Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-04-18
A Heroic Act.

Freight train No. % leaves Ashtabula at
20 p. IN. daily, from the l.. S. & NJ. S.
depot for Oil City, via the Franklin Di-
vision. Although passengers are carried
on this train it is not run for the accOmmo-
daticn Of passengers, and those who take
passage upon it expect to put up with some
little inconveniencies. Among the pasSen-
gers on this train last Saturday evening
was well dressed, middle aged gentleman,
who was going to Andover. When the
train reached that place at 9.O7 o'clock P.
N. it was stopped and the locomotive took
water at the tank this side of The station.
Passengers for this place are expected to
leave the train during this stop, and as it
is frequently very long train the paSsen-
gers find themselves when they alight about
quarter of mile from the station
On the side track, waiting for No. % %
pass. was freight train No. Al, running
wild. Mr.. D. NJ. Truesdale Of Ashtabula,
Was brakeman on the last. named train,
and as he threw over the switch to allow
his train to pass he heard noise which
aroused his curiosity. By the light from
his locomotive which with the train, was
coming towards hlm quite rapidly, he DIS
covered an object rise up from the cattle
guard and fall over the track directly in
front of the rapidly approaching train.
Truesdale ran to the object and found it TO
be a mau endeavoring to climb out OF the
cattle guard. He had not time to help
him out for the train was then within few
feet, 80 Truesdale with great presence of
mind threw himself upon the man and
both fell to the bottom of the cattle guard,
and the locomotive and train passed over.
He then helped the man out and laid him
on the bank. The man proved to be the
gentleman who took train No. % from Ash
tabula for AndOver, and when his train
stopped to take water he left the train aud
started to walk up the track to the station.
In the darkness he had fallen, into the cat
tie guard, directly in front of Lhe approach
ing train. From the fall he became be-
hllOGICN duN yOuAS AANSSuoAS ~eA1Ae g.
him, he was lying with his head and arms
over one of the rails. Only for his timely dis
covery and the heroic action Of young
Truesdale he would have been instantly
killed.
Last Monday morning Mr.. Truesdale
was aboard of the passenger train that
leaves Centre Street at 9:45 for the south.
When be reached Dorset station, where this
train meets the passenger train from Oil
City for. Ashtabula, he was told the gentle
man whose life he had saved was in the up
bound train. Young Truesdale boarded
the train and found the gentleman, who
burst into tears when young Truesdale told
him be was the person who had saved his
life. Truesdale declined tc give his name,a as
he thought he had only done his duty, and
publicity was not his object. Just then the
train started and in'order to catch his train, |
Truesdale took hssty departure, but just |
as he was leaving the gentleman handed |
him card, with the name of Levitt's Bell |
Ringers printed upon it, from which it is |
supposed the gentleman was Mr.. Levitt.
Next week We hope to publish a little
more to this story, and announce that Mr..
Truesdale has received suitshls reward |
for such a heroic act.