Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1885-12-26
An Unlucky Locomotive.


the war occurred on the Western q
Atlantic railway. It WAS an attemp,
on the part of a small band of Federal
soldiers TIC burn the bridges on tina,
road. thereby destroying the means
of communication between Atlanta and
Chattanooga, Tenn. The leader was a
man named Andrews. of Ohio. He
proposed the scheme to General
Mitchell at Shelbyville, and was to be
paid $4,000 liz gold if successful.
Seven members Of the Second Ohio
regiment volunteered for tho danger.
Gus mission. Their names were VIM.
Campbell, Geo. ID. Wilson, NJ. A. Ross,
p. q. Hbhadrack, Samuel Slavens, S.
Robinson and John Scott. Fourteen
men of the Tventy.first Ohio were also
detailed for the duty. On April -,
1869, Andrews and his men disguised
themselves and boarded "a train a,
Marietta, twenty miles north OF At.
lanta, on the Western d Atlanti. rail.
road. At BIG Shanty, Ga, five miles
up the road, they uncoupled the en-,
CINE and three cars from tho train
while tho passengers were in AZ break.
fast. The dare-devils then started fo-
Chattanooga.
They cut the telegraph wires to pre-.
vent information of their act being
sent on ahead of them. Then took
place what was probably the mest ex.
citing race in the annals Of war. Tho
conductor, engineer and tho superin.
tendent OF the road shops started in
pursuit. After running along the track
on foot for good distance they reached
a hand-car, and gathering up rein,
forcements as they went, they pushed
along vigorously after the audao.ou>
bridge burners. The latter had been
delayed ut Kingston by the south
bound train being out Of time. When
ques'iono,i 10y the agent here the Ged.
erals told story about carrying Am
munition to Beauregard. AT sovera.
places the pursuers found the track
torn up or obstacles placed across tn,
rails. AT Etowah they secures al
engine and q coal car, and got *
Kingston twenty-five minutes bxhinc
tho bridgo-burucrS. Here they tool
another eaCine. Near Adairsvilio THEN
progress was again stopped by n torn
up track. The purauerS footed it tC
Adahsvill6 and turned back tho en-.
CINE Of she down train. Every
once in a while they had
TO stop 20 remove cross tioe
fros thu track. A mile and Il hslf DO.
hind Calhoun they came in sight Of tdc
lyis5 fugitses, who dropped Il car tc
block the WAY. To the Unionists i.
was now "a race for life. They knew
their purstenG were drawing nearer
and Eoaler. Their fuel was exhausted
and tceir stex was giving out. The
oil-cans aad everything inflammable
were buried into the diminishing fire.
At Dalton tSoy piled up more cross
ties. tRlnggold the pace of the en-
CINE began to, dag, and several miles
beyond tn. rae was % The Union
lists reversed their engise in order ia
cause a,collision with their pursuers,
and tool TO trio woods. Then there
was a maa-hunt &y the engaged south-
erners. FL of tho norths~ners were
captured and carssed to Knoxville. and
there court, mArtis1ed. Whom caught,
Andrews had q great dea, Of money
on his person, and he offered
$40, 900 for his release. The
prisoners were defegded by Eon. John
Baxter and Jadge Ia 1t. Andrews and
his seven volunteers of the Second
Ohio regimen. were Gorvictedsas spies.
Andrews wastexeoutel in June. 1862,
near Walton Spring, and the others
were hanged sGuthaast Of the atlanta
Theifourtetn detailed men
of Tie Twenty-frst Ohm were not tried
and were afterwards regularly ex-
changed.
Tlse stolen engine mentioned III the
above. clipping is still in-,xtstence and
NuseG AS q switching engine at At
Yhta. She is the t|No. 81" and ie a
Rogers, and has the original V-hook
engine. She eajoysehe unenvi-
able reputation of being the unluckiest
OF the Western 81 Atlantic road.
caUsed the deX1h of nearly 90.
men, exclusive Of the eigH soldiers
who were hanged for stealing her.
Her reputation rs a msn-killer was SO
well established that il was difficult to
get engineers to run her while : he was
N, ~ -, al ~, a rNal ,n IT, II