Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-12-05
(Erom the Manhattan Magazine)
the LOST TRA|N-A MYSTERY
BY B. 3. VALENTINE.

|
numerous branches of the Atchison, Tt
peka and Santa Fe Railroad. Twent
miles southwest of Silver Bow, on tn
same track, is Lone Tomb. A little dir
lance hey opd this place lies Blue Canon
and still farther Golcopda City, wher
the line terminates. Five OF these pc,
sons had bought tickets for the Atlantic
Express. They were waiting to tax
the moment. rily expected trai1 for To
peka, there to change cars and reacl
| New York by way Of Chicago. The re
manning two individuals were the tickle
agent and telegraph Il erator.
On the platform at Lone Tomb wer
a dozen persons, among them part,
consisting OF a bride and groom, jus
married, and mysterious stranger
| dressed in long black cloak and
SLOUGH hat, who glanced furtively, iron
time to time, at the happy pair. Tn,
train from Blue Canon came slowly int
Lone Tomb, and the passengers sool
took their seats, the bride and groom 20
ing into the parlor-car, and the myster
ious stranger entering the smoker
There were few interchanges of cour
tesies between the lolterers on the plat
form and the conductor, brakeman anc
engineer, then tho bell of the locomo.
tive rang, and the train moved on the
single track toward Silver Bow.
There was not a great deal of traffic Oh
this branch OF the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe. But two trains ran daily,
Sundays excepted, through the seventy
mills of wild but fairly level country that
had occasionally been we'll traversed by
the James bays and other desperadoes,
for the United States express Car often
carried IN its safe large amount of s.e'
Gle. Tie tram that had just left Lone
Tomb vas known as "No. g." 1t con.
sisted Of Pullman palace parlor sleep.
er, a smoker, all ordinary passenger
coach. q baggage car, Utited States
express, and caboose. The conduct.
or, Jem Harris, was an Antietam hero.
favorably known throughout Kansas,
Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The
engineer, Tim Tiernan, enjoyed equally
as much popularity, not solely on &C.
count OF his general good nature. but
also for his skill in the game of poker.
In remote regions such as these the ar
sfiva! and departure OF the train is, out.
side of an occasional lynching, the only
excitement, aud the trainmen are looked
upon very much as we're the driver and
guard in the old coaching days in Eng
land.
"We're twenty minutes behind time, u
said Conductor Harris to Engineer Tier.
nan. "Shake her up, Tim; we'll get to
Silser Bow by T."
The seven persons on the platform al
Silver Bow toward 7 O'Clock looked anx.
ious'y up the track for mo. g." but
there was no signs of it. A quarter
past 7, and still the well-known whistle,
which could be heard often at distance
of three miles, had not echoed through
the thickiywooded hills. This was not
unusual, for "67" had been at times
half an hour late. AS the Silver Bow
travellers were beginning to get impa.
tent, the telegraph operator wired to
Lone Tomb and asked what time the
tram bad left. The answer soon came:
No. g., in charge of Harris, left
here fol- Silver Bow at 500. Fairl load. "
Well" remarked the ticket agent
who was in charge OF the station, "she
must be olong in few minutes now."
Tie passengers were satisfied and con-
tent to wait. They walked up and down
the platform aud rested occasionally on
their trunks and baggage, which were
piled up resdy to BE- deposited in the
baggage car of "67."
1t was now S o'clock and almost dark,
without any indications OF the approach
of the train. Those who before had
been impatient now became alarmed, es-
peclally the step-mother OF the bride
groom, who, with his father, intended
accompanying the young people as far
as Topeka, as neither ha1 been able to
be present at the wedding. The tele.
graph operator, at the request of the
ticket agent, wired once more to Lone
Tomb as follows:
"No. CT not yet arrived. What's
wrong"
Lone Tomb replied:
Must be all right. Perhaps hot box.
Goodnight. Going home."
s" 1t is O'clock, said the ticket agent
to the tired and anxious persons on the
platform, as he looked at his watch;
something must have happened, but
don't think it can be anything serious.
A piece OF machinery may have got out
OF order, and Tim lierman's repairing
it. I guess '67' will turn up by-and-
by in good shape" The ticket agent
talked in this way to keep up the spirits
of the others, but it was easy to see by
his forced jollity that he did not like the
look of things. "What can have hap
pened he muttered to himself; she can't
have jumped the track or tumbled into
the little creek-or have the James boys
got aboard, stopped the train and shot
Tim Herman? If anything of the sort
has taken place, it would be ct least an
other hour before we could hear OF ii
here or from Lone Tomb"
At 1915 the ticket agent came to the
that q serious misbap had
befalien the train, and resolved to organ.
|ze party to 60 mp the track toward
Lone Tomb and learn the cause of the
detention. The first thing he did was to
send to q nei3hboring mining camp,
two miles away, to get the services OF
The sheriff aud some of the miners to aid
him in searching for the train and rem.
der the necessary assistance. Within
less than an hour twenty resolute men,
headed by the sheriff and the ticket
agent, started for Lone Tomb. They
we're all we'll armed, and dozen of them
carried lanterns. The telegraph opera.
tor and the step mother and the father
IF the expected bridegroom remained
behind and made themselves as comfort
sble as they could under the circum.
stances. They knew that several hours
must elapse before any t1dings of the
: in could reach them. The night was
TX and cloudy, and occasionally was
Q faint glimmer of q star visible
d rough tho overhanging frs that grew
arich luxuriance for mile or two along
he track, forming an avenue Of plumed
hosts With bowing heads