The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-04-06
A Woman's Courage.

A Woman's Courage.
A tragedy was enacted on the night
of the Doth ult.. on the train from St.
Louis to Cincinnati and Louisville,
which resulted in the death OF highly re-
spected citizen of Kentucky, and the exhi-
bition of herosm on the part of a lady rare
ly met with in the sterner sex. The coach
was comfortably full of passengers, some
sleeping, others lounging about, and few
standing or moving around. Suddenly
wild voice yelled out, I'll kill you." and
terror through the loaded train. At
this same moment a gentleman who was
just In the act Of seating himself about mid
way the car, turned and staggered back to-
ward the rear end of the coach. clasped his
arms across his breast, and with the excla-
nation, 20, I'm shot," sank down upon
the last seat. As the wounded man, who
was identified as Alex. c. Wingate, OF
Midway, KY, fell mortally wounded, the
excited passengers rushed wildly about.
the officers of the train lodged from one
spot to the other, but not man went to the
aid of the dying victim of a mailman s fury.
In the confusion and CONSERVATION among
the men on the car, a lady arose from her
seat, left her husband and two little children,
and deliberately walked through the
frightened crowd of conc called men to
where the dying man lay, stranger to
her, and did all she coul to admin lister to
his comfort and solace the last hours of the
unfortunate traveller. 1t was only then that
the male passengers. shamed by her pres
ence and her heroic conduct, came to her
assistance, and helped to prepare couch
of cushions on which to lay the victim OF
the tragedy.
The perpetratOr of the crime was trav-
eler who became crazed by liquor. he had
never seen Mr.. Wingate before-not word
had passed between them, but in spasm
of delrium fired the faGaI shot. 1t seems
that he had taken sleeping berth, but be-
came so noisy that the other passengers
could not rest, and he was requested to take
back the money be had paid and leave that
apartment. He took his seat in another
coach. and there was quite demonstrative,
exhibiting his pistol, as well as bottle
from which he drank several times, one OF
the brakesmen joining him in his rotations.
As he fired the fatal shot, he leaped from
the cars, then running at the rate of forty
miles an hour. and the next day his clothes
were found hanging on bush and his body
drowned in muddy stream not far from
| the railroad track. In satchel we're dis
covered monte cards, chips, and other evil
| dences that he was gambler who had re-
Gently been in Arizona, and in his pockets
500 in money and check for $400.
Mr.. Wingate was we'll to do farmer liy-
ing near Midway, KY, and was just re-
| turning from Missouri, where he had pur-
| chased farm, intending to make that State
his future home. He was married and
leaves wife and several small children.
| We refer to this occurrence more to re-
cord the calm courage of the lady men,
tioned-wbose name is not given in the
| Louisville COWMeTCtuC, ITOu WHICH, paper
we gather these facts-than to give public
ity to the tragic scene and death. Here
was car full of men, who in the daily
walks of life, were presumed to be endowed
with greater courage than women, but OF
all that confused and demoralized gather
ing there was but one who had the pres
ence of mind-the moral heroism to under
stand and meet the demands of duty
She did not reckon as to the danger she
might be confronting-of the desperate de-
lirium which was directing the deadly
weapon in the hands of a maniac-she only
thought of a suffering human being. and
that christian duty she owed to the dying
stranger. She performed it as became
christian, and that act was the severest re-
buke that could have been admins tered to
the cowardly wretches dressed in mems at
tire, who shrank from danger in the pres
/ ence of death.
|