Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-12-20

watch; something must have hap
| pened, but [ don't think it can be any
thing serious. A piece of machinery
may have got out Of order and Tim
Tiornan is repairing it. | guess CT
will turn up by and by in good shape. "
The ticket agent talked IN this
way to keep up the spirits OF the 9th
ers, but it was easy to see by his
forced iollity that he did not like the
looks of things. "What can have
happened@ he muttered to himself
She can't have jumped the track Or
i jumped into the little creek-Or have
the James boys got aboard, stopped
short the train and shot Tim Tier
nan? If anything Of the sort has ia
I ken place it would be at least anOth-
/ er hour before we could hear of it
] here or from Lone Tomb"
/ At 1915 o'clock the ticket agent
4 came to the cOnslusion that serious
mIshap had befallen the train, and
resolved to organize a party to 60 up
/ the track toward Lone Tomb and
4 learn the cause of the detention. The
first thing he did was to send to a
neighbOring mining camp two miles
away to get the service Of the Sheriff
and some of the miners to aid him In
searching for the train and render the
necessary assistance. Within less
than an hour twenty resOlute men,
/ headed by the Sheriff and the ticket
/ agent started for Lone Tomb. They
were all well armed, and dozen of
them carried lanterns. The telegraph
operator and the step-mother and
father of the expected bridegroom
remained behind and made themselves
as comfortable as they could under
the circumstances. They knew that
several hours must pass before any
tidings of the train could reach them
The night was dark and cloudy and
only occasiOnly was the faint glim-
mer of a star visible through the over
hanging frs that grew in luxuriance
for a mile or two along the track,
forming an avenue Of plumed ghosts
with bowling heads,
When the party had proceeded for
about half an hour without seeing
any trace of the train, it stopped to
rest and disc Uss the situation. The
men looked at one another as well as
they could IN the blackness of the
wood, and for few moments no one
spoke.
well, at length said the Sheriff,
as he rested his rife on one of the
rails of the solitary track, Il guess
this is the James boys work. We
may have to have fight after all.
Who knows but they may have muir
dered everybody on the train and got
away with all the treasure in the
safe? It's rough across the country,
and it's almost certain they'll come
this way. Keep a sharp lookout,
boys: we may catch 'em. We'd bet
ter travel in military style. Ad-
vance guard, main body and rear
guard"
Perhaps it amt the James boys at
all, said a weather beaten, red-headed
miner. '"rhe train may have tumbled
over a bridge or down ravine. Let us
look on both sides of the track as we
so along, and"
''That isn't very likely" interrupted
the ticket agent. This branch is as
we'll built as any line in the west.
The rails are steel and the road is bal
lasted with rock. The two bridges on
it are thoroughly substantial, and the
creeks they cross aren't big enough or
deep enough to hold horse car, much
less a whole train. Besides, there
/ isn't a ravine worth talking about
within 200 yards of the track"
Lets get along, boys, and keep our
eyes open, " said the Sheriff; Its of no
use staying here chinning.n
AS the ticket agent had stated, the
/ track between Lone Tomb and Silver
Bow was good one and beset with
| few dangers 1t is true that there
were several sharp curves, but the
trains always wentslowly round these.
There was one bridge that crossed
narrow stream; another spanned a
small mountain torrent, and above a
cutting through the rocks, about seven
miles from Lone TOmb, was a natural
arch, formed by powders in by-gone
ages lodging in the narrow gorge.
These were the only parts of the road
where an accident might be likely,
but at the same time highly improba-
BILE.
The night crept on and the party
reached the first bridge. The gentle
ripple Of the stream fell on their ears
cto GuC 1Cb1ISIuS WCIC IlClO CIOSC W GLC
track. The rails, ties and frogs were
intact The parapets were in perfect
condition. No train could have pos
sibly run off the track there. Some.
of the men plunged into the dense I'M
dergrowth among the willows near
the water and swept the scene with
the lurid light of their lanterns, which
flashed in the woods like huge fire
flies. The brook, for it was nothing
more, flowed silently on. No railroad
disaster had disturbed its limpid calm
ness.
We've got to keep on, boys" said
the Sheriff, with an air of painfully
assumed cheerfulness. well have
'67's' headlight blazing 1own on us
yet She can't be far off now. We're
only nine miles from Lone Tomb.
| Well soon know what the trouble
is"
10 ono bod To odd tn ho