The Arizona sentinel., 1888-07-14
A LOCOMOTIVE HERO.
By Bis Goodness and Nerve He
 Saved a Hundred Lives.


 Well, gentlemen, if you wish it, I'll tell you the story. When 1 was a youth of nineteen and lived with my parents in Pennsylvania town, I had taste for railroading and boyish ambition to become a driver, although l had been educated for loftier pur- suits.
 During my college vacation 1 lounged about the station almost constantly, making friends with the trainmen, and especially with driver named Silas Markley. I became much attached to this man, notwithstanding he was forty years old and by no means sociable fellow.
 He was my ideal of brave, skillful, thoroughbred driver, and I looked up to him as something of hero. He was not a married man, but lived alone with his old mother. I was frequent visitor at their house, and think they both took quite fancy to me in their quiet, undemonstrative way.
 When Markley's fireman left hfm, induced him to let me take his place during the remainder of my vacation He hesitated for some time before he consented to humor my boyish whim, but he finally yielded and l was in great glee. The fact was that in my idleness and the overworked state of my brain I craved the excitement as a confirmed drunkard does liquor, and, besides, haG such longing dreams of Ine nery <Ide through the hills, mount ca n'erally on the iron horse. So became an expert fireman, and liked it exceedingly, for the excitement more than compensated for the rough work was required to do.
 But there came a time when I got my fill of excitement. Mrs. Markley one day formed a plan which seemed to give her good deal of happiness. It was her sons birthday, and she want ed to go down to Philadelphia in the train without letting him know any thing about it and there purchase a present for him. She took me into her confidence and had me assist her. l arranged the preliminaries, and got her into the train without being mo- ticed by Markley, who, of course, was busy with his engine.
 The old lady was in high glee over the bit of innocent deception she was practicing on her son. She enjoined me again not to tell Silas, and then left her and took my place.
 It was a midsummer day and the weather was delightful. The train was neither an express nor an accommoda- tion, but one which stopped at the principal stations on the route. Or this occasion, as there were two specials on the line, it was run by tele. graph-that is the driver has simply tC obey the instructions which he receives at each station, so that he is put as g machine in the hands of one controller who directs all trains from a central point and has the whole line under his eye. If the driver does not obey tC the least little his orders, it is destruc. tion to the whole.
 Well, we started without mishap and up to time, and easily reached the first station in the time allotted to us. A: we stopped there a boy ran alongside with the telegram, which he handed tC the driver. The next moment I heard a smothered exclamation from Mark. ley.
 "Go back" he said to the boy; ''tel Williams to have the message repeated there's mistake"
 The boy dashed off; in ten minutes he came flying back. Had it re peated, he panted, Williams is storm ing at you; says there's no mistake, ana you'd best get on." He thrust the sec ond message up as he spoke.
 Markley read it and stood hesitating for half minute. There was dismay and utter perplexity in the expression of his face as he looked at the tele gram, and the long train behind him His lips moved as if he was calculat ing chances, and his eyes suddenly uuailed as if he saw death at the enC of the calculation. 1 was watching him with considerable curiosity. yentured to ask him what was the mat ter, and what he was going to do.
 I'm going to obey" he replied curtly. The engine gave long shriel of horror that made me start as if were Markley's own voice. The nex instant we rushed out of the sta tion and dashed through low-lyinl farms at speed which seemed dan qerous to me,