Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-08
WILL JACKSON'S RIDE.

4 On q certain pleasant evening OF August
lse<, darkness was beginning TO seek ad-
mittAnce through the many windows OF
the "Devon Inn" near Philadelphia, and
its advent WAS stoutly resisted by the light
and lifs Of Devun's stately interior, when
she eight members of the Tavern Takers
and their single guest drew their chairs
roupd the altar OF confabulstion in their
sanctum of the said inn.
awhy, gentlemen, we are forgetting our
new programme. Seckar, where's your
story"
True, said the president. "Mr. Neckar,
your story, please; and | would take the
liberty to suggest that 1.-THE a cycling one,
for the benefit Of Mr.. 5 Mr.. $,
we must enlist you in the brotherhood OF
the wheel"
Mr.. s, the visitor, bowed, while ouI
respected friend Neckar lay hack in his
chair, looked at the president inquiringly
for n moment, and then commenced:
Gentlemen. / an victlmized, am II
Well, so be it Some Of you, doubtless,
have heard Of VIII Jaokson's ride with a
railroad train out west; most Of you, how
ever, have not. Mr. 81 know has not;
30, with your permission, we will have II.
$50 ahead, NinOn,T was the general
chorus, the president, with an almost I'M
percspsible wink at the story-teller, add
ing;
~oh, .ycs, remember the inoident-a
capital one"
-wen, gentlemen you must know that
some short time ago friend OF mine, a
Mn jackson. known Also 10 some q you
perhaps went west on q business trip,
taking his bicycle with him, snd out there,
yvu know, Mr.. S, a bicycle is Il great
rarity I'm fact, In nnnny places where
MI Jackson sojourned, the people didn't
know what 10 make Of the machine, and
tiss most extravagapt surmises were in
duIged IN by them as TO its properties, etc.
The continual questioning relative TO the
matter was annoying. and he was wishing
for something out Of the common to turn
upfully 30 proclaim the properties and
powers of the machine, when fortune
kindly threw in his way the opportunity
which he wished for. Just rs he was CIV
ing up all hope Of such an opportunity
cropping up, the desired loop hole through
which be might squeeze something TO
Astopish the natives, laid itself so to speak
at his feet, through the agency Of what
OF whom do you think. Why, Of an en-
gineer on one OF tho locomotives Of the NJ
l. NJ. railway.
.Mr Jackson happened to be at Tyres
burg. inNMissouri, and, as usual, much
interest WAS taken there among the peo-
pie In his Nbicycle In this place the pre-
vaiiirg sentiment vas that Of ridicule for
both the machine and its rider and the
remarks Of the engineer whom have be
fore referred 20 were so offensive that
jackson got quite rolled, in fact, that on
the engineer making some remark more
than usually strong, he there and then OF
fered 20 race him, the said engineer, 10
Stokleyville, fifty miles down the road.
The engineer was to take a cattle train of
fifty cars over that section of the road on
the afternoon of the day on which the bet
was made, and jackson agreed to have
out his bicycle and race him. Now,
all along from Lyresburg TO Stok-
leyviile a cinder-psth runs by the rail-
road, sothat Jacksou's proposed attempt
70 beat the train does not appear so wild a
venture as you might at first suppose il 10
be- The appointed hour came, and the
whole town turned out to see the train
and the bicycler start, and a telegram was
sent on to Stokieyyille for all the people
there 70 turn out also and witness the
termination OF the novel race. Well. the
moment for starting arrived, the whistle
souudedSthe train moved, and Jackson
was Just about 10 mount when suddenly
he f1cnC his machine mo the hands OF
the telegraph clerk, who t0-7aed one of the
gaping crowd, and saying, BY gosh, I've
left my saddle bag in the Office" he
rushed into the operators sanctum, fol
lowed by cries of Look sharp Make
haste" etc. He wasn't gone any time be-
fore he, returned, carrying the saddle bag,
which he flung on 10 the handles of his
machine, and in half second he was
closing'up on the last car of. the train,
which WAS already well under way. Now,
the people outside the telegraph office, of
course, could not very well be aware of
ths(fsct that Jackson understood teleg-
Yaphy, nor were they aware that the oper-
stor at Stokleyville was bosom friend of
his. zThe following message. received by
the Stokleyville operator while the Tyres
burg population were engaged in watch
ing the start Of the race. would have
opened wider some already wide-open
eyes and explained clearly why Jackson
cane TO leave his saddle bag in the opera
tors Office:
@Iyresburg.
"'DARLISG BILL-Grease the railroad
two miles this Of Stokleyville. See You
later. Twill JACKSON
~The above was the telegram which
caused Bill Stones eyes 10 open also to q
considerable extent as he perused the GU
rfous document in his office at Stokley-
Vile. Bill bore the reputation of never
allowing friend to get left, as he termed
II, SO there was something peculiarly sug,
eestive in the deliberate manner in which
he folded up the dispatch and then took
an hour and a halfs leave OFF from work.
well, the train got the start of Jack
son, but before il gained any speed, he
had pulled up beside the last one Of the
fifty cars, where he determined 10 stick as
long as possible. Now, the engineer WAS
az fully persuaded that the bicycler would
give up after five miles as he was of the
fact that if he went much faster than
twenty miles an hour along at least thirty
miles Of the road before him he would run
a-gcod chance Of wrecking the train -
he put on a fifteen -mile-an- hour pace, and
sent the fireman back 10 tell the 'yeloci
pider' to wake up Now, Mr.. -, you
know that fifteen miles an hour is notH
ing TO a bicycler, SO jackson fe-t
pretty good when he found tht
engineer so accommodating; but tC
the Injunction Of the fireman to wake
up he answered by inquiring if the en-
gineer was asleep' The fireman went
forvard to the engine and told the engin
eer Of the inquiry, and the engineer said
Well, he's plucky 'un; tell him TO pull
up and have a talk while he san, for We
viii bid him goodbye Eve miles out o
Stokleyyille.'
The fireman gave the message to Jack
son, who told him to 60 back and tell th'
engineer to hold his wind for he would
want II all before th,fTace 1yas IN WheJ