The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-02-20

in pursuit of the engine. These were
the conductor and engineer. Messrs
Fuller and Murphy, who, on foot, annie
the sudden and uncontrolled laughter o.
the crowd, started out to catch the men,
who were flying away at the rate o.
sixty miles an hour with their train.
The twenty-five men upon the engine
had an almost impossible task before
them. They had to burn the bridges
upon their route-they had to cut the
telegraph wire as they proceeded to pre-
vent the alarm preceding them-they
had to meet and pass two of the regular
trains of the road-they were followed
by maddened enemies-and even if they
should reach Chattanooga, the terminus
of the road, in safety, they would find
themselves in o strongly fortified post
of the enemy-a hundred miles from
their own lines-and in momentary ex-
pectation of the sight of their pursuers.
And vet they went ahead, bravely and
carefully. When out about n mile
from the station (where' there was no
telegraph operator) they stopped and
cut down the wire and pulled up q rail
or two. Remounting their engine, they
hurried on. When they reached the
first station above Big Shanty they told
the tanktender that they we're pulling
through all extra powder train for Beau
regard, and asked for a schedule. He
gave them one, and they found that
they would meet the down passenger
train a few stations above. Having
more than enough time to make the
schedule, they pulled along leisurely,
stopping occasionally to tear up the
track. They had no tools with which
to take up the rails, and had to batter
them down with hammers. While en-
gagged at this work they were astounded
at hearing a short distance behind them
the whistle of an engine IN pursuit.
With one convulsive effort they tore up
the rails they were hammering at and
remounted their engine. AS they did 80
they saw the engine manned by their
pursuers rush around the curve. 1t
was stopped by the torn track, and in
the mean time the raiders flew out OF
sight. They had to stop so frequently,
however, to cut the wire that their pur-
suers kept in sight nearly all the way.
The chase was q headlong one. Two
men stood on the COW catcher of the pur-
suing engine, to leap off and remove OBJ
structions from the track and to tear up
| rails from behind the engine and lay
them down in front. At length, just as
they we're nearing the station where
thew were to meet the down train, the
raiders succeededin tearing up the track
very badly and loading their baggage
car with some fifty rails. They then
drew in on the siding and waited for the
down train to clear. the track. They
told the powder train story to the con-
ductor of this train.
AS they pulled out they saw their pur-
suers reach the broken track and halt
their engine. Two men (the conductor
and engineer of the stolen train) jumped
off and ran toward the down train. They
boarded it and hastily turned it back and
pushed wrong end foremost, in pursuit
of the flying raiders. Then there was
all open track and a fair race. Through
village after village the two trains flew
like lightning. Having to stop occasion
ally to cut the telegraph wires, Andrews
saw that it was necessary to force his
pursuers to halt also. Consequently he
knocked the rear end of the last baggage
car out, and dropped crossties and rails
upon the track in front of the pursuing
train. At last when he was pushed very
close, he uncoupled one of the cars
and left it drifting upon the track. The
Confederates halted an instant, coupled
it to their train, and hurried on again,
pushing it ahead of them. Another car
was finally dropped, and at length the
last car was kindled into a blaze and left
upon a high bridge, in the hope that it
might burn the bridge and thus check
the pursuers. But it was impossible,
with the whirling at such enormous
speed, to get the blaze fully started, and
it went out before it enkindledthe bridge.
The pursuing train coupled this car and
swept on.
Chattanooga was now only twenty
miles distant, but the foremost engine
was in a sad plight. Its brass journals
we're all melted down; its wood and water
were exhausted, and progress was viz
tually ended. A hurried council of wal
was held, and q bold and brilliant plan
determined upon. 1t was decided
to let one of the raiders pull the engine
out Of sight around a curve, while the
others disembarked, tore up the track,
and hid in the brush near the road.
Then, when the train of the pursuers ar
rived, and the forces on it we're engaged
in repairing the track, the ambushed
men would spring upon them, disperse
them, and send their train sweeping
back down the road to wreck everything
behind it, and give the raiders time to
escape. But Just as this plan was deter
mined upon, the pursuing train rushed
in sight, and bore down rapidly on the
doomed engine. Seeing that they would
inevitably be run down in a very few
moments. Andrews ordered his men to
take to the woods and save themselves,
and shaking the hands of his comrades,
who were huddled upon the tender,
leaped from the flying engine, and was
soon lost in the woods. He was followed
by his men, who jumped from n side
or the ssother and took to the nearest
shelter.
We recur to Messrs. Murphy and
Fuller, who set upon foot from Big
Shanty in pursuit of the stolen engine.
AS absurd as that foot-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 a hand-car, which vas lying upon
the side of the track. 1t was used to
move the road workers about. Putting
this car upon tie track, and impressing
a force of negroes they hurried on, push
ing it up grade with poles, and letting it
fly down grade of it's own weight. They
made pretty good time with this, and at
last reached a station where a side road
ran out to a coal mine. An engine ready
fired was standing here. Theyimpress-
ed it, and put it through it's best PAGES
until they reached Kingston, where the
engine of the Rome railroad "a branch
of the Western and Atlantic railroad)
was awaiting the up train. They seized
this and continued their pursuit. With
this engine they came in sight of the
stolen train. They followed it until they
came to the place where the track was
so badly torn they could not replace it.
They then started on foot again, and
soon met the down passenger train
u.b;,b tbav of 0nca tnrnel backward.