Litchfield enquirer., 1874-06-25

to transport myself to the fore-end of the train l was on the fourth carriage from
 the engine, and there were, therefore. four
 horrid gaps for me to cross before I
 sh0uld find myself safely on it's tender.
 was terrible work; and could only l get on at all by crawling along on my
 hands and knees, and holding on to such
 straps and rods as came in my way. There
 was nn old-fashioned guards seat on the l frOnt of each of the carriages, so that, by
 stepping down upon this, leaning forward,
 and placing my hands upon the next car riage. and springing up, and SO on crawl l ing anu jumping, at last reached the guards seat on the first carriage, where I
 naturally expected should have nothing
 to do but spring on to the cinders of the engine-tender. In this I was, however,
 cruelty disappointed, for, as if to complete the chapter of accidents, I found the en- gine was turned the wrong way about, so 1 that nearest me was the black and. ugly l chimney, heaving out it's rapid clouds of | luminous steam and smoke. I almost gave l it up then, my case looked so very hope
 less; for, do what would, and stretch my self and reach out as might. could not
 touch any part of the engine with my feet.
 I was almost at my wits end. The unac- | customed exertion was beginning to tell
 upon me severely; and I was trembling ! with excitement and cold. sank despair inglY into the seat. I never thought of | clambering down and crossing over by the
 buffers, for had so made up my mind to l the one course, that when 1t was interrupt ed, was for time staggered, and rend- cred incapable of further action. I was so
 sitting, with my elbows on my knees and my face buried in my hands, stupidly breeding over and cursing my adverse fate, when blaze of light showed me the plat form of Felton station. There were not
 many people waiting, for the train was not due for several minutes; but the scared l look which distinctly saw on the faces of | those few, as We tore past, l shall never 1 forget. It may be thought impossible that, at the high rate at which we were running, I should be able to see those faces so distinctly, but it is nevertheless quite true; and, what is more, seemed to take in all-the people the lock-face, | the name of the station, and all the min
 utest etceteras-withou trying to do so, or moving my head in the least, and in theismallest fraction of time, for we were l in and out of the station in flash
 What the people thought of me-ifthey sawme at all on my perch-I do not know; but the sight of them on me was electri- cal.s Intuitively saw that no time was to
 be lost. In the same moment I had re solEed-and done. had sprung, and was clinging round the neck of the unconscious monster in front, and sliding rapidly down it's smooth and heated surface to the truck of the engine. Once there, all was we'll.
 walked along the side, over the wheels,
 always holding on to the brass rod, and,
 in another moment, was moving the han
 dle to shut off the steam previous to ap-
 plying the brake. knew enough of To-
 cotnotives to prevent my doing this too
 quickly, and did not draw up until we reached Hcombe station. Arrived there, resigned my charge to the station-mas- ter, and. after securing the few things ! had left behind me in the compart-
 nenb, made my escape to the booking of
 flee as fast as could; for the handshak- ings, .sGod bless you'sT and other expres- sions of thanks from the people whom I nsss beasa s.astruIuenGaI III saV1ug From u terrible catastrophe, were proving. too m s for me, and was glad to get away from 1t. There was something so terribly earnest and sincere about it, that I was more frightened by 1t than had been by any part of my perilous adventure.
 Very little more need be said. A mes-
 sage was immediately sent to the authori-
 ties at Middlesham, apprising them of our safe arrival at lfcombe, and requesting
 that an engine might be sent on with fresh
 drivers and our guard. The telegram
 reached them just as they were about to
 send off a special engine and carriage con-
 tainiDg all the medical men they could
 collect in so short a space of time, for
 their impression was that we would all be
 found buried in the ruins of our train
 somewhere between Middlesham and Dill
 mouth. Of course. when they heard we
 were all right the doctor was set at iber-
 ty, and the engine came on by itself with
 our guard and drivers. We then heard
 for the first time how the thing happened.
 The engine-drive it appeared had gone
 across the line to get his usual glass of
 whisky before starting, leaving his fire
 man in charge. While he was gone the
 fireman had to get off to do some oiling
 work to the engine, and some one. sup
 posed to be one of the goods-drivers.
 had seized the opportunity and got on.
 This man had called out to the fireman to
 stand by and hold switch while he took on horsebox. The fireman, thinking all was right, and that it was the proper
 driver returned, without looking Up, did
 as he was told. Everything then follow ed as we had suspected. The train nov
 ed off without the guard, and with the
 carriage doors open. The engine driver
 rushed up just in time to see the tail
 lights of the train disappearing under the
 bridge, and very much surprised his fire
 man by asking for an explanation of such an extraordinary proceeding. The fire man, poor man, could only protest in strong language that he had received his
 orders from the engine, and, as he SUD-
 posed, from the engine-driver himself. There was, as might be expected, great consternation amongst the officials when 1t become know that some one had run off with the train and as such thing
 could not have been done with any harm less intention, and the consequences would in all probability be serious, im- mediate steps were, as we have seen, ta- ken to provide that assistance which it was feared would be needed by us. Hap pily, as have shown, it was not needed, and the whole of the passengers were for warded to their various destinations, safe, at all events, in body, though seriously
 disturbed in mind.
 Aword or two as to the man who de- vised and perpetfated this horrible at tempt. He was supposed to have jumped off the train little way down the line. and to have got clear away but next morn ing gang of platelayers, proceeding to their work, came upon his sadly mutilated body lying in the ''six-foot." His head and face were so shattered and bruised that no feature could be recognized; but from his clothes, and an old pass found in his pocket, he appeared to be one of the goods-fremen then on strike. He was known to be one of the most disaffected
 of the lot, and had often been heard to utter vague threats about Serving the company of for their tyranny and oppres- sion'-threats so very vague that no one thought it worth while to heed them, or look after him. When found, one of his
 boots was missing, but it was found, few yards further on, torn and fattened out of
 all shape. Putting the two things togeth-
 CT. 1t would seem that, in jumping off the engine, his foot had caught in the slip II