The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-09-28
All despairing scream from the
vhisfla An earfhoualrap


clasped the door for support, not know
ing what happened, and looked out into
the gloomy night, stunned and terrified.
There was nothing-nothing save a
vast cloud of dust, white and ghostly.
Ah a gleam of light. 1t shone through
the wind. There were hurrying foot
steps, cries for help and groans. The
dust disappeared, and the end of an
overturned car stood out in the bright
light. The wreck grew in horrid pro-
portions. All! it was on fire.
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 material. 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 carload of lumber
had been despoiled to make seats for the
whole and beds for the injured. The
drag the wreck away on the up-line,
and its tank water and steam had been
used to put out the fire. In an hour the
freight engine, in charge of the express
people, started away with its dreary
load, the well i'm the forward cars, the
injured on beds of hay robbed from the
freight in the next cars, the dead last
of all.
Darkness and silence fell on the lonely
way station, 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 a long time
nothing was said. There are times
when speaking seems impertinent.-
Events become too big for words. AT
last one of the men spoke and said:
"They did say it was the president
who was killed in the forward Sleep
er."
Mary Britton glanced at Samson Gill
der He was silent and self-absorbed,
needed this remark. At that moment
the door opened and Jack Cinder came
in, bringing in his hand a new track
layers bar. He brought it to the light
| and held it before them all.
"Do you see that, boysp / found it
under the broken sleeper. It's new
| bar, and"
The men looked at the bar moment
in apparent indifference, and said moth
ing. The keener feminine mind sprang
to intuitive conclusions. Her thoughts
leaped from q terror to defense in q
minute of time.
1t 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
others, killed at Barstow's Siding on the
night of the oath of February, met at
the switch-hOuse and heard the evidence
of the persons who were known to have
been present at the time of the disaster.
Even the tramp had been captured. He
was seen prowling in the woods near
the line, and had been caught by the
section-master and his men. Every
one said the tramp did it, but the tramp
had in his hand another bar, just like
the one found under the train. He
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 find the bar
he had dropped in the woods in his
flight. He had the bar with him when
caught. He could prove all this, be-
cause the bar was rusty from lying in
the snow.
The reporters of the Centreville papers
who were present called Mary Britton
to the telegraph that message might
be despatched. One of them placed a
paper before her:
ga tramp has been found who admits
having stolen the bar, but it is plain
that he did not use it.. All the evidence
goes to show that the engineer wrecked
the train, out of spite to the president"
These words Mary Britton sent of
by wire to the whole United States,
while her lover sat near, already in the