Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1871-09-23

| auter tlan running way you ulhA
easily imagine.
An express sometimes don't stop
for an hour at 4 time, and after roo
have worked your coaches once you
have nothing 20 do but TO sit down
and earn your money that easy way
Then, when you reach the next sta
ton IL your brakemen mind their
business they can tell You how man
y passengers have got into the
coach, and then you are always able
| TO pick them out, because they
haven't the settled air OF old passeu-
gers. But q way train conductor
has much harder work.
sWell, ran the train out of New
York one. afternoon, and had for
the driver of the train a man who
was famous for the accurate way In
which he would come up TO his sta
tiOns. He would stop any named
coach almost 10 a foot Of where he
said he would, but on this occasion
he seemed to have very poor luck.
He ran past his stations and had TO
back down, and then he would stop
so short that the engine would be
in front of the station and the rear
coach an eighth Of a mile back, and
il raining hard, too. Then he'd
start up again just as the passengers
ming behind time all the while.
| There was a sort OF lightning ex-
press came out of New York an
hour after us, and we were gradual
| ly working back into its time.
ave got near Fishkiil, and having
made an awful bad shot at the de-
pot / said 10 the baggage master,
Mack seems TO have bad luck st
making his stations to-day. Wonder
what's the matterf'
The baggage-master turned round
to me quickly, and said:
''If you want to know what
think, think Mack is drunk"
cit can't be-" says 1, 81 never saw
him touch drop Of liquor or smell
of il in any way"
ssThat's so,' said the man. "But
l think he's drunk to-day. lie was
in this car n little while ago, aud he
picked up all the brakemen's Ian
terms and slung them in n bundle Al
me- l lodged, and then he went
back to the engine"
/ dida't like the idea of a drunk
en- engineer, butt had TO laugh at
the fate of the lanterns. II l had
known how i was going to groan
over their fate soon, ! should not
have laughed at him.
"When l got above Fishkill. /
thought I'd let those who get ON a.
one of the little stations ride free
to the next, while / rode on the en-
gine and investigated. So l got on
the Corning, and Mack looked
black enough instead of civil as as
ual. Ijoked him about his bad luck
in making stations, and he grOWled
out a curse. asked him ifhe knew
how nearly he had got back into the
lightning express time, aud he said
he knew his own business The man
was evidently drunk and surly.
happened TO put my hand down un-
der the cushion Of The seat, and felt
a bottle. Pulling the cork out, /
smelled whisky, and quietly threw
Il overheard. But Mack saw me
and cursed me for destroying his
property
"What did you throw that bottle
away fOr-it wasn't your rumw said
he. AZ the end Of an awful swear.
'.I'il tell you why" said i; Il am
conductor of this train, and you are
too drunk to do your business right,
aud You would get worse and worse
IL you had a bottle"
Then he grinned a savage sort of
a grin, and quieted down into a a.
lent state, but be looked dangerous
about the eyes.
"You are the conductor Of this
train are you'll I'll show you how
much you have to do with running
it," says he, and began TO 'slow up
and we behind time already you
know. 1 did not know exactly what
to dove were getting dangerous
ly near the lightning express time
aud while was AbatiDg he sudden
ly blew brakes, with q fiendish
chuckle, and stopped at station
that trains never stopped at before.
i looked at my watch and determin-
ed 10 send brakeman back with a
lantern and stop the express. just
then thought struck me that mads
my hair stand on end. There wasn't
a lantern on the train-the drunken
beast had smashed them. There
wasn't soul at the station, which
was miles away from the village; the
express didn't stop before it reached
Pougllkeepsie, so that / conldn't
leave word to caution, and just then
1 heard whistle amile or two back.
The engineer heard Il too, and
laughed asdiabolical laugh.
That decided me. / caught up
wrench and hit him back Of the ear,
and he dropped like dead. dragg-
ed his body Il did not know wheth-
er was handling a corpse or not)
of the engine, and threw IL down
by the roadside and jumped on the
engine
"Jimmy,D said /, the express is
after US, Mack smashed all the lau-
terns-so We can't stop her. Our
only chance is running away from
her-so cram. in the wood and I'll
open everything"
knew by observation how 20 open
and how to shut of, but Of course
could not graduate the speed like a
professional "opened everyth-
ing'' you may be sure, and away we
jumped. It was q curious chase.
To be hunted by locomotive don't
fall 10 the lot of every one. Our en-
gine was not so powerful a one A.
the express, and our train was quite
as long, 50 we crammed In the fuel
and depended upon high pressure
for our salvation ] never thought
for moment of stopping that side
Of Poughkeepsie, so we speedcd
past the stations all lighted, and I'LL
ed with wondering faces.
Just after passing the second. the
gong on the engine struck. Some
one hsd pulled the safety rope. The
fireman's hand went instinctfvely 10
the whistle to blow the brakes, but I
caught ii. 1t was the most anxious
moment of my life. If j didn't
mind the signal and something was
wrong, and the accident should oc-
eur. should always be blamcd, IL
l didn't blame myself. but IL stop
ped, the express might-prohobly
would--rnn right into Us. The pull
didl't sound professional-like a
brakeslnan's. IL probably was a
jerk at the rope by some passenger,
who had been carried past his station;
so I'd, chance it,
All this went through nay mind
like lightning as you may imagine
one thinks quickly on such occasions
and / caught the freInan's ARM
lie had never heard of disobeyins
the gong, and stared. was too ex-
cited to speak, but pointed 10 the
fire, and he put In more wood quick
iy.
Well, to make long story short,
/ never .sblew brakes" till the engine
was opposite the station. Then /
shut of, blew one whistle and went
sliding up the road. just as we
stopped, the express, whose station
whistle had just heard behind me
came up to the depot and stopped
where the trains usually do. In
had minded the gong, or stopped in
front of the depot, I'd been smash
ed