Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-08-12

ooe' oilu IL VIII Oe pretty mare
lines for her at first, before sh,
can hear from them, and shell
need friends, poor girl" He stop
ped, brushing his hand across his
eyes.
"lf she ever needs help" said
impressed, in spite Of myself, by
his earnestness, and sharing be-
side, much of his apprehension
"my wife and l will stand by her
She shan't want for friend while
we live. But don't get 'blue,
Brooks. All this may amount to
nothing" trying to speak cheer.
fully, but with partial success on.
ly.
He shook his head modify,
tut did not speak. We neared
the mysterious place. / turned
my eyes for one moment from
the road in front to attend to
some slight duty. / looked back
just In time to catch one glimpse
OF a light-not the seeming lire
for which we watched-but the
headlight of coming train! The
next instant terrible sheck-a
deatening Grassland | knew no
more.
l recovered my senses to find
myself lying on a bed, in a low.
celled room ofa farm house, stand
ing not far from the scene OF dis.
aster. Stunned and bruised l
was, but had sustained no serious
injury. In answer to my eager
inquiries, ! learned that the train
colliding with mine was heavy
express, which l should have
passed at NJ, the next sta.
tion beyond.
Liquor did it all. Tom Jones,
the engineer, who, though known
to be Irregular" drinker, was
still considered trustworthy, had
taken the train out of St. A. all
right as far as anybody knew, but
whether he had drank an extra
glass, and got crazy drunk, or
whether he had a touch OF the de.
lirlum tremens that night, nobody
could ever tell. He and his fire
man were both dead, poor fellows.
1t was only known that he had
rushed the train through at full
speed, disregarding signals from
the conductor, and stopping at
no station. But as for the thirty
odd miles, from St. A to NJ, there
We're none but small stations,
where the express stopped only
when signaled, l think No one
suspected any harm until they
reached NJ, where they should
have stopped, and from there to
destruction had been only briet
ten minutes ride.
There were half a dozen killed
and wounded on tie express; on
mine, one of the brakemen was
badly hurt, and Brooks Vane
could not be found.
Cant be found, man." l said
to my informant-"what do you
mean?"
That's what | mean, sir. The
men on your train have searched
everywhere, and they can't find
no trace ofhim, even"
1t was odd, to say the least
1t was now broad daylight, and l
could not conceive how any search
could have failed to find him. T.
got up, lame and sore, but still a.
bic to move about, and went out.
The house was only a little way
from the scene of the accident
The dead and wounded had been |
moved away, and men were busy
removing the debris and clearing
the track. The express train
was a very heavy one, and mine,
though freight, comparatively |
light, since had but few cars
My engine had been thrown COM
pletely from the track, over the
low bank, into wet, marshy
meadow lying alongside the road.
The smokestack Was half buried |
in the mud. | walked around it,
searching carefully, but there was
no sign OF my unfortunate fire.
man. looked for him as long as
| was able, aud then dragged my
self back to the house, from
whence l dispatched the farmers
son to B, with a telegraphic mes
sage, to be sent to my wife, ap-
prising her of my safety, and beg
ging her to see that all knowledge
of the accident was kept from
poor Vane's wife, and directed
him to wait for reply.
He returned in the afternoon
with message from my wife:
''Viola says Brooks body is bur-
led in the marsh, under the smoke
stack of the Amoskeag. Search
for it there. EMMA DEANE."
Viola was Brooks wife. l was
confoundad had not in4im ated