The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-01-03
SOMETHING OF A HERO.

stairs
SOMETHING OF A HERO.
An rnridsnt OF the late slsrm I'm u hlEh
Emporia Eaiir0aHfsr- Figure.
Kansas city Journal. Dee -
You have all heard of the brave engi-
neer Who saved the life oi the child n
the imminent risk Of his own. and have
observed how the fzfes cOnSpirel % make
the exploit heroic and memOFable-the
unusual sped Of the bela;ed train, the
lcurvlng track, the wall Of urcks on one
hand and the prtcipice IN the o,lurr, the
slippery pilot over which le craUlei tn
snafch the little darling from an awful
death: and then the ayalanrhe Of praises
from the paSsengrrs. who marie HIM the
pat and hrrO az the hour. And rEmem-
iFr also the dshOHMsAf, - the play folks
say, wherein said engineer rPScurs the
widowed mother Of the infant aforesaid
FINN the prriIs AMI discOmfnrts of viii
uuhnHl. and leads her In thr marriage
altar uaslrr sOfl lights AMI SITTER we'd
ding chimrs.
II il all very we'll. M inul;. anil may
lur as true - gJSISl, AMI ought tai have
hapVrnrSl If il never did. but that Uzs an
--raprrSs- train. and n such hzd GREATER
farilitirs fnr romanCts than the fright
train about which ] am going IN write
II was the Thursday night Of the great
snow and for hours the Storm ragcd furi
ously. The wind, which hal risen "a =
gale - the storm progressed. came down
from the arctic latituies by the short
route.- and pursued the fakes IS though
thry we're fugitiyvs from justice and IL
sell rglentless Officer Of the Law.
ScuTTying through the STREETS. driving
people 10 thsir homes and bl0ckading
their doors after them. baFricaiing win
dOws. pitching into chimntys. bHTyins
fences. loading eyergreens until they beni
like weeping willows with their strange.
white foliage, il was . night Of high earn
iyal With the elemenis. and ~Uld BJrpas''
was furnishing the music and calling the
numbers.
II was a wild nIghi-in railrOa,lers'
parlance, q sscTeanier'-anl Just such 1
night as il il unsafe for man. beast or
fowl On venture abroad, murh less n suit
able time for men 81 he running To- and
fro on the top uf slippery freight trains
with only a sickly lamp To guide their
fOOtsteps. and foF which lurklrss vighis
Of the lantern may thr saints aitrnd. and
all good n,en in warm iEIl devouily pray.
There's M U.s. talking; the ~uutheTn-
ers won't WORK, and they arr ais"u' dune
living BY thrir wits"
The speaker Nas Chicago drum
mer." one of half 'lnZrn passengers
who hal drifirl into the ieTuI, N 2, on
q train that vas alrpa,ly fur ar five hours
behind time. and this rrmsrk WIS the
illumination at 4 general conversations on
politics and the hard luck n; the south
since the war.
The discussion had hesn spirited. al
most acrimonious NJ times, lBT the men
utre in I'D moBi tO be amiable with a
snDu blockade staring them in the face.
Sd that Uhsn the talk Was interrupted BIZ
the appearance Of the outgoing cTtw. Ii
was with tacii understanding that hos
tiliiiCs should be resumed a. s,SOa as they
WFTP all aboard
Wow, you mra tia; want Ia % east.
pile into that cabDOSe On the house track.
with the rel lights. but understand. YOU
take your chances an getting through
and you, Jack. when yOu strike the Rad
II NH. LAthl4Al 'L4 Ia n b-aA tAlN /.
or the Jig is up with Us: all alnari,'
The speaker, this time. was a large
man of slow but resDiuie moyrmrniS, and
q general air az business about him lie
was every inch n sOllirr. q man 10 olry
Oplsrs unqUrstinnably. ami one to eEaCi
the siricfest OlEtlienre, anil vet grrat-
hearted and gentle n a unman-a rarP
compound, perhaps, but that's thu man.
The other, his companion, uas smaller,
quicker I'd speak. quicker Ia art, with
nerves az sirri anil the eve of an eagle.
1 Out into the storm We all went and
fOunierrsl our way through the drifts On
the calEHlSP. uhrrp we fI,IRi gUTHi ar
Recommendations and 4 rsaring rid no,
stove. WlrthFr trnLl TIM oyFTheatri
condition az the apartment ar not. the
political diSpuianis showed a disinrlina.
tim to rrVivP the discussion. and rather
\ disposition to turn in and make night
of % in the lPTths overhead. The last
rpmark If Chicago n he disappeared
among the blankets, was: III any Il
you southern chaps will show me one al
your cOuntTymsn who j. e'uEl Cor any.
thing in manual labor. in mill. workshop
ar farm. or tn run n train On such night
- this. f1r instance, the crowd can
smoke my cigars fOr oAs day No man
ever saw il snow faster az blow hapler
in Kansas than On that night. and M
railruadFr ever endured q worse storm
and took gDafFT risks. AZ intervals cor.
pspnnding % the distance between sta
tons the whistle was sounded. but there
was never q call for brakes. fnr 90 stop
would De fatal. and the crrW WEIR under
OTsleTs % get through al all hazards. Up
hill and down, dashing around curves.
t plunging through cuts. hurting the snow
bark into the tneih Of the storm. and
great pillows of light into the darkness.
gu went that train. andOn went the storm.
h0wling like demons m q death gTapple.
l The windows of the calJOOsr were cover.
ell with snow. Cor the engine plOWe,l
through banks d CHER than the headlight.
and the only glimpses Of the var out
side were % he mad through the lights
in the tuFrei. and up there. anxious and
alDnp. at the cpadlctyr watching for
signals.
Al last. after what seemed an aye. the
prolonged and peculiar whistle fDr To
pPka sounded. ard all hands drew q long
breath Of relief that the race was over.
II w ANAG W. W.T. AllE u
in the eating house. in sfalkci our little
steelneTved frieni who had been order.
ell % pound her IN the back a Reading
HILL" decked in q garniture Of ice and
snow as grotesque As Kris Kringie him.
self, and venfured the remark that ~Old
50 had hauled the biggest train ever
brought from Emporia, and through
drills up % the foot-bnard"
Then ~Cncle Hank NcUhall." who
had been q silent witness Of the political
controversy earlier in the evening. INTRO
duced our Chicago statesman tO Jake
Berry, . native Sirginian. the man who
pulled rs. an ex.rtbel sOldier. chock full
Of federal lead; and as rooi an engineer
as ever pulled the throttle and suggest
cd. s0ff0 rod. that 10 was ahanisDme time
% ~set en- up" JOE FLrTFER-
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