The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-04-15
SAVED FROM THE GALLONS.
A CONDUCTORS STORY.

coming to market with their cattle, al
ways went with the beasts on the freight |
train, but going home and Westward they
went with me.
One night l had an unusually rough |
crowd aboard. They were generally rough |
enough, but this time. they were worse
than usual. / had their Car (ior | kept
them to themselves) placed in the rear of
the train and to prevent their trespassing
into the other cars of the train or stepping
off the platform, had them locked in.
We started about o'clock in the night
and as | went through the drovers' car for
my tickets / found mischief brewing al
ready. Each man had provided himself
with bottle or two of whiskey, and the
carousal had begun in earnest, but few if
any of the drovers being sober.
One or two small fights had been begun,
one in particular between tall Kentuc-
| ian and short, thck-set Missourian, hav-
| ing threatened to lead to serious conse-
| quences, both men having drawn their
| knives. Their friends had, however, sepa-
rated them, and had placed them in differ
emit parts of the car, the Kentuckian sitting
| IN inc lTOUJ seal ucdI tu0 uOOl, duu buO
Missourian far back in the rear. The lat
ter, 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 much thought of; though they
helped to sentence him to be hung after
ward.
As took up the Missourian's ticket be
repeated to me his threats against his oppo-
nent's life, and proposed duel in the
baggage-car with bowie knives. | man
aged, however, to silence the half-madden-
ed 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.
There being no more stops to make,
curled myself up in a chair in the baggage
car for nap, and dozed comfortably till
awakened by the rafting Of the bell-rope
calling for breaks to be put down. Catch
ing up my lantern opened the car door
and looked out, but found nothing but
darkness the3 most intense. The train
having stopped got off and ran to the
engine, asking the engineer in a half-seep
manner where we were and why we had
stopped "We're in the Grover Tunnel"
he replied, "and stopped because the
bell-rope was pulled"
The Grover tunnel was about mile in
length, through which we passed nearly
all the way at half-speed, and with the
steam shut off from the cylinders, there
being down grade at the entrance, which
was sufficient to nearly give us Roadway
to carry us through. When the engineer
saw the light at the further end of the tun-
mel, however, he was accustomed to put CD
, steam, and it was just at the time, he told
me, that the bell was pulled, being the sig
nal for him to stop.
By this time my brakesman had been
around the outside of the train, and find
ing all the couplings right, aud not dis
, covering anything wrong externally,
gave the signal to go ahead, as it was dan
gerous to stay in the tunnel. AS we came
out the daylight was just breaking, and
with brakesman, started through the
train to find out, if possible, who pulled
e the bell-rope.
Most of the passengers were asleep il
the forward cars as we passed through
but some few were awake, who told m,
that the pulling of the bell came from be
, hind, from some of the rear cars. l made
. the trip through the entire train, with thu
4 exception of the drovers car. and yet tn,
: account said the bell was pulled from still
: further in the rear. 1t was daylight a
4 the brakesman and myself crossed on t,
the platform of the last car. After un
locking the door, we essayed to push i
r open, but some weight against it prevented
: us. With our sunited strength, however
: we pushed it open, and found the cause o
, the obstruction.
!, Against the bottom of the door lay th,
! Kentuckian, his body twisted and ROLLED
> up into distorted heap. as if he had beef
overtaken by fit. Surprising him to b.
. in drunken stupor, | raised him to hi
seat, and then began to loosen his cola
f and neck-tie. AS | did so | noticed
small livid blue line running exactly
around his throat, and cutting deeply int
the flesh bis face also was of deadly hue
and frightened at, knew pot what, / sen
J, the brakesman for a physician whom
n knew was on the train. AS soon as h
came and had handled the Kentuckiau, h
exclaimed, "The mans dead-his neck
broken-the man has been murdered"
1uiucQldtSif ISluuuibCicu tuO uSub Y
y the preceding evening between the nov
dead man and the Missourian, and tellin
:, the doctor of my fear that the latter ha
' kept his word and murdered the Kentuck
). ian, we agreed to make some movement
toward the detection of the murderer
! Going to the rear we found the Missouri
7, ian curled up on his seat, his friend ais
:. being on the outside seat, and both bein
If apparently asleep.
,e AS we looked upon the Missouran, W
= heard him mutter, "I'll kill him, I'll XII
:, him." as if half asleep and awake. w
were turning away when the doctor
., quick eye caught glimpse of somethn
i the man held in his hand, and reachin
y over gently drew it from his fingers, eS
I, claiming, sand this was what the deed we
d done WITH" holding up to me thin leatl
a er string, about the size of small viii
& lash, and used by drovers SIS belt aroun
their waist, and also to hobble an unrul
OK, or to tie the legs of calf.
As we left the drunken man, the docto
>. said "That brute has crept up benin
e the Kentuckian, when in the darkness {
i the tunnel, and throwing this strap aroun