Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-03-14

senu 10 nelRuoonng mining camp Nv,
miles away to get the scrvicos Of the sher
i'll and some OF the miners to aid him il
searching for tho train and render tn,
necessary assistance Within less thai
an hour twenty resolute men, headed hl
the sheriff and the ticket agent, startcl
for Lone Tomb. They were all well arm
ed and dozen of them carried lanterns
The telegraph operator and tho ntcp
mother and father Of the expected bride
groom remained behind and made them
solves as comfortable as they could unde
the circumstances. They knew that aeT
eral hours must elapse before any tiding
Of the train could re- .ch them This nigh
was dark and cloudy end only occasional
ly waa the faint glmmor OF star vi3iGl
through the oyerhanging frs that grew il
l. rich luxurionco for mile or two alont
the track, forming MI avenue Of plumeC
ghosts with bowling heads.
! When the party had proceeded fDI
about half Gp hour without ss9iug sny
trace OF the tisiu, it stopped to rest anC
discuss the situation. The men locked nj
one another rs well "a they could in the
blockness of the wood, and for n few min
utica no one spoke.
We'll, at length said the sheriff, rs he
rested his rifle on ono Of the rails of The
solitary truck, 81 gues5 this in some oI
the james boys work. We may have tc
have fight after all. Who knows but
they may have murdered everybody on
the train and got away with all tha treas
ure in the safo? It's rough across Coun.
Try, and its almost certain they'll come
this way. Keep q sharp lookout. boys
we, may catch EN-. We'd better travel in
| mi ttaTx 4rlA
| body and rear guard"
Perhaps it amt the James boys at all, 3
said weather-beaten, red.headed miner
The train may have tumbled over a
bridge or down ravine. Let US look on
both sides Of the track as we 20 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 ballasteI with
rock. The two bridges on it are thor
oughly substantial and the creeks they
cross aren't big enough o, deep enough
to hold horse car, much less a whole
tram. Besides there isn't a revine worth
talking about within 200 yards OF tie
track.
Lets get along, boys, and keep our
| \
| use staying here Ginning"
AS the ticket agent had stated. the
| track between Lone Tomb and Silver Bow
was good one and Oeset with fow dan
gers. II is true that there were several
snarp curves, but the trains always went
slowly around these. There was one
bridge TINT crossed n shallow stream {:
another spanned small mountain torrent
! Il : l.
seven miles from Lone Tomb, wsS a pntu.
raj arch, formed by boulders in by-goue
nges lodging in the narrow gorge. These
were the onl : parts of the is ID where an
accident might be likely. but at the same
time highly improbable.
Inc night erept on and the party reach
ea the trst bridge. The gentle ripple OF
the stream fell on their cars as the Ian.
terms were held close to the track. The
rails, ties and frogs were intact. The
paraPets were IN periect condition. No
trains could have possibly run of the
trace there. Some Of the men plunged
mo the dense underground among The
WILLOWS near the water and swept the
scene with the lurid Light OF their Ian
terms, which flashed in the woods like
large fire tiics. The brook. for it was
nothlng more, howed silently on. No
railroad disaster had disturbed It's li.npid
salmnesH.
We've got to keep on, boy, ssi.i the
6neflh. with IN air Of painfully assumed
eheertulneas. wen have '67's" head.
i89t blazing down On Hs yet She cant
o9 lar oil now. We're only nine miles
from Lone Tomb. Wen soon know what
the trOubleis."
No one had anything TO adj IN the sbor.
III , lomarks, so the weary, anu ~ far,
'ruit!ess, march was fosumed.
Hanged i / don't think" exclaimed
tlo feI'bshrded miner stoppinQ eldden-
~ "tAet them James boys has litchcd
the tram by putting legs or .La track
ana we'll ind the wrerl, before re get Ia
One.tree bridge" "
Ore-tree bridge was - called becaues e
huge pine tree stood like q sentinel close
to the small but retulant mountain tor-
rent that the structure crossed. Again
the lanterns We're swung over the water
Again the party scattered among the trees
and searched carefully for traces Of the
missing train and its passengers, but
Witnout the smallest measure Of success.
Guess I've had abort enough Of this, "
SAID the ticket agent. Lets 20 back
again the company don't pay me 10 walk
WE'VE or fourteen miles to look after its
trains 40
We'll" remarked one Of the party
who had but little to Say. "we've come So
iar' we may as well see it through. The
thing ought to be followed up. Some
thlng very unusual has happened. and it
Is our duty to find out what it is. Who
Knows but we may yet come upon the
corpses OF all who were aboard that
| train" ''''
."oh, it amt going to be as bad as tha. "
said the sheriff, but anyhow it's of no
use going back '67 must be close at
hand, and then, when we've found out
what the trouble is, we'll all have nap
at Lone Tomb and take the morning train
ior silver Bow. We shall fetch up in
time for breakfast" -
what ticks me, the red bearded min.
er blurted out, sis why some Of tLan,
Lone Tomb fellows amt found their wnv
here before this" WY
| iuey hadn't any reason to-" observed
ano,her miner, who carried very conspicu.
ousiy Two slx-shooters, las the accident
happened up their way. But do onv -,
you know what the time isP" u
Inc was an immediate pulling ont on,,
examination Of watches, and then several
voices chorused 'S'eiai
Half after g."
II didn't think it was So late as that .
let us push on, boys. 'u"' )
The gloom which had hung over .ho
party like pail during the earlier nart 'n ns
inc march gave way to lightness of s,,ir -.
and popularity. The terrible foto ub; 'i,
nad probably befalleu seventy or o "I,tn
human beings WAS apparently lost s;n55t
OF Tor the moment. Whisky fash '5 So ~
csiVed attention. Cigars and pipes vera ara
ut, while various theories were advom mua9
TO account for the non.appoararco Of I't tIa
missing tram. One man suggested that
| II was tnkinp a inmrnn,. iI,,..oo1 ''I ~ 'Iut