Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-05-10
A THRILLING INCIDENT.

We went winding up tHe Inountaihs'
our massive engine drawing us up
the curving grades, without an APP
parent effort. Here and there beau
tlful valleys stretched out and through
them coursed placid streams pouring
from mountain springs. We had
crossed ali iron bridge and made a
curve at the end of which another
was in sight, winding to the left, and
short distance from the track a cot
tage home stood in the shadow OF the
hills Looking past it to point just
beyond which was visible from my
side OF the engine, saw--oh horror !
and exclaimed, "a child on the
track !"
AT the exclamation the engineer
sprang from bis seat. One glance
down the track and his face was pail
lid. A child three years old per-
haps--stood midway between the
rails and not one hundred yards from
the engine. 'My Godm heard him
utter in an agonized tone. looked
from him to the child again. ltstood
facing us clapping its little hands as
it was won't to do from it's mothers
arms, perhaps, at the passing of the
cars. In another instant ! was thrown
forward almost pitched through the
glass window in front of me. In the
same instant heard a scream, a
woman's voice, and with arms aloft,
and face paralyzed with terror, the
mother. stood on the steps of the cot
tage, it was not twenty yards from
the engine, which under the pressure
of the air brake was humping and
jostling furiously. | looked to, the
engineer, his seat was vacant; again
ahead the pilot was within twenty
feet of the child, the train still in mo-
ton, too rapidly to be checked before
reaching it. | shut my eyes, my
heart still. Again the mothers heart
rending scream and ! opened my eyes
to see the child tossed several feet in
the air. My head swan as avert
ed nv eyes, and ] fancied ! heard
the crushing of the little form by the
now slowly revolving wheels, when
in husky tones heard from toward
the cottage a mans voice utter !:
"Thank GodW
opened my eys, and standing up
on the pilot was John Akers, holding
in his arms the child it's face wreath
ed in smiles. The engine was now
at stand still. From the cottage
the father came with blanched face
and trembling steps. The child in
merry accent called out, 'Want to
ride papa ?" He took his baby from
John Aker's extended hands, and
holding her in bis arms, he sank down
on the earth beside the track.
The engineer clambeled back to
his perch and sounded the whistle.
The passengers looked out of the
windows wondering what had oc-
cured A trembling hand drew the
lever, which started the engine to
putting and Kissing until it was pa
cling at full speed again. ! looked to-
ward the engineer-hls blue eyes
were on the track ahead, but they
were dimmed. Tears were on bis
cheeks as he perhaps thought of what
would have been his feelings if his
own little girl had been the one on
the track. Not word did either
utter until Christianburg on the TOP
of the Alleghanies, two thousand feet
above the level, the train stopped
for supper. AS we started to leave
the engine | grasped his hand.
"You did heroic thing, sir
brave, a noble act"
"Twas the air brake" he modestly
replied, 'twas the air brake that
did it.r-Columbus Times.