The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-02-12

tue piisoeu Ais knee upon tne spring 70
prevent the jaws from closing and catching
their maker, while he tampered with the
trigger.
He was in the midst of the work, when,
from some unaccountable cause, his knee
slipped from the spring, and-oh, hor-
rorl the mighty jaws closed on his
wrists
With cry, indescribably full, of agony,
the entrapped man tried to spring to his
feet but the trap, fastened as it was to the
iron rails, held him securely down.
The sharp teeth seemed to cut into the
marrow of his bones, and he was expert
encing the horror of human being caught
in trap.
He tried to crush the spring, but it would
not yield to the power which he had lately
owned, and then he tried to tear himself
loose.
But the pain occasioned by its efforts was
80 great that he was forced to desist lest he
should faint, and in that condition be
caught by the train.
''If it had caught my leg" he cried, II
could tear it loose; but oh these precious
arms of mine!"
1t was terrible moment for the entrap-
ped man.
All at once, in that hour Of terror, he
thought of the man for whom he had pro-
pared the jaws of unyielding steel.
He would doubtless reach !the crossing
and release him before the train was due,
for Julian Wingfold was not vengeful
rival
All thoughts of revenge against the beau
tiful Agnes Temple had left his mind; he
looked up at the stars, and they seemed to
mock his misery; he cried for help from
the terror stricken depths of his heart.
But no footsteps sounded upon his ears
Heaven and man seemed to have left the
hater to his fate Suddenly David Thrall
started, and cry of despair welled from
his throat.
The shrek of the engine told him that
the one dread hour of his captivity had
passed away, and the end of all was near at
hand.
''Heaven have VI" he cried. EDO
not unto me as l have done unto an
other I"
But no deiverance came, and the sound
of the whistle died away with a mocking
echo.
Within five minutes the iron monster
would be upon him, and the most terrible
drama ever enacted in that lovely country
would have reached its tragic finale.
He heard the roar of the train, which
seemed to approach on the very wings of
the wind.
He raved, he cursed, and tried to wrench
his wrists from the jaws of steel, and tried
to break them off, and bear life and bleed
ing stumps away, but in vain. With the
tenacity of death itself the trap held him
down.
The engine shrieked again, and David
Thran paused and looked over his shoul-
der.
He saw the headlight now; it dazed his
eyes, and he could not shade the precious
orbs with his hands. Then he shrieked
at the top of his voice; but the cars came
on.
'tNo deliverance! Oh, Heaven!" he ex-
claimed, sinking in the few seconds he had
yet to live. II have merited this. What a
terrible thing retribution is He will be
happy and she will smile upon him with all
her dazzling beauty. But I-I-oh
Heaven pity me Chained to the track
caught in the trap made by my own hands
for a fellow being 1t is just. Heaven
forgive ME, and comfort my poor"
The rumbling of tho train had scarcely
died away in the distance when Julian
Wingfold, returning from the home Of Ag-
mes Temple, crossed the track.
He stepped where the instrument of
death had been placed, and passed on with
cut noticing its handiwork. If s.e had
but glanced down he might have seea the
two battered steel jaws, closed now upon
the hfeless hands only, of his rival, the
| blacksmith.
The remains were discovered on the fol
lowing day, and the presence of the trap
told the awful story.
David Thrall's widowed mother soon fol-
lowed him to the grave.
The little smithy still stands in Middle
town, and the superstitious say that at night
David Thrall can be heard beating steel be.
fore his forge.
Julian Wingfold is happy husband
and father now, but he never thinks Of
that one nights walk without feel