Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-04-28
THE MURDER IN THE TUNNEL.
A Tale of CircumstantiaI Evidence.

A story from Gray. Now, old fel
low, out with it. You've got an hour
yet before your train starts, and you
haven't yarned to us in an age. Yes,
yes, story from Gray"
Such were the exclamations that met
the individual of that name as he en-
tered the cozy conductors room of the
L, and G. railroad at -.
"Well, boys, am pretty near drained
of my 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 will 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, | sup
pose, in contradiction to that title-ot
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 oI
my train, or stepping off the platform,
had them locked in.
We started about o'clock in the
night, and as | went through the @drov.
ers' car for r7y tickets, found mischief
brewing already. Each man had pro
vided himself with a bottle or two oi
whisky, and the carousal had begun in
real earnest. but few if any of the drov
ers being sober.
One or two small fights had been be-
gan, one in particular between a tall
entuckian and short, thick-set Mis-
sourian, having threatened to lead tC
serious consequences, both men having
drawn their knives. Their friends had
however, separated 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 up the Missourian's ticket,
he repeated to me his threats against
the life of his opponent, and proposed
duel with bowies in the baggage-car.
I managed, however, to silence the
halfmaddened man, and a friend sit
ting in the same seat with him, and
nearest the aisle of the car, promised to
see that heshould not leave his seat and
attack the Kentuckian. / looked in
upon them about o'clock a. M, and
found rhem all asleep in drunken slum
Der. The Kentuckian sat in the front
seat as l had left him, and the Mis-
sourian away in the rear, and also in
his previous position.
There being no more stops to make,
curled myself up in chair in the bag
gage-car for nap, and dozed comforta
bly, till awakened by the rattling of the
bell-rope overhead, and the whistle ot
the engine calling for the breaks to be
put down. Catching up my lantern
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 half-sleepy manner where
we were and why he had stopped
"We're in the Grover Tunnel" he re
piled, "and I stopped because the bell
rope was pulled"
The Grover Tunnel was about mile
in length, through which we passed
nearly all the way on half-speed and
with the steam shut off from the cylin
ders, there being down-grade at the
entrance, which was sufficient 10 nearly
give us headway to carry us through
When the engineer saw the light al
the further end of the tunnel, however
he was accustomed to put on steam, and
it was just at that time, he told me
that the bell was pulled, being the sig
nal for him to stop.
By this time my brakeman had been
around the outside of the train, and
finding the couplings right, and not dis
covering anything wrong externally,
gave the signal to go ahead, as it was
dangerous to stay in the tunnel. AS we
came out the daylight was just break
ing, and, with brakesman, started
| through the train to find out, if possible
who had pulled the bell-rope.
Most of the passengers were asleep in
the forward cars we passed through, but
some few were awake, who told me that
the pulling of the bell came from be
hind, from some of the rear cars. | made
the trip through the entire train with
the exception of the drovers' car, ano
yet the account said the bell was pulled
from still further in the rear. 1t wa:
daylight as the bralesman and mysel
crossed on to the platform of the las
car. After unlocking the door, we es
sayed to push it open, but some weigh
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 la.
the Kentuckian, his body twisted anc
1 toI hah ho.