The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-01-12
.HOLD NJ MBER TWELVE"

vi, yOu hCuio 1OOuu bASu, 0AN
you? Who told your"
Charley Branscombe, the con-
ductor. He said he was running
the train at the time
$50 he was. What did he say
about it?'
''He said it was the most daring
thing he ever knew a fellow to do.
You see we were in his room ia liking
about rail road escapes and chat
sort of thing, and he told how you
saved the train
:Jess So" replied the telegrapher.
without seeming to be very well
pleased that his heroism had been
the subject Of conversation. NOW,
honor bright, didn't he add any
thing by the way of explanation to
the storyY"
"No. What explanation could
there.be? You did save the train,
didn't your
sob, / saved the train all right
enough. Charley is good sort OF
fellow, I tell you. Yes; he was
conductor on No. II at that time,
still he might have added some
thing to the story of heroism that
would have been true enough, yet
it shows what a good hearted fellow
he is not to have told it."
"Why, were you to blame any
about the dispatch? understood
him to say that it was no fault on
| your part
"No, it was the train dispatcher's
fault. He should have let me know
sooner. / don't brag much about
that episode, but I'll tell you the
whole story.
The operator paused a moment
and seemed to look back on that
most exciting period of his life.
The telegraph machine chartered
away on the table, but the mes
sages were for some other place.
"You see," he began, mo. y
was due here at Las a. m. She
stopped here for water and for or
ders. She was the fastest train on
he line at that time, and Brans-
combe did the ticket scalping on
board. That night it was raining
cats and dogs, when Charley came
in with his lantern hung on his
arm, and stood at the desk TIL Pete
backed the engine from the water
tank. Then he said, Nothing for
me, eh?' and said no; then he
says, "Well, SO long, theD,' and out
be went. At that moment there
was q cell for me st the instrument,
and 1 answered it. l only waited
to hear three words of that mes
sage, but | tell you those three
words just made my hair stand on
end. They were:
"Hold No. p"
Il gave one glance out of the
window and saw the last Pullman
sleeper slowly passing. The re-
mainder of that instant was taken
up in springing clear over that
counter and boiling out on the
| platform. Luckily, we had long
| !atform at that station. and l
guess ! made the quickest time up
that set of planks that was ever
made along that road. You see, on
a day train it would not be so bad,
| for the conductor always swings
himself on the last coach, but on
the night train, especially at that
hour, everyone in the sleepers are
sIeepers themselves, and SO he gets
| on the last regular car, which is
about the middle of the train. No.
| II generally had four sleepers. She
had -four on that night.
"Well. | swung on the platform
of the last sleeper just as it was
passing the end of the station, and
was never so thankful for any
thing in my life, for the train was
beginning to go pretty fast, and it
was that or nothing.
81 knew that even then there
was not 8 second to be lost, and l
must con TESS that I was pretty bad
| ly ratified. Although | had only
heard the first three words of the
dispatch / knew that somewhere on
the line,. near or close, there was
another train coming, that expected
TO pass No. II at our siding.
81 tried the door of the sleeper,
and was Mortified to find it locked.
kicked and beat at the door, but
The porter was at the other end of
the car, probably polishing up
some ones boots OF very likely
asleep. Then l tried to break the
glass of the window SO that could
put in my arm and push back the
idoor catch, but you know how
thick the plate-glass is in a car.
| door and l had nothing but my ell
bow to break it with. Every mo-
ment lost was putting me in Q
frenzy. I gave one despairing kick
at the door, hoping to break it in,
but it was no good.
"The next instant I resolved to
get at Pate the engineer, By climb
ling over the top of the train. How
ever got up there ! don't know.
| [ don't believe / could do it now
on standing car to save my life,
and by this time the train was rat
tling along Mt forty miles an hour,
swinging round those curves in a
way that took my breath away.
"The top was slippery with the
wet and there was nothing 10 hold
on to. | started to run along the
top with the binding smoke and
sparks in my eyes and remembered,
when l sprawled full length on the
roof, that there were iron pipes TO
let out the stove smoke.
II went the rest of the way on
nv hands and knees. The ends of
the car roofs, as you know, come
close together. and there was no diff