Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-04-26


Having more than enough time 10 make |
the schedule they moved along leisurely, |
stopping occasionally TO tear up the track. |
They had no tools with which 10 take mp |
the rails, and had 10 batter them down |
with hammers, While engaged nj this |
work they were nsioundcd 10 hear n short |
distance behind the whistle oi an engine /
in pnrsuii With one .convulsiye effort |
thew tore up the rails they were hammer |
ing aud rcmuunted their engine. As they |
did 80 they saw the engine manned by |
their pursucrs rush around the curve. II |
was stopped by the torn track, and the !
raiders flew ont Of sight. They had to stop |
~ frequently, however, to cut the wires
that their pursuers kept in sight nearly !
all the way. Two men stood on the cow
catcher Of the pursuing engine to keep of
and remove pb+tructions from the track,
and to tear up rails from behind the en-
gine and lay them down in front.
At length, just rs they were nearing the
station where they were to meet the down
train the iniders succeeded in tearing up
the track very badly, loading their bag
gage car with some fifty rails. They then
drew in on the siding aud waited for the
down train to clear the track. They told
tie powder story to the conductor Of this
pursuers reach the broken track and hnlt
their engine Two men (the conductor
aud engineer of the stolen train) jumped
off and ran toward the down train. They
boarded it and hastily turned it back aud
pushed, wrong end foremost, in pursuit Of
the flying Yankees. Then there was an
open track and fair race. Through viii
lago after village the two trains flew like
lightning. Having TO stop occasionally TO
cut the telegraph wires, Andrews found il
was necessary to force his pursucrs to n
halt also. Consequently he Knocked the
rear end uf the last baggage car out Hnd
dropped cross iies and rails npon the track
in front OF the pnrsuing train. At last,
when he was pushed very close, he un-
coupled one OF the cars and left it drifting
upon The track The Corfedcrates halted
an instant, coupled it to their train and
hurried on again, pushing it ahead Of them.
Another ear wos finally dropped, and at
length the last car was kindlcd into blaze
and left upon high bridge, in the hope
that it might burn the bridge and thus
check the pnrsuers. But it was imp0ssi-
ble, with the whirling ct such an enor-
nous speed, to get the fire fully started
nn it went ont before it enkindlcd the
bridge Tie pursuing train coupled this
car and went Cn.
FLYING TO THE WOODS.
Chattanooga was now only twenty miles
distant, but the foremost engine was in n
sad plight. lts brass journals were all
melted down. its wood and water were ex-
hausted, and progress was virtually ended.
| A hurried council OF war was held, and
brave and brilliant plan was determined
upon. 1t was decided to let one Of the
| raiders pull the Yankee engine around n
curve while the others disembarked, tore
up the track and hid in the bush near the
road. Then, when the train OF the pursu-
ers arrived and the forces on it were en-
gagged in repairing the track, the ambushed
men would spring upon them, diSpersc
them and send their train sweeping back
down the road to wreck everything behind
it and give tho raiders time to escape
But inst Ns his plan was determined upon,
the pursuing train rushed in sight and
bore down rapidly on the doomed engine.
Seeing that they would be inevitably run
down in n few minutes, Andrews ordered
his men to take to the woods and save
themselves, and shaking the hands OF his
comrades, who were huddled upon the ten
der, leaped from the flying engine and was
soon lost in the woods. lie was followed
by his men, who jumped from one side or
the other and took to the nearest shelter.
We recur to Messrs Murphy and Fuller,
who set ont on foot from Big Shanty in
pursuit Of the stolen engine. AS absurd
as that ioot-race appeared, it was the means
of battling the scheme OF the determined
raiders. Murphy and Fuller ran ON foot
for about three miles as fast as they could
hurry, having no definite plan except to GO
ahead. After. they had gone three miles
they came upon n hand-car, which was
living upon the side OF the track. 1t waS
used to move the road workers about. Put.
ting this car upon the track and impress
ing n force of negroes they hurried on
pushing it up grade with poles, and letting
it ly down grade OF its own weight. They
made pretty good time with this, unt
at last reached Il station where n side rnaC
ran out 10 n coal mine. An engine rend,
/; fired was standiug here. They impressed
it, and put it through its best PAGES unit
they reached Kingston, where the engin,
of the Rome Railroad "a branch OF tn,
Western and Atlaptic Railrond) was await
, ing the up train. They seized this ant
, continued their pursuit. With this cngin
( they came in sight of the stolen train
} They followed it until they came to tn
place where the track WAS SO badly tori
= they could not replace it. They the
started on loot ngAin, and soon met tn
down passenger train, which they at ono
turned backward, and pressed the runa
8 ways SO close TINT they had to take to til
woods. Thus it will be seen that three Ell
gines and hand-car were used consecu
i lively in this wild and headlong chase afte
: the raiders.
As an evidence of the tremendous spec
+. made in this run, it is said that the dow
q passenger train which was reversed wer
v iifty-two miles in sixty -one minutes, pusl
i ing a train ahead Of it for several mile
4 stopping frequently to remove obstruction
It HUNTED BY BLooDHoUNDs.
!. OF course the Yankees who leaped froI
d the stolen engine had very little chance
e escape. They were surrounded on ever
Il side by enemies. Within few hundre
e yards of where they left their engine tw
J. regiments Of cavalry were encamped
q was muster day at Ringgold, two mill
d away, and hundreds of farmers, armed an
d mounted, were collected there. The roa
/ was lined with soldiers. The alar
's had been sent to Chattanooga by telegrap
: aud trains loaded with troops and scou
, were hnrrying to the scene. The day w
r dark, cloudy and rainy. The raiders we
!, unacquainted with the country, and wit
5. the stars and sun hidden did not know Il
l. south from the north They plunged in
& the woods, however, and struck out for Il
e Tennessee River. In an hour the who
e country was alive with scouts and hunter
y There was not a by-path, or cross road th
lie was not thoroughly explored. To add
% The terrors OF the situation, well-train,
/ hounds were put upon the track of the I
N gitiycs, and traied them down with une
" ring certainty. The hunt, though Oxcitin
ne WIS not a long one. In twenty-lour hou
IN from the time they left the engine eve
N member OF the band was captured. Tn
le were in pilable plight when taken. Th
ms were drenched to the skin-covered wi
in dirt aud filth-in the last stages Of c
'd hanstion, aud almost starved. The sto
II oi their adventures in the Georgia for,
70 that night is wild and thrilling one,
IL.