing into the
other cars of my train, or stepping of the
L Udu IUtIl lOChSu III.
We started about nine o'clock in the
night, and as | went through the drovers'
car for my tickets | found mischief brewing
already. Each man had provided himself
with bottle or two of whisky. and the ca
rousal had begun in real earnest, but few if
any of the drovers being sober. One or
two small fights had been begun, one in par
ticular, between tall kentuckian and a
short, thick-set MissOurian, having threat
ened to lead to serious consequences, both
men having drawn their knives. Their
friends had, however, separates them, and
had placed them in different parts of the
car, the Kentuckian sitting in the first seat
near the door, in the front of the car, and
the Missourian far back in the rear. The
latter, when they were being parted, had
vowed that he would yet kill the former; but
as both were in hot blood the words were
not thought much of, though they helped
to sentence him to be hung afterward.
As | took the ticket, he repeated to me
his threats against the life of his opponent,
and proposed duel with bowies in the bag
gage car. | managed, however, to silence
the half-maddened man, and friend sitting
In the same seat with him, and nearest the
aisle of the car, promised TO see that he
should not leave his seat and attack the
Kentuckian. looked in upon them about
two o'clock A. NJ, and found them all
asleep in drunken slumber. The Ken
tuckian sat in the front seat as | had left
him, and the MissOurian away in the rear,
and also in his previous position.
There being no more stops to make, /
curled myself up in chair in the baggage
car for a nap, and dOZed comfortably till
awakened by the rafting of the bell rope
overhead, and the whistle of the engine
calling for the brake to be put down
Catching up my lantern, l opened the car
door and looked out, but found nothing but
darkness the most intense. The train having
stopped, | got off and ran to the engine,
asking the engineer in a halt-asleep manner
where we were and why he stopped!
We're in the Grover tunnel" he replied,
land | stopped because the bell-rope was
pulled"
The Grover tunnel was about a mile in
length, through which we passed nearly all
the way on halt speed and with the steam
shut off from the cylinders, there being a
down grade at the entrance, which was suf-
fcient to nearly give us Roadway to carry
us through. When the engineer saw the
light at the further end Of the tunnel, how
ever, he was accustomed to put on steam
and it was just at that time, he told me-
that the bell was pulled, being the signal
for him to stop.
BY this time my brakeman had been
around the outside of the train, and finding
all the couplings right, and not discovering
anything wrong externally, gave the sig
nal to 90 ahead, as it was dangerous to stay
in the tunnel. As we came out the daylight
was just breaking, and, with brakeman, |
started through the train to find out, if pos
sible. who pulled the bell rope.
Most of the passengers were asleep in the
forward cars as we passed through, but
some few were awake, who told me that the
pulling of the bell came from behind, from
some of the rear cars. | made the trip
through the entire tram, with the exception
of the drovers' car, and yet the account said
the bell was rung still further in the rear.
1t was daylight as the brakeman and nv
self crossed on to the platform of the last
car. After unlocking the door we essayed
to push it open, but some weight against it
prevented us. With our united strength,
however, we pushed it open, and found the
cause of the obstruction.
Against the bottom of the door lay the
Kentuckian his body twisted and rolled in
q heap, as if he had been overtaken by fit.
him to be in drunken stupor, l
raised him to his seat, and then began to
loosen his collar and neck tie. As did so
noticed a small livd blue line running
exactly around his throat, and cutting deeply
into the flesh; his face also was a deadly
hue; and frightened at | knew not what, |
sent the brakeman for "a physician whom |
knew was on the train. As soon as he came
and had handled the Kentuckian, he eX-
claimed: The mans dead-his neck is
broken-the man has been murdered"
Immediately | remembered the fight of
the preceding evening between the now
dead man and the Missourian and telling
the doctor of my fears that the latter had
kept his word and murdered the Ken
tuckian, we agreed to make some move
ment IN the direction Of the murderer. Go
ing TO the rear, we found the MissOurian
curled up IN his seat, his friend also being
in the outside seat, and both being appa-
rently asleep.
AS we looked upon the Missourian We
heard HIM muttcr, "I'll kill him, I'll kill
hin" as II half asleep and awake. We
were turning away when the doctors quick
eye caught glimpse of something the man
held in his hand and reaching over. gently
drew 1t from his myers, exclaimng, land
this is what thc d. d was done wifi y hold |
ing up to me .t.I Gather string. ahour the |
size OF Il sinai 81 ...p lash, and used by dro- |
vers as II U..t ground their waist, and also |
20 hopple ;n nar.., DNen, OF to tie the legs
If calf.
As we LEFT t.'t drunken man, the doctor |
said. THAT n.nyr has crept up behind the |
Keutuckian when in the darkness of the |
unnel, and throwing bis strap around his |
hroat. has ierked mis- head back and broken |
lis neck at once The body has then fallen |