Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-07-24
AN EXCITING AFFAIR.
Thrilling Story of a Railroad Catastro.
phe in England. 49,,

Translated from the Courier des Etats Unis for
the N. Y. Evening Post
There were four of us in one of the
cars on the Lyons railroad. -Four smo-
kers-a fact which had naturally a ten
dency to bring us into sympathetic
relations. / forget exactly how we fell
into conversation, but at any rate by
the time we had got to Villeneuve the
conversation was general on the subject
of railroad accidents. We had all told
stories of more or less interest, garnish-
ed with the greatest amount of danger
possible, when the only one among us
who had not yet furnished a budget of
adventure said:
Cali that, gentlemen, is undoubtedly
extremely interesting, but will you al
low me to say that the whole of the
singular accidents of which you have
spoken are as nothing compared to q
railroad catastrophe which happened
some years ago in England, and atwhlch
| was unwilling y present. ii'' '..-
Very naturally this beginning awak-
ened our interest, and we entreated
him to go on. Willingly, gentlemen" y.
said our travelling companion. "AssI
said before, it was in England, about
five years ago. | had takenlthe Bristol
train at 6 O'clock in the morning
morning that [ shall never forgotten
a little village some twenty miles off.
We had been going along very smooth
Iy, when, from the railroad carriage in
which I was placed-the first on the
train-the noise Of a. violent quarrel
of
dow. The noise came from the loco
motive, where fight had begun between
the engineer and the fireman. [ learn
ed later the cause ofthe dispute, which,
might as we'll say now, arose from
Jealousy of some woman. 1t had long
burned in their hearts. and now that
the explosion had come it was violent
Il was, as 1 said, gentlemen, at the
window looking out, when the noise
redoubled.. The struggle was becoming
furious. The two men were fighting
like wild beasts. You shudder, gentle
men. All. [ shudder still when I see
what [ shall never cease to see. The
two men writhed out Of the engine IN
their agony, and rolled Off. r The train
was going at the rate Of twenty miles
an hour. Left to itself the engine went
faster and faster. The fields, the trees,
the houses disappeared in way that
made my head swim. We passed q
station. We scarcely had time to see
it. Another one was passed, a third, a
fourth. Cries of horror were heard
from the different coaches. We felt
that we were lost! Already [ could see
the little depot at the end of the route;
nothing could save US from, being dash
ed to pieces. resigned myself to fate
and shut my eyes" x E*abfd*
Fontainebleau! Fontainebleau!"
broke in the voice Of the conductor, in
terrupting the story of our companion.
Sorry, gentlemen, but [ get out here "
And bowling politely he disappeared.
None of us have ever heard the end OF
that story. ta.....
al can drink or let it alone" We
heard the words fall proudly from the
lips of young man who gloried in his
untrammeled freedom, his broad mind
edness, his standing in society, his pow
er to toy with the tempter without be.
coming its victim = II can drink or lei
it alone" he said proudly, and he
meantit, for he thought he could. All
that is the rock on which so many brave
young lives go down. Only a few mo-
ments after he. made his, boast, the
young man stood before the bar, look
ing from whiskey cocktail to a, strange
barkeeper, and feeling III his pockets
for the pocket-bcokI that was lett, al
home twenty-three blocks away. Where
then was this proud boast? Could he
drink or let it Alone" as he pleased!
All! he could let it alone mighty well
And he did, "No slate, said the bar
keeper; q" cash up Oh; young man bt
warned. 1t is easy for you TO say:
can drink or let italone," but oh, youns
man---l .'""
3 REPUBLICANS of the 10th Indiana con
| II lot -, of ha,,o I'D II On