Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-03-26
An Old Couples First Trip by Rail.


A COUPLE of nights ago very aged
couple, who were compelled to remain
at the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indian
apolis depot all night waiting for the
morning train, attracted attention by
their actions and talk. The man was
eighty three years of age and his wife
eighty-two. Both were gray-haired and
evidently passing into their second child
hood. The mans frame betokened a
giant strength in early age, now weak
ened materially by old age. The couple
had come from the mountain Businesses
of Tennessee and were on their way to
visit a daughter living about eight miles
back of New Albany.
The man was veteran in the war of
1912, and was one of the few surviving
heroes of the battle of New Orleans. In
relating his presence as a soldier OF
Jackson's army he became enthusiastic,
and his frame trembled with emotion at
the remembrance of that day Strange
to say, neither he nor his wife during all
their long years of existence, dating
back to infancy of the great American
Republic, had ever, until their present
trip, seen a railroad train. Living far in
the mountains of East Tennessee, where
the iron horse shrieked not its notes of
the rapid progress of the times, they had
passed more than the allotted tin of
life IN utter ignorance of the changes
that had taken place in the world since
Andrew Jackson fought and whipped
the Britishers" behind the cotton bales
in New Orleans.
But the time had come when they must
visit some of their children, before the
finger of death was pointed at them.
They purchased tickets to this city, and
had their trunks, or "boxes," as they
called them, checked to this point, not
understanding this manner of doing busi-
ness but trusting that all would come
right. They got on the cars with many
misgivings.
AS the. train bounded along, many
miles an hour, they trembled for the
safety of their lives They saw fire in
the locomotive and steam issuing there
flom, but could not comprehend how
" the burned thing" as the old man
called it, travelled so fast. They expect
ed every moment to see the train hurled
off the track and themselves crushed upon
the ground, notwithstanding the assur-
ance of passengers to the contrary. "How
does the thing go?" they would ask fire.
quently, but explanations did not give
them very clear and satisfactory idea
of the great motive-power of the locomo-
tive in making such vast strides over
the land The shrieks of the locomotive
sounded like claps of thunder to their
ears, and puzzled them exceedingly.
When they arrived here at night, being
poor, they were compelled TO stay during
the entire night in the waiting room of
the depot, and there sleep away the
weary hours.
Here another trouble seemed to affect
ha Olr,, EF.
| for the transportation of their baggage
over the j., NJ & |. Road, and they feared
that some fraud had been perpetrated
upon them.
The brass checks have pieces of leath-
er attached to them. 81 don't like these
here gumalastics." said the man to his
wife. "Pd like to see my box; I'm
afeard some o. these here fellers are
goin' TO get away with it. Pears to me
changing these here things looks kinder
suspicious" and he shook his innocent
old gray hairs doubtfully.
A number of parties questioned them
as they sat in the room. Suddenly a
locomotive began to yell its loudest, and
the old man unconscfously said to Betsey:
by jehokys! did yer hear that clap of
| thunderS" When told what IL was he
was much relieved. Another thing puz-
zled him and his wife. There WAS a sofa
standing in the room, and. as he sat upon
| it, it seemed to him to springup and down.
| He wanted to know what it was made
of, and was answered, laughingly, by an
officer that it was made of horse-hair.
He viewed it with an eye of great curl
osity. By and by the couple were left
alone, and finally fell asleep.
About one o'clock in the morning the
officers at the station-house near by
| kindly cooked some coffee for them and
sent it over to them, for which they were
very grateful Before daylight the man
awoke and, hearing the locomotive
roaring in the yard, he shouted to Bet
sey, his wife: "Betsey, git up, hyar
comes that burned old thing and we must
be off" But it was not the train, and
the two composed themselves again to
sleep.
The last words of the man as they left
the city were "Ef ever my gray hairs
get out of this trouble yer will never
ketch me riding on keers agin," and the
first act of his before leaving was to in
quire about his hox" and those "guma-
lastics." The next day everybody about
the depot vas talking of the curious old
couple and their embarrassment in the
presence of high-toned civilization
Louisville O0urier-J J0urHdL
-
A FARMER told his man to run into the
pastures and catch an OK mean the
off one; ] win manage the other myself,
he said The man ran to do as he was