The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-01-13

seen until we were close 70 tneul, anu II
was better 10 take the risk Of their inter
ference than to lose time BY seeking an
other place for more pressing work.
Again the wire was cut; but It was
second TOO late, for q message had Just
been flashed through, no doubt even as
Scott was bringing It down. The usual
distractions were here piled on the track,
and we again essayed 10 take up rail,
for the Chickamauga bridges were just
above, and we wanted time enough to get
them on fire, hoping that Fuller would
stop long enough at Dalton for the pur-
pose Of getting his telegram ready, to
allow us to finish the track lifting No
men ever worked with more desperate en-
ergy, but all In vain; long before the rail
was loose the pursuers were again upon
rs.
The race recommended with all its speed
and fury The great tunnel was short
distance ahead--a glorious place for an
ambush, where, In the darkness, the guns
OF the enemy would be of little value. II
Andrews was disposed to fight, there
would be the place Of all others to do 1t.
With the smoke of our train filling the
space, with our party In ambush along
the sides, success would be comparatively
sure, II they had twice our number, for
OF course we could not tell how much Of
a reinforcement they might pick up at
Dalton. But we kept right on through
the tunnel and the village Of Tunnel Hill
beyond. where we carefully drew down to
conceal our number from the curious eyes
of any who might be about the station.
At Calhoun Fuller had received small
but very effective e-enforcement-only q
boy thirteen years old, but worth dozen
of ordinary men-by means OF one Of
those apparently small circumstances
which often influence the course of great
events. At Chattanooga the CHEF officers
of the road had become alarmed by re-
ceiving no dispatches from Atlanta, or
the stations below Kingston. They there
fore directed the young assistant operator
at Dalton to jump on the passenger train
Just then leaving that station and go
south, sending them back word at each
station passed till the cause of the trouble
was found. He had only got as far as
Calhoun when Andrews passed, and Fuller
in O moment after. The latter hardly
came 10 stop before he saw the operator,
and called him, and without a word Of
explanation seized his hand and dragged
him on the train. In the run up, how
ever, ne made all the necessary explana-
tiOns, and wrote out the following dis
patch:
FULLER's TELEGRAM.
''To Gen. Leadbetter, commander at Chat
tanOoga:
"My train was captured this a. m. at
Big Shanty, evidently by Federal soldiers
in disguise. They are making rapidly for
Chattanooga, possibly with the idea Of
burning the railroad bridges in their rear.
If do not capture them in the meantime,
see that they do not pass Chattanooga.
'WILLIAM A. FULLER"
This he gave to the operator, saying,
Don't speak to anybody or lose a second
till You put that through to Chattanooga.
Jump for the platform when 1 slow up,
for / must push on and keep those
Yankees from getting up rail or burning
the bridges" ..s
1t was terribly quick work. The opera
tor was ut home in the Office, and almost
before Fuller had cleared the shed he was
at the desk and the first words were over
the wires. Whether they had time to get
the whole message ovec before the cut is
very doubtful, and not material, for the
first two lines would answer every pur-
pose. Had Fuller stopped ut this point,
and himself went into the office long
almost certain we would have had the rail
up, and then all the bridges above that
point would have been burned; though it
is stih possible that enough of the message
might have been pushed through TO secure
our arrest in Chattanooga. This was
another striking instance of the many
marrow margins on which this day hinged.
AS Fuller pressed on toward the great
q al
died within him, while all his party began
to blame him for foOlhardiness. He
feared tn plunge into its dark depths 1t
was still filed with smoke from our en-.
CINE; and he well knew that If we jumped
off at the far end and hurled back our
locomotive at him, it meant horrible
death 10 every one on his train; and he
was by no means sure that we would not
do it. Mr.. Murphy, who had so ably
stood by him all the while, here counseled
prudence. pointing out all the perils of
an ambush. But Fuller realized as APP
parently no one else did the desperate
need of pressing on to save the road; and
he had made so many escapes and been
so marvelously favored, that a kind of
fatalism took hold of him. He deter
mined Tot 10 lose minute no matter
what the danger might be. 1t may as
well be said here that no prudent and
common sense kind of pursuit, such as
possibly any other man would have en-
ployed, could have had the slightest
chance If success. But even Fuller
quailcd rs they dived into the cloud of
smoke that hung around the entrance of
the tunnel and held his breath for few
seconds they were still Mt full speed, till
he saw with sigh of relief a CLEAN OF
light ahead and knew that there was no
other engine now in the tunnel! On he
pressed, for he knew the value of the
! Chickamanga bridges ahead as well as
we did.