Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-01-20
4 THRILLING STORY.

Yesterday monrng while two men en-
rloyes of the Uni0n Pacific shops were
going to their work, and were walking
on the Omaha & North Western track to
the shops, their attention was attracted
10 boot heel sticking in the frog Of a
switch, short distance from the shops. I
They stopped to examine it, and found .
1t was wedged so tightly in the iron
"frog" that 1t required smart blow OF a
cru:ch lone Of the men had lost n leg) to
disodge it. Long nails protruded from
it, and all appearances went to show that
it had taken considerable force to tear it
from the boot. at appears TO me-" said
one OF them, THAT some poor fellow has
al narrow escape from being run
down by train here last night, or else
he got badly frightened and wrenched
his boot heel Of when tAele was no occa-
sion for it."
at reminds me-" said the other in
low tcne "of little adventure which |
la Il few years ag) with X. c. & St. Joe
tond. WAS then a young man, but il
int likely that ! will ever forget it,
nm he cast a rueful look at the empty
! < Of his pants. Tho story is soon
told" he went on turning the boot-heel
over in his hand as if TO find inscribed
upon it story similar to his own. II
was walking on the track near St. Joe, in
Missouri. 1t was terribly dark night
in February and heavy snow storm
was prevailing at the time. The snow
AID wind beating in my face was almost
sufficient to blind me even n mid day.
/ was walking briskly along, not dream
ing of any harm-in fact, | was then re-
turning from visit to my sweetheart,
who had that very evening promised to
be my wife-when suddenly found my
boot heel fastened in the frog" where
y side track joined the main track, just
as this heel was fastened there between
those rails. At that moment hea rd the
thrill whistle Of locomotive, and look
lg up the track SAW through the blind
ing snow a light cleaning down upon
me. 1t was an unusal hour for train,
and the idea Of meeting one had not oc-
cure 10 me before, but now the awful
truh flashed upon me. | made des
perate effort to wrench my foot out from
he vice like grip of the rails, and the
horror of my position was increased II
hundred fold when | found that my
greatest strength was powerless to re
lease me. The light was so closely upon
lne that its reflection upon the newly
fallen snow blinded me. As a man will
in such positions, | thought Of a thoua
and things in an instant; Of my aged
parents, of the event of my life and of
my promised BRIDE and the thought that
tor life, was infinitely more horrible than
the threatened death. But III not trou-
be you long with this painful narrative.
The headlight was blazing like the fires
of hi right in my face. It was this leg
that was fastened" he said, swinging the
stump back and forth
"Yes, yes" interrupted his companion
with pale checks. "You just threw
yourself TO one side and the engine just
severed your leg from your body"
Not exactly" returned the story tell
or smiling blandly upon his victim.-
1.-The truth is, sir, am almost ashamed
TO say, that the light did not proceed
from a locomotive, but from the lantern
ofa watchman who happened to be COM
ing down the track"
And the shrill whistle that you
heard ?"
That ! presume came from saw
mill not far away"
But your leg-how came you to lose
thot ?"
'As many another brave man has lost
sigh, accompanied by far away look,
rs if to recall the scenes Of battle field
IL fell under moving machine and had
it chopped off,"
wen, All / nave 10 say IS" returned
tie disgusted companion. II hope the
girl went back ON you ard married an AK
handle maker, or some one else who
could make her happy"
"No, She stuck to me" said the roman
c"r sorrowlully. "Sbe stuck 30 me
through good and evil rcport-and MAJ
ried me one rapturous evening in the
merry month Of May, and now"-hi-
voice grew husky with emoton-"and
now would give the top of this bald
aud beailing pate, if she hadn't"
lie turned away to hide his emotion,
white his companion was busily engag.
ed in fastening a large pin in the end of q
cane, and dropping little in the rear
omaha Herotd.