Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-05-01
A RUNAWAY TRAIN.
A Western Train Runs Away While
tho Engineer and Fireman Fight
Out a Difficulty.


Topeka Commonwealth
Last Monday evening a passenger
train on the Missouri, Kansasand Texas
railroad came rafting up the valley
between Parsons and Emporia. with
Dave Durham at the throttle and
Johnnie Haley at the furnace, Just as
1t has every evening for the past six
years.
As engineer and fireman these two
boys have stood side by side on this
run since the spring of 1873. and have
not only registered ION time" but
have, by their strict attention to the
rules of the road, gained the conf
dence of their employers and the
friendship ofmany people living along
this division of the Missouri, Kansas
and Texas. (They have been the best
OF triends-a kind of friendship that
danger cements and makes stronger
has held them together for years-and
but for the alteration giving rise to
this item, they might have filed their
respective stations for a lifetime and
their names never appeared in the
newspaper prints.) AS the train
pulled out from the lowland on the
Neosho and struck the prairie, the
conductor noticed a sudden change
in speed, but thinking the
boys might be lifting" her a
little to meet the grade, paid
no attention to it. The grade was met
and passed as though no grade was
there, and then down the hill she
started at a terrible rate. As she
skinned along the passengers began
TO show signs Of nervousness as they
saw farm houses rushing along as
close together apparently as Kan
sas town. and the conductor. too. be-
gan to think all was not RIGHT at the
steam end" As the speed increased
at every revolution oil the wheels. |
cushions, lunch-baskets, bundles and
babies flew around the car like mad.
and now the thoroughly frightened
passengers appealed to the conductor
to stop the train. By this time he
realized the danger himself. and know
ing hat q Santa Fe freight train had
the right Of way" at the Emporia
junction, and that it would be certain
death to reach there ahead of time.
he jerked the bell-rope as though a
town were on fire. The bell sounded
the alarm, but as no response came
from the whistle, he realized for the
first time that he was on a runaway
train, five coaches from the ENGINE.
Whether it was the small amount of !
his lite-insurance policy, or the safety
OF the passengers that urged him on.
will remain an open question, but it is {
morally certain that ne was not many S
seconds in passing through the |
coaches, sealing the iron rail of the |
nail-car and landing on the coal q
pile near the locomotive, which was q
writing under the pressure of sixty I
i've pounds more or steam than was '
necessary for celebrity, comfort or 9
convenience. He says as he struck !
water tank and rollod down into t
cab, the enS,ne was going so fast I
the telegraph poles along the '
road looked ike a picket fence. It I
,ook but a moment 20 put on the air {
reverse the lever and slow her t
Town and find himself within two v
hundred yards of an open switch at ]
he Santa Fe crossing, and that the o
ofeightmilcs had been made in less t
han eight minutes. When the train n
the fireman jumped from the 2
aud ran down the track toward v
he city and the engineer, arising from +
he floor Of tie cab, explained that {
ust as they neared the Neosha grade. 0
the fireman, accused him of a
lavi1g reported something d~iscredita- a
DE to him to the division superintend- Il
mt. This he %stoutly denied. where s.
lpon Haley assaulted him with a coal D
'ick, and a hand-to-hand scufne en- Il
ued. In the melee the throttle was II
open, aud going at the rate oil n
mile a minute they Z" fought it out il
that line" On leaving the train S
Haley ran down to the courthouse. q
nd had Sheriff Moon lock him up in s.
cell, fearing that he would be over o
AIKEN, he said, and killed BY Durham a
md his friends. Durham was con. v
eyed in a carriage to a physician and a
lad his wounds dressed. His face. 4
lead and shoulders were terribly cut s
nd bruised, the cut in the back Of the
lead by a pick being a very severe
me. y
The conductor ran tae train THROUGH
0 Junction City, leaving his engineer S
n the hands Of a nurse and his FIRE. |
nan in the hands Of a sheriff. J