National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-05-09

Brady, I think his name wasl to let me
speak to him privately. He agreed with
seeming dissatisfaction. l explained to
him what / wanted, and he replied to me,
Whist honey--pull out your revolver
and order us to move the cars, and, DO
gobs, well do II in short order and furnish
70 pilot" AS well as could control my,
countenance l followed his advice, and I
turned over all the liquids and solids in
the wagon provided by our fair friends on
the road to the "ehildher" Of the railroad
hands.
must say that Lydecker and his crowd,
albeit Unionists, acted loyalty to their
promise, and soon we had tho freight
cars, one by one, placed upon the down
grade on the main line, aud the gondols
cars behind them. / think there were
fifteen freight cars and ten gondola cars
thus put together, each car as it WAS
placed in position having its wheels
"chocked" with a railroad tie.
After the train was made up tho fore
man of the hands aforesaid was requested
by me to act as pilot. Dial. Powell was
told to take the horses and wagon around
tho nearest way to the court house. Be-
fore mounted the rear car "a gondola)
the old Hibernian who was to be pilot
said to me in effect: This Is a long train
and there is only two of US to manage
the brakes. When the cars get to hop
ping on the tracks run along the cars and
turn the brakes down as hard as you can.
I'll signal you by waving my hand whom
to let them OIL"
STARTED ON THE DOWN GRADE.
Now, / knew no more than baby
what / was to undergo, or l wouldn't
L Al . H.. II IL. all . h.
wealth of tho Vanderbilts. When the
checks were pulled ont from under the
wheels, and the shoulders of the sixty or
seventy men were placed in force to the
cars, tho train moved Off slowly at first,
and for tho first mile or two, by ajudicious
use of the brakes, for anxiously watched
the gestures of the pilot on the front car
aud obeyed his motions, the train had
only pleasant speed, but when 1t got on
a down grade of ninety feet to the mile,
the speed became terrific, and being on
tho rear car in winding each curve l was
tossed about from side to side as helms
man might be on a ship laboring In a
heavy sea. The rear cars began hopping
on tho track, and expected every
moment to be hurled of like an arrow
from tho bow, but fortunately they kept
the track. Two brakes were as nothing
to control that heavy train, and 1t would
have been certain death to have attempted
to manage the other brakes, rocking as
the cars were. No locomotive could have
pulled the train on level grade SO fast.
THE BRIDGE ON FIRE IN FRONT.
As We rounded curve within full
sight of tho bridge half mile OF saw
the pilot running back along the tops OF
the freight cars, and whom no reached me.
said, my God tho bridge is on fire p
and scarcely had the words escaped from
his mouth than the train dashed through
the bridge; we fell on our faces and slowed
up on heavy upgrade half mile be-
yond. Considering how horribly scared
| was by this adventure, IL ia u wonder
that my hair did not turn gray. At any
rate, when Capt. Moss aud my comrades
lifted me of the train | was in faintng
condition, and so was the pilot. The ter.
rife rate Of speed of the train had carried
us through the Blazing bridge, which had
only been burning a quarter of an hour
or so, aud the timbers were still strong
enough to bear up the train. And yot IL
was a very close shave.
The explanation Capt. Moss gave after
ward was that he thought Powell and
had been unsuccessful in our mission or
had been captured by the enemy or the
Unionist citizens, and he therefore de-
termined to fire tho bridge without watt
ing any longer,
Suffice it to say had enough of tho
homo guards, and thereafter cast in my
lot with the regular forces, whore there
were not so many "supposes in eTpedi-
tions of this character
THOMAS J. MURRAY.