Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-13
BATTLING WITH A THEE.
MIR. Maxim's Struggle on the Steps of q
French Railway Carriage.

MI MAXIM SJfuEKle on the steps OF a
French Railway Carriage.
The Paris papers have recently been
telling the following interesting story:
Mr.. Hiram 5. Maxim, whose name is
well known among electricians, has Just
given a new illustration of the tenacity of
purpose which is the main foundation of
American character. During the sum-
mer of 1882 Mr.. Maxim, then at the Grand
Hotel, in Paris, was robbed of $4,000 by
two men, one of whom described himself
as Captain in the United States Navy,
and the other as an Irishman Of means.
The disappearance of the money Mr.. Max
i'm did not mind much, but he felt greatly
provoked at being robbed, and vowed to
get even with the rascals. So he went to
work and freely advertised in French,
English and American newspapers. ask
ing for any information about the two
thieves. He soon learned that they were
both Englishmen who had been thieying for
about six years and had collected quite
fortune, formally registered to their credit
in several large cities of Europe. He
learned also that the tall fellow, who pre-
tended to belong to the American navy, was
Jack Hamilton, who was with the notorious
John c. Heenan at the international prize
fight between Heenan and Savers. His
companion, middle-sized man, was a
bookmaker named John Palmer, repre-
senting himself as an Irish Lord.
With all this intelligence we'll stored in
his memory, Mr.. Maxim started for Lon
don in September, 1882. Right in the
Strand, on the very day of his arrival
there, he met the two thieves chatting
gayly together. To seize them both by
the collar was for the electrician the work
of a second; but the bulky Hamilton
shook him off and ran away. Palmer was
unable to escape and was taken to the
Bow street police station. where he was
carefully searched by the policemen, who
found in his possession a bundle of cOun-
terfeit bank notes. He was locked up.
Mr.. Maxim was so overiOyed that he
did not get wink of sleep ali night. But
the next morning, when Palmer appeared
before the Judge, he was acquitted, to the
Americans utter disgust, on the ground
that, the theft having been committed on
foreign soil, the court had no jurisdiction.
As to the counterfeit bank notes, there
was no proof that the prisoner had tried
to use them, so he went away laughing at
Mr.. Maxim, and made such good use of
his liberty that for year he could not be
traced anywhere.
But few days ago, while reading
about robbery committed in Paris, Mr.
Maxim recognized at once his own rob-
ber's system. He packed up his yalise,
left London in hurry, and arrived in
Paris the day before the Grand PriX. The
only too glad to put at his disposal two
of his detectives, who, on the racing day,
searched the ring, the platforms, the
whole grounds, and their neighbOrhOOd.
but all to no avail. Yet the two thieves
had worked there most cOnscientiOusly.
Mr.. Maxim thought of the proverb, "a
game thrown up is game lost" and
started back to London. The train had
Just stopped at ROuen, and the tenacious
electrician was leaning upon the carriage |
door, musing upon his unsuccessful |
search of the day before, when, all of |
sudden, he shouted with JOY on seeing the |
rascals in the middle of a group of Eng |
lishmen, with whom they were drinking
and laughing in the refreshment-roOm. In
the twinkling of an eye he left the rail- |
way carriage, darted like an arrow right |
in the centre of the group, and once more
seized by the collar the Jhunder-struck
Palmer. There was a terrible hullabalOO, |
the ladies shrieking, and the panic-stricken
walters trying to interfere between the
two men, one of whom fought desperately
for his liberty, while the other shouted in
English:
Its a thief am arresting. Call the
pOlice!"
OF course, while the interpreter of the
railroad company was looking tor the
police, Jack Hamilton boarded the train.
"All right" thought Mr.. Maxim, II
hold only one, but I'll hold him WE'LL"
At that very moment the locomotive
whistled and the train slowly started,
when Palmer, with final struggle, shook
off the Americans grasp, leaving his coat
behind him, rushed toward the train and
jumped on the steps of a railroad car
riage, clinging to the iron handrail which
runs on each side. But Mr.. Maxim was
not the man to be baffled so easily, and
when Palmer turned round on the steps it
TO ind Il 70 l.
pursuer, who chung with his left hand to
the hand rail and took hold of the thiefs
neck with the other.
Then, while the train was accelerating
its speed, terrific fight occurred between
the two men, standing, at imminent peril
to their lives, on the narrow plank outside
of the car, Palmer, whose strength was
quadrupled by fear, did ali he could with
his only free arm, his feet and his head
to throw his adversary under the wheels.
The American remained as firm as a rock.
Insensible to the hard knocks of the Eng
lishman, he frightened his grip and held
fast to his prisoner. From all the car
doors heads were thrust forth to watch
the struggle, and cries of ''Stop, stop,
enOughp rent the air. Suddenly the train
ran into a tunnel. The terrified clamor
of the travellers was then heard by the en-
gmeer, who began slowing the train,
AS soon as the locomotive had slackened
Its motion Mr.. Maxim let go the hand rail
and flung John Palmer on the ground,
where both fell together, and while the
train was starting again the two men,
still fighting, went back through the tun-
mel and met the railroad Interpreter and
the police.
Mr.. Maxim was, of course, in a pitIable
condition, his face covered with blood and
his dress torn to pieces. But what was
that to him? His eyes flashed with the JOY
of triumph. At last he had one of the
scoundrels who had cost him so much
trouble.
Sir said Palmer to him, when mana
cled by the policeman, ''be kind enough
to withdraw your complaint and | will
pay back to you whatever you have been
robbed Of and all your expenses since
June, 1882"
"Mr. Thief" quietly answered the
American, 81 am very glad to have had
you arrested. In few minutes, when
French justice has got you in a secure
place, I'll have to take leave from you in
order to find out your worthy friend,
whose absence you will, / presume, very
keenly feel in your prison."
So Palmer was locked up, and Mr..
Maxim has resumed the search for the
IL. Ii