The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1883-09-19
. DRIVE IN The DARK.
Lonely, Wooded Road
at Night.
vbe Peirlou, Positions Gotten into by
a Pennsylvania Fanlly-Crossing
the Highest Railroad Brigc n the
World OH Single Plank-An I'm
lucky Wind.

William DdtlciS SOil, VI buiidlo, WIZ
|;s building basket factory at How
ards Hill, left this city few nights
AGO to drive to that place, accompan-
led by bis wife and two children.
The locality is an isolated one among
the mountains, and the road leading
10 it lies for a great part of the way
through deep forests. While pass
ing through the wilderness Mr.. Bat
terson became
BEwILDERED IN THE DARKNESS
and lost his way. After many at
tempts to discover the road he final
|ly let the horse take its own course
through the woods, following it with
lighted lantern. After fioundering
nmiessly about tor sometime they
came suddenly upon a railroad track,
Mr.. PATTERSON did not know what
yoad it was, felt that there must be a
satlon on the road crossing some-
where in the vicinity. He at first
ntended to walk along the track un-
/ I'll he came to either one or the other,
bat his wife was afraid to remain
alone in the woods, SO they conclud-
ed to take the chances of meeting
train and drive along the track in
search of way out ofth wilderness.
Mr.. Patterson led the horse on the
track and walked on ahead with the
light. Mrs. Patterson and the chill
dren followed III the carriage. A
mile more was traversed
WITHOUT FINDING ANY CROSSING
or indication of station, and then,
to insure the safety OF his wife and
children, Mr.. Patterson took them
rom the carriage, and they followed
it on foot by the side OF the track,
so at the sound of an approaching
tram they could climb the bank. AZ
ter gong quarter of a mile further
they came to bridge. They could
not retrace their steps, and they re-
solved to share the risk of keeping
on their way and attempting the
crossing. Found a narrow plank
ioot-crossing at one side, and Mr..
Batterson succeeded in leading the
horse uponit. The wheels on one
SIDE ran on this walk, but on the otE-
er they bumped along the ties. The
ordge was swept by Il high wind
and II was with difficulty that
Mrs. PATTERSON could make her
way along with her two
children. To add to the terror of
ue situation gust of wind extin-
sulshed the lantern. The darkness
was intense, and they groped their
~ay along slowly, tortured by the
fear that they would be crushed or
HURLED FROM THE BRIDGE
ov tram before they could reach a
pace OF safety. They were nearly
nan an hour in crossing 1t, and then
@sy found themselves in narrow
'ocS cut through which they felt their
way and stumbled along, and when
uey finally emerged from it they
were almost overcome with JOY TO
zee light just ahead of them. At
a'e Same moment they heard the
saistie OF an approaching train. The
s0'se was turned off the track into
ae open space below the cut. which
proved to be road, and Mrs. Bat
.ason and children followed il.
'ney had not gone twenty feet from
@e rack when a coal train went
Ssaahg by into the cut. Both MIR.
I'aVerson and his wife were so over
'ne With the sense of their peril
l''At u was sometime before they
Folm proceed. When they were
''s to so or. they found that they
at small station known as
s'ehs Switch. They had driven
& a mile aad 4 half over Fhe most
aseIo1s portion OF the Johnson
Extension ot the Earle Railway.