The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-13

1hdt Willlauls s traln. IL go or
and wave him a friendly light" :
The sound of the approaching freigl
train came nearer, and the engineer too
the lantern from the desk and went ou
The others fell into silence as the run
bling train crept past the door. Tn
young girl stared at the headlight in sol
rowful silence, hoping, thinking, wishing
Taking advantage of the noise, til
tramp shuffied away toward the dool
just as he reached it he looked hastil
around the room, and then slyly took u
the track-layer's bar and vanished. Eli
presence had been a burden, and the
paid no heed to his departure. A momen
after the door opened, and Samson Gil
der entered.
"The special is in sight, boys. w
must be off," he said.
The men reluctantly went out to thei
train, and the lovers met to part at TIL
door. Her eyes were bright with i'll
suppressed tears
at seems so very long to wait-an'
all for little money"
"I know it, dear; vet when the compa
ny do pay us we will have all the more.
Nearer and nearer came the great vel
low star that had sprung up in the hori
zon. From far came the long wailin,
sound of the express whistle. The Low
ers heard it, and held each tighte
clasp. The tracks before the door begaI
to sing. The monster came on in fright
ful fury. Sparks shot up in fountains
from its stack. The ground quivered
the windows shook.
Ah! a despairing scream from tht
whistle. An earthquake.
Some one rushed past the girl. She
clasped the door for support, not know
ing what had happened, and looked out
into the gloomy night stunned and terri
fled. t'.r..
There was nothing-nething save q
vast crowd of dust, white and ghostlv
All! a gleam of light. 1t shone through
the curtain of dust as it drifted before
the wind. There were hurrying footsteps,
cries for help, and groans. The dust dis
appeared, and the end of All overturned
car stood out in the bright light. The
wreck grew in horrid proportions. Ali
it was on fire. .r t-...
1t is peculiar feature of American
life that new and unexpected circum-
stances are always met and controlled by
spirit OF organization that creates out
OF the men and materials at hand the
mastery of events. In half an hour
after the first crash, as the train left the
metals the frightened passengers were
comfortably housed in the empty cars of
the freight train. A car load of lumber
had been despoiled to make seats for the
whole and beds for the injured. The
freight engine on the siding was used to
drag the wreck away from the up line,
and its tank water and steam had been
used to put out the fire. In al hour the
freight engine, in charge of tie express
people, started away with its dreary load,
the we'll 10 the forward cars, the iriured
on beds of hay robbed from the freight
in the next cars, the dead in the last
of all.
Darkness and silence fell on the lonely
way-stati0n, and, save where the black
wreck lifted its mangled bones against
the sky, there was nothing to mark the
disaster except the pale faces of the men
who gathered around the stove in the
switch-house. For long time nothing
was said. There are times when speak
ing seems impertinent. Events become
too big for words. AT last one of the
men spoke and said:
"Ihey did say it were the President
who was killed in the forward sleeper"
Mary Britton glanced at Samson Glider.
He was silent and self-absorbed, and his
face gave no indication that he needed
this remark. At that moment the door
opened and Jack Cinder came in, bring
ing in his hand a new track-layer's bar.
He brought it to the light and held it
before them all.
"Do you see that, boys7 / found it
under the broken sleeper. It's a new
bar, and"
The men looked at the bar for mo-
ment in apparent Indifference, and said
The keener feminine mind
sprang to intuitiye conclusions. Her
thoughts leaped from a terror to a de-
fense in minute of time. . ..'....
'It was the tramp. He stole the bar
and wrecked the train"
"Mebbe he did, and mebbe he didn't.
This ! do know: Samson Glider was
a-wishing the President into the ditch.
This is his bar and he was out on the line
just before it happened" ~
The Coroner's jury called to consider
The death of Thomas Starmore and 9th
ers killed at Barstow's Siding on the
night of the 25th of February, met at the
and heard the evidence Of
the persons who were known to have been
present at the time of the disaster. Even
Jhe tramp had been captured. He was
'een prowling in the woods near the line,
rad been caught by the section-mater
md his men. Every one said the tramp
lid it, but the. tramp had in his hand
mother bar, just like the bar found
under the train. Lie admitted having
stolen the bar from the railway company.
He had seen the disaster from the woods,
and had run away lest he be caught.
After some time he had come back to
ind the bar he had dropped in the woods
n his fight. He had the bar with him