The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-01-10

er train ran on the side track.
Night after night our time had been
so close that we did not keep them
waiting over two minutes, and were
generally in sight when they
switched in.
When we left Dive went
ahead at a rafting speed, fully be
lieving that the other train would
be on time. Nine miles from ID
-is the little village of Parto.
There is telegraph station there,
but the operator has no night work.
He closed his Office and went home
about nine o'clock, and any MESA
ges on the wires for him were held
above or below until morning.
When | sighted this station / saw
a red lantern swinging between the
rails. Greatly astonished / pulled
up the heavy train and got bit of
news that nearly lifted me out of
my boots. 1t was Gods mercy as
plain as this big depot. 1t was the
operator who was swinging the lam
tern. He had been reused from
sleep by the whistling of locomo-
tive when there wasn't one within
ten miles of him. He heard the
tOot! foot! tootl while he was
dressing, and all the way as he ran
to the station, thinking he'd been
sighaled. Lo! there was no train
there. Everything was as quiet as
the grave. The man heard his in
strument clicking away and leaning
his ear against the window he
caught these words as they went
through to D:
"For Gods sake switch the east
ern express off quick! Engineer
on western express crazy drunk,
and running a mile a minute"
The operator signaled at once.
We had lett D--nine miles be
hind, aud the message couldn't
have caught US anywhere except at
Patio. Six miles further down was
the lone switch. 1t was time we
were there, lacking one minute. We
lost two or three minutes in under
standing the situation and consult
ing, and had just got ready to
switch IL where we were, when the
headlight of the other train came
into view. Great Heavens! but
how, oh that other train was flying.
The bell was ringing, sparks flying
and the whistle screaming, and not
a min of us could raise a hand.
We stood there on the track, spell
bound, as it were. There wouldn't
have been time, anyhow, either to
have switched in or to have got
the passengers out. 1t wasn't over
sixty seconds before that train was
upon us. 1 prayed to God for a
breath or two, and then shut my
eyes and waited for death, for l
hadn't the strength to get off the
cab"
"Well, sir, Gods mercy was re-
vealed again. Forty rods before us
that locomotive jumped the track
and was piled into the ditch in an
awful mass. Some of the coaches
were considerably smashed, and |
some of the people badly bruised,
but no one was killed, and of course
our train escaped entirely. Satan
must have cared for big Tom, the |
other engineer. He didn't get a
bruise, but was up and across the
fields like a deer, screaming and |
shrieking like tiger. 1t took five
men to bind him after he was run |
down, and to-day he's the worst lu-
natic in the State"
tom was good fellow" contin
tinued the engineer after a pause,
sand he used to take his glass pref
ty regularly. L never saw him
drunk, but liquor kept working
away on his senses until at last the |
trenaens caught him when he had
hundred and fifty lives behind his
engine. He broke out all of sud-
den. The fireman was thrown off |
the engine, all steam turned on, and |
then Tom danced and screamed and |
carried on like fend. He would |
have made awful work, sir, but for
Gods mercy. I'm trembling yet
over the way he came down for us,
and I'll never think OF it without |
my heart jumping for my throat.
Nobody asked me to sign the
pledge, but l wanted my name there.
One such night on the road has
turned me against intoxicating |
drinks, and now that I've got this
red ribbon on l can talk to the |
boys with better face. Tom is raw
ing, as l told you, and the doctors
say he'll never get his reason again.
Good night, sir-my train goes in
ten minutes. "-Detroit Free Press.