The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-09-25
MY MURDER.


The Terrible Fate of a Tadmnn on a
LoeOmotIve-A TelegrspheT's EX-
Perlence.
After all, we wsy-ststion telegraph
operators are not without our little bit
of romance, occasionally, and l think
can show that we are not entirely with
out certain amount of responsibility,
but it is seldom if ever recognized, I'M
less one Of our number by carelessness
suddenly plunges a train into destruc-
ton by failing to deliver or understand
orders. The time of which write was
one pleasant afternoon In early autumn,
the twenty-second of September, 1876,
and as the occurrence has made deep
ard vivid impression on my mind, l
cannot forget the day, which was FIJI
day. At that time had been an agent
and operator on the - railroad little
while over two months. The line was
directly through parts of Illinois and
Indiana, and some OF the stations had
no telegraph Office, consequently the
order distance was somewhat lengthy,
and there was but one office betwe cen
mine and Cowaus, II miles west Ga
this day was quietly putting my meer
| schaum in the little bay window of my
office, and wishing something to relieve
the monotony, whcn the operat IT at
Cowans call the train dispatcher, ana
said an engine had sprung her throttle
with $40 pounds of steam and gone
east, while the fireman had gone to
lunch, and the engineer, who was oil
ing around, had no time to get on.
All was still as death, when the dig
patcher began to call c., the only
| Office between mine and Cowans. For
fully five minutes be called him, using
the signal ''23, " which means death,
but still no answer, and still the mOnoE
onous click of the armlture; presently
he answered in dsZ I'd, hurried man
ncr, and, when asked about the engine,
said it had passed there at q fearful
rate of speed at Ala O'Clock, wish ne
person visible. 1t was only six miles
more to me, and an excursion was on
its way west with heavy load of tired
picnlckers, and had actually left a Sta
| ton only eight miles east of me, the
first telegraph office, at 400 o'clock.
The dispatch called me furIously, and
being at hand an expectsnt, answered
Immediately. When he said, Turn
your switch and wreck engine No. II,
going east wIld,"I replied quickly, II
cannot without an indemnity order,"
and after hasty consultation with the
superintendent, IS l afterward learned,
he went ahead with an order whose I'M
usual form and word reused many 6
brass-sounder" from a dose. 1t wac
| like this:
$50 Operator: Wreck wild engine
No. II at your eastern sw tch gate, to
save collision. Company will defend
and uphold you. I'D r.. H."
l Immediately returned my ''l3" or
understanding" received my correct
at 4: 18 p. NJ" and turned to look for
the engine, when, although the CONVEX
sation between myself and the the dis
patcher had consumed but four min
utes, / saw her coming at the grandest
rate of speed | ever witnessed, and,
snatching roy order, ran To the switch
gate, about $50 feet, and when / had
unlocked and thrown the rail, the roar
ing monster was only about $50 feet
away. / had my watch in my hand
and stepped quickly back out of harms
way, when ut exactly 4 go she went
over, and such an unearthly crash may
I never see or hear againl The dirt and
stones flew so feet in the air, the en-
CINE turned clear over and stopped on
her side, pushing splinter Of the cab
on the whistle valve, ana there she lay,
8 seething, Kissing, screechiDg mass of
rubbish. But above the din and rattle
/ heard one wild, despairing shrek, and
when could get close enough to see
anything found what, had it not been
for the face, would never have been
recognized as man in the crushed and
bleeding mass of flesh that lay under
the huge driver; but the face was with
out 9 scar, and by that was recognized
an escaped mailman, who, it seems,
had climbed on the engine unobserved,
and, pulling the thro,t open, had
started on q wild. awful ride to the
gates of death. When the excursion
train came up ten minutes later they
said they found me standing by the en-
CINE, gazing alternately at the bloody
driver and my written order, still tight
" clasped in my hand. ! was uncon.
scious of everything save the fact that
1 had obeyed orders, and had thereby
taken life. They say / tainted, but
/ knew nothing from the instant / dis
covered that white, bloodless face until
four days after, when / apparently
awakened out OF dream. Ny frat
question was, s.Did the excursion get
IN safelv2n
The coroner held an inquest as soon
as / could be examined, and the YER
dict was: "We, the jury, find that
Albert Long came to his death by be-
ing crushed beneath q locomotive,
which was wrecked by j. l.. B., en-
operator on the - railroad, according
TO the order of ID. r. b., hrs superin-
tendent and superior officer. And we
find further, that no blame can be at
tached to the said ]. l.. 3 ID. Il. B.,
or the said railroad company, a. the
engine was wrecked 10 save q heavily
loaded excursion, and said Albert
Long, being q madman. was on the en-
CINE in direct opposition to the COM
pany's orders." I have that order and
. copy OF the verdict side by side in my
diary, where they shall always remain.
Often in my dreams / see an unrec-
ognizsble mae Of quivering fesh and
broken bones beneath the huge dnveIs,
and white unsecured fsce presents it
self to my gsze. A Sudden shrek will
almost craze me, and ! am tempted to
90 where railroads are unknown. where
the Kissing aud screeching caonot reach
me.-San Francisco Cal.
II "a annnnnoei from Washlngton