Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-05-15
AN ANGEL ON THE RAIL.
Fifty Lives Saved by a Courageous
Child.
The Daughter of q Railroad Conductor
Gives Timely Warning OF n Plot to
Wreck Her Fathers Train-A
Stirring Incident
[YInonnnna nndl D snoo,nl1

lNiucenncs tlnd.l spec al
Tuesday last Jack Scalcroft, n reckless
fellow, attempted to beat his way on the
Cairo Division Of the Wabash Railroad.
Conductor Jcnkias, a cool an1 deter
mined man, refused to be bluff "a, and
upon Scalcroft drawing a pistol, knocked
him down and disarmed him.
At the next station, which was New
Grand Chain, where Jenkins himself
lived, he threw the fellow of the train and
pulled out, thinking no more OF the matter.
Scalcroft swore that the conductor should
never pass through the town alive again,
aud departed FOR logging camp two miles
out Of town.
The wood-choppers are a desperate
gang, and have long kept tbs citizens of
New Grani Chain in terror.
The lumb ,rmsn took up Scalcrofs's fight
and vowed that jenkins should die.
Twenty OF them armed themselves with
rifles and shot guns and walked across the
hills three miles to a lonely spot about a
mile nor b Of the town, where the track
crosses n shallow stream by means OF a
culvert.
Tearing mp the track over the creek. the
wretches ambush ID themselves in the
woods on either side and waited for the
o'clock down train, on which jenkins
was expected.
The night was intensely dark, and a
drizzling rain fell. Away up the track the
train was hearI approaching faster than
usual, for the tr1inmen had received tele-
graphic warning OF danger at New Grand
Chain, AMI intended running throu yh the
town at lightning speed, in the hopes OF
thus outwittins the desperadoes.
All tn, trainmen were around and pro-
pared to use their weapons in an emer.
gency.
AS he approached the town the engineer
increased his speed and ran through at a
mile minute. Not a shot was fired and
the conductor was congratulating himself
that all was safe when the whistle shrieSed
and the train came to a standstill SO su l.
denly as to throw everybody out Of their
Stats.
The conductor and his bralIemen got their
arms ready and ran forward.
All the PASSENGERS were PLUNGED into
abJect terror, for they expected every
minute to hear a volley crash through the
windows.
The engineer reporte that he had storpei
his train in obedience to dancer signal
waved on the track ahea1 but believed
that he had run down the pers 1n display
ins il.
a lantern was picked up beside the track,
but no trace OF the person who had given
the 81 .nal could be found until = brakeman
noticed dark Object lying il th, ditch
"a lit Il a littlo girl in his arms.
Coailcs1- Jea!sia5 staggered back as the
lnutsr-. dashed upon the face OF his little
twslve-year-ol daughter.
The chill was unconscious, but soon re-
yiSed. AM toll TIA, following story in the
pr'senrs OF tho ass .mbied passengers:
Walk Ig down the track just before dus,;,
she saw several mea working ut the rail :.
Thy prsoende t. lie railroad hands and
pait no attention to the child, but her
qgic'< cars dss,cted the rnoltioa o: her
fathe.'s name, IN remamb ring tho threat
against his lie, she detecm AL to lcArI
what they were doing.
AS spon as he ben l IN the oad hid her
fro u sight t,a girl struck into the woods,
anl cc~rpins back close to n, calvert, sba
os,ric1rl the train-w.oc.sers sslkin.: over
th ir Plan.
Tue frish eneI chil ran hons, but fall
ing her mother away on visit. seized the
loItern and ran down the track to signal
the nine o'clock train and save her fathers
life.
She waited nearly an hour before thu
train came down, and when the engine was
almost upon her she leaped FROM the track
ami tainted.
The train was run back 10 New Grand
Chain AMI n strong body of armed citizens
started out and drove the train-wreckors
away. Tho rails were replaced and spiked
down, and the train proceeded.
A purse of one hundred dollars was
raised by the passengers for the little
heroine who had saved the lives Of fifty
persons.