Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-03
A FAMOUS FAsrRUN.
LIOw Hameit Drove His Mad En-.
CINE a Hundred Miles In
Ninety Minutes.
Lnuiarille Commercial.

ANaAoNAAAN NNmhANANANAs
Last night as a Commercial reporter
was lounging through the corridors OF
the Gait House listening to the friend
ly chatting of the engineers, a group of
veterans, seated around one of the
pillars laughing wei old stories, drew
the news man toward them. Did
you ever hear how Jim Hamett
brought DeFuniak from Nashville to
Louisville?" asked one of the Louis
vile engineers. well, you all know
Jim, | guess, or know Of him. He
can make the fastest time on the
Louisville and Nashville when he
wants to. He has been in a dozen
wrecks and got hurt in all of them.
don't believe there's a sound bone 10
little Jim's body, but the more bumps
and knocks he gets the faster he wants
to run About two years ago De
Funiak was down at Nashville and
had important business that required
his Immediate presence in Louisville,
He was then general manager Of the
louisville and Nashville and ordered
the road clear between the two cities.
Then he looked out for an engineer to
haul him through. Hamett was just
in off of his run and DeFuniak knew
he was just the man. He sent for him
and said:
Mr. Hamctt, | want to get to
Louisville as quick as possible. The
roads clear; you won't find any OBJ
struetion. Will you take me?'
"Hsmett's eyes s%psrkled, but he
touched his hat and said quietly: I'll
try, sir Any man who knows jim
II NETT would know what that meant.
DeFuniak had his car coupled on
right next to the tender and another
car behind. Jim limped mp into his
engine Che can't walk straight since
his last wreck, and there was a kind
of a smile hanging around his mouth.
The train pulled out of the depot at
Nashville as the negro porter was fix
ing the dishes in the sideboard. They
started out at a pretty lively gait and
went on increasing it. The conductor
in the back a began to get uneasy,
for he hadn't heard administrations.
Every minute the train went faster.
Houses and trees and fences became a
blurred line. The cars jumped and
rocked and rolled like mad animals
wanting to leap from their place of
confinement. The porter began to look
frightened. The train instead of
Stacking increased its speed. Nobody
in DeFuniak's car could remain in the
seats without desperately clutching to
the seat in front. 1t seemed impos-
sible for the cars to remain on the
track, they bounded and rolled so vio-
lently. The dishes in the sideboard
rolled out, the bed fell in the middle
Of the floor, chairs were rent from
their %fastenings; but the porter didn't
care a straw for that-he thought his
time had come and was praying des-
perately.
De Funisk, with his expressionless
face, was calmly holding on to some
straps hanging from the ceiling and
waving at Hamett through the glass
door to 60 on. The conductor grabbed
the bell cord and nearly jerked it off.
He firmly believed that if they es.
capped with their lives both he and
the engineer would be discharged as
soon as they reached the city. Jim
was sitting on his seat in the engine
calmly smiling and paying not the
least attention to the frantic conduc-
tor. About a hundred miles from
Nashville Jim got a couple of hot
boxes and had to stop. He made the
hundred miles in about eighty-seven
minutes. about the fastest time on the
road. There wasn't a bit of furniture
left in DeFuniak's car. There was a
confused heap Of broken plates. pic.
lures and chairs and that was all.
jim was outside calmly limpiug
around and cursing the hot boxes be.
tween times, when DeFuuiak came
out Of the car and brusquely told jim
he had made a fast run.
Not very fast, SIR said Jim. IF
had run her as fast as she can 20 it
wouldn't have only broken your
plates and pictures, but there
wouldn't have been a bit of the inside
of the car left. That was a mighty
poor run, sir, a mighty poor run The
porter resigned as soon as he got to
town and always goes by boat now,
when he can"