New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-02-24
III. stephens on .
Locomotive.


Alexander II. stephens on
Locomotive.
Over in Jersey City one day. recent
II two or three locomotive engineers
sat talking over strange experiences.
and this was the story that one Of
them told: II was a young man work
ing on q, southern railroad as a fire
man when the war broke out. Before
the war was over got an engine of
my own; but before l was regularly
promoted the engineer Of my train fell
sick of a sudden, and l was ordered
to take the engine out myself. I ship
ped a brakeman to do my firing, and
started away at 6 O'Clock in the morn
ing pulling one passenger and half a
dozen freight cars. There wasn't any
fighting along my line, but there was
deal ofbad feeling everywhere, and
lots Of lawless deeds were being COM
mitted. The track on this road was
torn up in two places only week be-
fore, and there was good bit of talk
about train wreckers and the like. At
about o'clock at a way station I
got a telegram from head quarters to
drop all my cars and hurry right on
to the end of the line with only my
locomotive and tender. It was q
queer order, but I knew that it
was official and I made ready to
obey orders, when little man with a
brown SLOUGH hat, who did not look as
if he weighed over hundred pounds,
climbed up into the cab and said to
me that he wished I would let him
ride in there with me, he was so anx-
ious to go forward as far as he could.
| told him that my orders were to let
nobody ride, and explained that I
didn't think icould let him go. sDon't
you expect me?" he asked. told him
/ didn't. cit will be all right he in
sisted, but when asked him what was
his name and what was his business,
he couldn't be induced to tell me.
'sThen it's all up said l; .I'll 20
without you" Then he suggested that
he was willing to pay me we'll for let
ting him remain aboard, but wasn't
taking any chances, and told him so.
was only waiting till my fireman at
tended to some business that he had
gone down the track about, and then
[ was going to shoot ahead and leave
everybody behind. You ought to have
seen the sparks in that little man. IS eye.
Needn't wait for your helper, he said
in that kind o. quiet tone that had a
whole battlefield in it's very quietness.
You needn't wait for your fireman.
TIL do his work. Go ahead' I look
ed at him, wondering whether not he
was crazy, when he calmly took out
a shiny pistol and tapped gently
on one OF the brass rods of the
cab seat, and he repeated once more,
Go ahead!' l was knocked clean
out. What could the stranger mean?
Thet sparkle in his eye grew brighter
and brighter, and seemed fairly to
dance like diamond under the SUM-
do you understand he inquired in
the quiet tone that pierced me like a
bullet. Go ahead, I say I went
ahead. On, on, and on we dashed,
through the fields and forests and by
the villages, stopping nowhere, my
passenger felt that he was a mad
man-keeping a close watch on us
all the while I was scared. That
pistol was still in his hand, and like
the little hand OF a watch it's rat-a-tat-
tat on the brass rod kept counting off
the seconds and the minutes till I
grew almost crazy myself. was rat
tied. A sort OF film kept coming be-
fore my eyes. He said not one word,
but felt that his searching gaze was
on me all the while. And finally I
could stand it no more There was a
rush OF blood to my head. Istag-
gered and fell, with the town / was
bound for just in sight. What I re-
member next was buzz of voices
over me as lay in doctors Office.
Aside from a nervous shock l had
suffered nothing. My engine had
brought me into town all right, and
had come to a halt at the station as
gently and amiably as any old family
horse. The man who had rode down
with me had known enough to
govern her, but he had waited at
the depot after arriving only
long enough to tell a bystander that
Iwas in need Of help on the engines
floor. A week after learned the rea-
son for the strange order that had
been given me to hurry on with my To-
connective and no cars, and I learned,
too, the name and mission of my pas
senger. A telegraph operator had
blundered. My dispatch should have
read: Take on little man with brown
SLOUGH hat; drop all cars and rush for
ward with no stops The operator
had carelessly left off the first phrase
about the little man with the SLOUGH
hat and given me only the last of the
order. The man? He was Alexander
II. Stephens, and he had important
war information that he had been will
ing to trust to nobody else. he apol-
ogized to me after for his strange ac-
,tions, but he said he felt that only in
such o way could he ever manage to
make me go on, for he didn't know
what the real text of my orders was,
and he was afraid to ask for tear that
he might find me either unfriendly or
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