The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-06-27

to the fact that we were travelling at a
much faster rate than ordinary. In a
few seconds, the caboose which was a
condemned freight car, as old as the
line itself, commenced to jump off the
rails, and bump down on them again, in
an alarming manner. There was no
weight on it to keep it steady, you see,
and we were going at rate far beyond
regulation speed.
Faster and faster we went, and the
caboose swayed from side to side, and
bumped and jumped more and morel
The men got frightened, and strug-
gled from their seats, with their eyes on
me, questioningly, and then fell back
again, because they couldn't keep their
feet.
"That born divil means to murder
yez all !" cried an Irishman, wiping the
sweat of fear from his forehead.
All this time had thought Joe was
playing off one of his mad practical
jokes on us, and I was shaking with
rage.
Hell never drive that engine againP P'
1 said, as 1 gained my feet.
1 pushed back the sliding-door, and
swung myself out so that 1 could see
the light n the tender. The wind was
blowing gale, and the snow blinded
me. l got better idea of the pace at
which we were going, looking out, and
fear crept into my heart as l estimated
the danger.
l swung the lantern, low down, back
the top of my voice.
Joe answered with shrill laugh that
rose above the bowling wind, and felt
the caboose leap under me and come
down with a sickening crash. knew
that he had let on more steam, and that
the trick he was playing us was one of
those practical jokes that Satan delights
in! Itmeant murder
We were about seven miles from the
Sangamon, which is crossed by trestle-
work, forty rods or more in length, over
which no train is allowed to pass faster
than man can walk.
1 knew perfectly well that the ca
boose would never go over that elastic
bridge at the rate of twenty miles an
hour, let alone sixty, the pace at which
Joe was driving us then; and l felt as
sure that he meant to keep the throttle
valve open till he smashed us, as 1 was
that I'd cut a poor figure before my
Maker, if called away that night.
I thought of my gray old mother,
knitting stockings for me by the fire.
side in Toledo; 1 thought of Belle, so
beautiful, and good, and happy; and 1
thought how nice it would be to have
Joe down under me on the floor of the
caboose-to have my knee on the pit of
his stomach, and my hands on his
throat.
There was a panic among the men.
Some of them were swearing, and some
were praying. Two or three hung on
my coat as L swung the lantern me-
chanically to and fro outside, and i'm
plored me to save them.
"Men," said 1, turning round, and
setting down the lantern, "there's raw
ing madman on that engine, and he
means to have our lives. There's one
chance for us, and I'm going to try it.
If 1 can reach the locomotive, and
choke the life out of him, we may be
saved yet p
1t was desperate risk. If I hadn't
had an old mother, and there had been
no Belle to think of, don't believe I
should have had the courage to take it,
To get to the engine, had to climb to
the top of the caboose, cross a cSrner of
the roof, go down the ladder in front,
and jump over the couplings. 1t was
easy enough to get to the top of the car,
in spite of its violent motion, of the
fierce wind and binding snow because
there were rungs for the purpose; but
crossing the roof was another mat
ter.
threw myself on my stomach, and
crawled forward, sliding this way and
that with the fearful swaying. If ever
1 prayed IN my life, did then, you bet,
for 1 had nothing to take hold of but
the Lords mercy, till 1 made a desper-
ate clutch at the brake, and caught it,
just as the caboose gave jump that
threw me bodily off the roof Then 1
swung myself over, and went down the
ladder.
| Leaping on the tender was another
sickening risk; but 1T was a matter of
life aud death, and dared not hesitate,
so jumped blindly forward, and caught
the knob of the cab-door by the merest
chance.
Joe had his back turned toward me-
He was watching the indicator, and
whistling like mad. l hoped to spring
on him unawares; but he heard me
open the door, and turned with wild
howl, that rings in my ears yet. got
one blow at him that covered his face
with blood, and then we closed
You say that am a strong man. /
am strong-stronger than any man l
ever compared arms Without I needed
all my strength in that tussle. He was
no chicken himself, and he had madness
to help him.
My only chance was to stun or kill
him, and l had only few seconds to do
it in. The worst of it was, l had no
weapon. He carried an unopened clasp
knife in his hand. I wrenched this from
him, and struck him on the temple with
the butt end of it. The blow partially
stunned him, and followed it with a
dozen more, that laid him senseless in
the corner.
You can make up your mind that it
wasn't long before 1 choked off the
throttle-valve, and reversed the steam.
AS soon as that was done, got a good
kick at Joe's head, to make sure of him /;
and then 1 shouted to the men, to let
them know that we were saved.
1t seemed an age before the speed di-
minished, but sensibly slower it became,
at last; and the men recovering their
courage, swarmed out, and put the
brakes on, just as we came to the trestle-
work. Z ''@ p"