The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-12-31
AN ENGLISH RAILROAD STORY.

The crime of LEROY has caused the
greatest agitation in England concerning
tine system OF travelling by railroad Nr.
Labouchere. of London 1raM, takes adj
vantage of the excitement to publish a
remarkable story illustrating the periis
of that system. 1t is drawn from life,
and recounts the adventures of the Rev.
Jude Gloam, shy Young clergyman, who
had taken glass more than usual at
dinner and OF Miss Aviss, an equally shy
young lady, whom he accosted ON the
train.
1t is the curse Of shy men that, getting
so little practice in conversing with
women. they never know where to stop
when preadveEture they 90 get chance
Of talking. 1t is by shy men that the
rulest things are habitually said and
done through sheer inexperience. Mr..
GIoa,n had no idea that be was trans
crossing the proprieties. lie thought he
was making himself very funny and
agreeable.
Il say, MIiss-Aviss. suffered the
Rev. Jude. with a leer, supposing there
were a piece OF mistletoe i'll this car
rage
No answer from the girl. but her eyes
opened wide, and she shrank up tremb-
ing in her corner Of the carriage.
III think there is piece; look and
there" continued the foolish man, point
ing to the lamp in the ceiling, for he
meant to be facetious.
The girl was now fairly frightened
and moved from her seat to the further
corner Of the carriage. She had heard
of drt.nken rutfianS insulting ladies III
railway carriages, aud she set down her
reverend companion US being drunk. and
possibly ruftian. No ,louit lis clerica!
CAB was only a disguise.
What are you running away for:'
asked Mr.. Gloam. and he arose to follow
her with an unsteady gait, caused not 50
much by his tipsiness-for he was not
regularly tii'SJ aH ny INC oSSl4lailoH VI
the train. But to the atlrightened girl
who saw him stagger it looked Us if he
were dangerously inebriated.
IL sou approach another step, sir, |
shall scream cried she, starting up,
with all the color fled from her face.
"What foro" asked the Rev. Jude
putting out his hand to steady himself,
he quite unintentionally rested It on her
shoulder. The movement of recoil which
this apparent assault caused the girl to
make threw Mr.. Gloam off his balance,
and he pumped into the seat from which
she had risen. This only increased the
girls fright, and wildly openin" the
window OF the carriage size screamed:
- Help. Help, murder
In an instant Mr. Gloam was sobered.
The girls shrieks cleared all the fumes
of wine from his brain and showed him
in what desperate position he had
placed himself. For Gods sake. don't
scream like that he implore,l, YOU Il
ruin me. and Selling the girl by the
waist he wrenched her from the Will
dow.
'Help." she gasped, as she Tell on to
one of the seats and struggled to get her
footing.
Miss Avss for Gods sake let ME ex-
plain, entreated Mr.. Gloam, Selling her
hands: but the horrible fear which was
now lesible on his face made him
more dreadful object to look at than be-
fore, while the violence he used to re
strain the girl robbed her of all presence
of mind. nisengaging herself from him
she tottcred toward the nearest door and
frantically turned the handle. \ blast
Of cold night air flew into the carriage
and shower Of sparks from the engine
was seen flying by. Mr.. Gloam made a
grab at the girl to draw her back. She
eluded him. and screaming louder than
ever, tried to step on the footboard. Then
there was another faint shrek and all
W DIS SlitHtt llC dptl =" ~! VI I'll ~
by the impetus of the train at a curve.
closed of its own accord. The girl had
slipped and was gone.
Great Cod muttered Mr.. Clean
when one awful minute had elapsed. HI
had taken off his hat and was strokiry
his forehead as he sat endeavoring to real
Use what had happened. He asked him
self whether he was not in the midst Of
nightmare. If the train had stopped
able to crawl ont. and anybody who had
seen him would have suspected him Of q
crime. During a quarter of al hour the
poor wretch could neither stir nor think
lucidly: he could only moan and tremhle.
What first recalled him to himself was
the sight of the things which the poor
girl-now dead, beyond ,loubt-had left
in the carriage. There was shawl.
travelling bag, novel; and on the tloor
Il small gold watch without a chain.
The sight of these articles stirred in
the unwilling murderer the sense of self
preservation. He caught them up one
by one and flung them out of the window
into the dalk, after which he crept on
his knees and looked under the seats to
see if anything else had been left. He
found nothing Pitiable IS his az ony of
mind then was he saw the necessity for
composing himself and sat down again,
irving to reflect. Had any of the pas
sengcrS in other carriages heard the girl
shrek? Had any one seen her fall: If so
he was a lost man. He would be arrest
ed at birmingham. and in due time lie
would he hanged or sentenced to penal
servitude for the better part of his life.
How would his story be believed and if
it were believed how would it justify
him? The public cutlery against him
would be all the greater, as he was 4
clergyman; and now that he had thrown
the girls things out OF the carriage in
the first moment Of his panic the evidcl G
OF criminal intention would seem COM
plele. ny dld thlo" Tue thl'Ss
out?' faltered Mr.. Gloam, speaking to
himself; and then he Sroaned again
My God, what shall do?'
it was between bennington and Biz
mingham that the girl had fallen ont of
the train. As the express neared Biz
mir CHAM the tension on Jude Gloam's
nerves was such as few men ever eXper-
icnc ID Within five minutes he endured
an amount of terror and and anguish