Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-09-11
MN MURDER.
A Telegraph Operators Story

operators are not WlllOuG Oul HltiC
bit of romance occasionally, and l
think / can show that we are not ELI
tirely without Il certain amount OF
responsibility; but it is seldom, if
ever, recognized, unless one Of our
number by carelessness suddenly
| plunges a train into destruction by
failing to deliver or understand or
ders.
The time of which | write was one
| pleasant afternoon in early autumn,
the I'd day of September, 1876, and
as the occurrence has made u deep
and vivid impression on my mind, |
can not forget the day, which was
/ Friday.
At that time had been an agent
and operator on the - railroad d
little while over two months. The
line was directly through parts of
Indiana and Illinois, and some Of
the stations had no telegraph office,
consequently the order distance was
somewhat lengthy, and there was but
one Office between mine and COWans.
! twelve miles west.
On this day was quietly putting
my mccrschaqm in the little bay win
dow Of my office, and wishing for
something to relieve the monotony.
when the operator at Cowans called
the train dispatcher an d said an en-
ginc had sprung her tnr, 'tile with one
hundred and forty pounds OF steam
/ and gone east, while the fir, 2m; had
gone TO lunch, and the engin eer, WHO
was oiling around had no time to ges
! on.
/ All was as still as death for III in
ute when the dispatcher began %
call L'- the only Office between
mine and COwans. Fully five minutes
he called him, using the signal "23,"
| Which means death, but still no an
swer, and still the mOnotonous click
/ of the armature presently he answer
/ ed in dazcd, hurried manner, and
when asked about the engine, said il
| had passed there ut fearful rate Of
speed at fourteen minutes past four,
/ with no person visible.
1t was only six miles more 10 me.
and an excursion WAS ON its WAY
west with a heavy load of tirct; pick
nlckcrs, and had actually left II sta
ticn only eight miles east Of me, the
/ first telegraph office, at two minutes
! past four.
The dispatcher called me furiously.
| and being at hand and eXpcctant. |
answered him Immediately. When
/ he said, Turn your switch and wreck
engine No. Ii, going east wild,
replied quickly, II can not without
an indemnity order" And after Il
hasty consultation with the superin-
tcndcnt, as atterward learned, he
went ahead with an order, whose un-
usual form and wording reused many
Il lazy ''brass FOUNDER" from a dozc.
1t was like this:
TO operator: Wreck wild en-
ginc No. | l at your eastern switch
gate to save collision. Company will
defend and uphold you.
immediately received MY "l3"
or understanding, received Iny
correct at :iS p. m" and turned
! To look for the engine, when, although
/ the conversation between my self anU
| the dispatcher had consumed but -four
| minutes, l saw her coming at the
grandcst rate of speed | ever viii
ncssed, aud snatching my order |
ran to the switch gate, about one
hundred and fifty feet, and when
/ had unlocked and thrown the rail the
rUaring monster was only about one
hundred feet away. / had my w"tch
III my hand, and stepped quickly
back ont Of harms way, when ut eX-
actty twenty minutes past four she
went over, with an uncarthly crash |
hope / may never see or hear again
The dirt and stones flew fifty feet
in the air, the engine turned clear
over and stopped on her side, push,
iug Il splinter Of the cab on the whis
ir valve, and there she Law, a seeth-
ing, kissing. scrccching mass OF rub
bi>h.
But above the din and rattle
heard one wild, dlspairing shrek for
hcl p, and wien could get close
enough to see anything, found what.
had it not been for the face. would
| never have been recognized as Il man
in Tie crush and bleeding mass of
flesh that lay under one huge driver !;
but the face was without - scar, and
by that was recognized as an esCap-
ed mailman who IL seems, had climb
ed on the engine ut Cowans, unob-
served, and pulling the throttle open
had started OH a wild, awful ride to
the gate of death
When the excursion train came up.
ten minutes later, they said they
found me standing by the engine,
gazing alternately at the bloody dri-
yer and my written order, still tight
!, Iy clasped IN my hand.
was unconscious of everything
save the fact that | had obeyed Or
ders and had thereby taken q life
They say tainted, but | knew moth
ing from the instant L discovered
that white, bloodless face until four
days after, when L awakened appa-
rently out of n dream. My first
question was, ''Did the excursion get
in sotely?"
The coroner held an inquest as
soon as | could be examined, and the
verdict was: 1--WE, the jury, find that
Albert Long came to his death by
being crushed beneath a locomotive
which was wrecked by j. l.. B., an
operator on the - railroad ac-
cording to the order of ID. r. b.,
his superintendent and superior Off
J GER And we find further, that nc
blame can be attached TO said j. L.
b , d r. B., or the railroad compa,
ny, as the engine was wrecked to save
a heavy loaded excursion, and the
said Albert Long, being a madman.
was on the engine in direct opposi.
ton to the company's orders.''
/ have that order and a copy ot
the verdict side by side in my diary.
where they shall always remain.
: Often in my dreams l see an un
recognizable mass of quivering fesf