The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-02-24
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SLOWLY passing lne closed WINDOW OF
the carriage. waited d little, then
gently opened it and looked out. The
stoker was crawling along the foot
board OF the next carriage, holding on
by it handles; so as not to he seen by
the occupants, and holding the signal
lantern that Had notictd at tile bau k
of the last carriage In Ills hand. The
meaning of that struck me in a mc :
ment: II, by any chance we missed the
goods train from Sienna, we should be
run into from behind by the train from
Flotence.
Tic Gold air that blew in at the 0pen-
window refreshed inc, and could think
what was to be d5ne. The train was
increasing its pace rapidly. Evident
y the stoker, in sole charge, was striv-
ing to reach Empoli before the other
train, which we should follow, wss due;
he had to make FIVE minutes In joGrn.
ey of forty-five, and, at the rate We
were going, we should do it. We stop
ped nowhere, and the journey was more
than half over. We were now between
Segau and Montelupo; another twenty
minutes and should be a bruised
corpse. Something must be done.
decided soon. christening my bsgj
l took out my reVolvef, without which
l never travel, and looking Carefully to
the loading and capping, fastened It t0
my waist with handkerchief. then
cut with my knife the bar across the
middle of the window, and carefully
looked out. l could see nothing; the
rain was falling fast, and the night as
dark as ever. l cautiously put out first
one leg and then the other; keeping my
knees and toes close to the door, and
lowered myself till l felt the step. 1
walked carefully along the FOOT Board
by side steps, holding on to the handles
OF the doors, till came to the end Vt
the carriages; and was next to the tell
der. Here was a gulf that seemed im-
passable. The stoker mast have pass
ed over it, why not l 4? Mounting ft6ui
the foot hoard to the buffer, aud hold
ing on to the iron hook on which the
lamps are hung, l stretched my legs to
reach the part of the cutfer on the ten
der. My legs swung about with the pi-
braton, and touched nothing. l must
spring. had to hold with hands be5
hind my back, and stood on the case Of
the buffer-spring, and, suddenly leav-
ing 90, leaped forward, struck vlOient+
ly against the edge of the tendetj and
grasped some of the lose Jumps Of coal
on the top, Another struggle brought
me on my knees, bruised and bleeding
on the top. L stood up, and at that
moment the stoker opened the door OF
the furnace. and turned towards me,
shovel in hand, to put in the Goals.
The bright red light from the fire en-
Lbled him to see me, while 1t blinded
me. He rushed at me, and then began
a struggle that shall remember to nv
dying day. He grasped me round the
throat with one arm, dragging me close
to his breast, and with the other kept
the shovel for an effective
blow. Many hands numbed and
bruised, were almost useless to me, and
for some seconds we reeled 70 and fro
on the foot plate In the binding glare.
At last he got me against the front OF
the engine, and, with horrible ingenuity,
pressed me against it till the lower part
of my clothes were burnt to cinder.
The heat, however, restored my hands.
and at last l managed to push him far
enough from my body to loosen my,
pistol. did not want to kill him, but
L could not be very careful, aud l fret
at his shoulder from the back. IIa
dropped the shovel, the arm that had
nearly thrOttled me relaxed and he felt;
l pushed him into a corner of the ten
der, and sat down 10 recover myself.
My object was to get to Empoli be-
fore the Sienna goods train, for knew
Of what might be- behind me.
II was too late to stop, but might, by
the journey seven minutes
Instead Of five, get To Empoli three
minutes before the goods train was dIr.
l had never been on an engine befor,,
In my life, but / knaw that there nflt,t
be q valve somewhere that let the steslrf
from the boiler into the cylinders, and
That, being important, it would be I'm n
position. therefore turn
ed the large handle in front Of me, ami
had the satisfaction OF finding the speed
rapidly increased, aud at the same tins
felt the guard putting on the break t,5
retard the train. Spite of this, I'M len,
minutes could see some dim lights
could not tell where, and still pressed
Dn, faster aud faster.
In vain, betN cen the intervals of put.
ling on Goals, did | try 10 arouse In,
sleeping driver. There | was, with tw,
apparently dead bodies ON the foot. plat,
Of an engine, going at the rate of forty
miles an hour, or more, amidst thliul
1ering noise aud vibration that nearly
me.
At last we reached the lights. and [
saw, as dashed by, that we had passed
the dread point.
As turned back could see ths
rapid y.dropping chHlers from tue train
which, had the guards break beeu suf-
iciently powerful to have made ne
thirty Neconds later, would have utter-
Iy destroyed me.
| was sull in a difficult position.
There was the train half a minute be-
hind us. which, had we kept our time,
would have been four niiRlteS i'm front
OF us. 1t came on the saue rails, and
could hear its dun rumble rushing nli
towards rs, fast. II | stopped there was
no light to warn thenr. 1 must 90 OF
Tor the Sienna train did nOt stop at En-
poll.
put on more fuel, and after son a
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