Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-13
TRYING TO KILL 4 NAN.
Ho'c a Btoodthirsty E,0in Got Eid of
BraEenaen He Didn't Like.
TPhiladelphia Record

Ho,c Bloodthirsty Engineer Got Eid of
| Bral:enseM He Didn't Like.
Philadelphia Recordl
when the Chesapeake and Ohio
road was built" said veteran brake
nam, "an old Scotch engineer, let us
call him Mcintosh, was the first engi-
neer employed. He had the reputation
Of eccentricity, and began to sustain it
by killing and Gripping his brakemen.
fle would whistle and slow up for a
dog, throw his lever over to keep from
killing COW, but when he felt ugly he
would kill brakeman without losing
breath. When I went on the road five
years ago he had acquired the name of
Devil Mac and the Man Killer every
where, and the trainmaster had hard
work to get a crew when Mac was in
the engine. He had fine locomotive,
and could pull Us big train up the
New River grades as any man. He had
killed, it was said, an even dozen men
when 1 was put on the crew of Bob
Jenkins, as brave conductor as you
ever heard of.
Mac was engineer, and one day DUR
ing one of the fights at station-by
the way, Jenkins would stop his train
to fight mani incurred Macs ill
will by accidentally knocking down an
old friend OF his. He had it in for me,
and when he made stop would give
me lots of trouble. I was front brake
man then, and tended switches and
couplings Mac had seemingly reformed,
as he had made no breaks for some
time, and Jenkins cried out in horror
when he saw me narrowly escape being
crushed by sudden crash of the cars
while making coupling. Macs after
you, he said. Then he told me what
to do and the old demons plan. When
Mac wanted to kill man he would
wait till he had been making coupling.
Then he would stop just near the place
or come back too hard, till he got the
brakeman ratified, and finally the man
would stay in to put the pin down.
Mac would come back slowly till he
thought he had his victim, and then
with fiendish laugh and full head
he would send his engine back, and four
times out of five would kill or MAIN
his man. I was naturally scared, but
tried to do my work as usual. He
caught me once, but it was only
bruise. AS hobbled into the caboose,
jenkins put a A revolver in my hand,
and said: If he cripples you, kill him.
1 only needed few hours rest and was
able to work back with my crew. Mac
was anxious to get home, and the way
he kept his engine putting up the grades
as he climbed toward the Allegheny's
crest was wonderful We had side
tracked for an express Git was a moon
light night, and in trying to get out
too quickly the train broke. With an
oath / was directed to hurry and couple
up. I did not hurry, and, after several
times backing up, Mac came with a
rush and caught my arm, crushing it
and taking off that finger. Summoning
all my nerve, walked to the engine
and told him he must die, pulling my
gun. The old man went down on his
knees on the cab floor and prayed for
forgiveness, pleading an accident He
besought me in the name of his daugh-
ter, his only child, his Mary, for his
life, and I relented. The boys carried
me back and put ME in the caboose,
for had tainted from the shock and
loss Of blood He lived, but l never
did any more work on that road"