St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-04
WITH A MANIAC COMPANION.
Shut Up in an English Railroad
Car With Mailman.
Pittsburg Dispatch.

Pittsburg Dispatch.
On my way from Wales to London l
met with one of the most exciting
scenes / ever witnessed. We were in a
railway train going at terrific velocity.
There are two or three locomotives in
England noted for speed. One they
call the Flying Dutchman. An
other they call the Yorkshire Devil.
We were flying behind one of
these locomotives sixty miles an hour.
There were five of uS-fOur gentlemen
and a lady-in an English car, which is
a different thing, as most people know,
from the American, the English car
holding comfortably only about eight
persons, four of them occupying one
seat facing four on the other. We halted
at the depot.
A gentleman came to the door and
stood a moment. as If not knowing
whether to come in or stay out. The
conductor compelling him to decide
Immediately, he got i'll. He was finely
gloved and every way we'll dressed.
Seated. he took out his knife and began
the attempt of splitting sheet of paper
edgewise, and at this sat intently
engaged for perhaps an hour.
The suspicion Of all in the car was
aroused in regard to him, when sud
denly he arose and looked around at his
fellow passengers, and the fact was re-
vealed by his eye and manner that he
was maniac. The lady in the car
(she was unaccompanied) became fren-
zied with freight and rushed to the door
as If about to jump out. Planting my
feet against the door | made that death
impossible.
A look of horror was on all the faces,
and the question with each'was: "What
will the mailman do neXt?" A mad
man unarmed is alarming, but a mad
man with an open knife is terrific. In
the demoniac strength that comes to
such one he might make sad havoc in
that flying railway train, or he might
spring out of the door, as once OF twice
he attempted. 1t was question be-
tween retaining the foaming fury in
our company or. letting him dash out
his life on the rocks. Also it might be
question between his life and the life
of one or more OH the train. Our own
safety said, LET him CO. Our hui
mainly said, keep him back from in
slant DEATH" and humanity trlumphed.
The bell-rope reaching to the locomo-
tive in English railway trains is outside
of the car and near the roof and difficult
to reach. gave it two OF three smart
pulls. bat there was no Slackening OF
speed.
Another passenger repeated the at
tempt without getting any recognition.
We might as well have tried to stop
whirlWind by pulling boys kite string.
When all English engineer starts his
train he stops for nothing short of a
collision, and the beli-rope on the out
side edges of the car is only to make
passengers feel comfortable at the idea
that they can stop the train if they want
to-: and. as it is not once in 1000 times
any one is willing to risk his arm and
reach out of the window long enough
to work the rope, the delusiOn is sell
dom broken. 10 rid ourselves OF our
dangerous associate seemed impossible.
Then there came a struggle as to
which should have supremacy i'll that
car. right, reason or dementia. The
demoniac moved around the car as
if it belonged to him and all the rest of
us were intruders. Then he dropped in
commissions across the lap of one of the
passengers.
At this moment, when we thought the
horror had characterized, the tragedy
was intensified. We plunged into the
llffuIiSUt QdIhlltSo vi OilC vi elOoS loiis,
tunnels for which English railway
travel is celebrated. Minutes seemed
hours. Can you imagine worse
position than to be fastened in rail
way carriage, eight feet by six. in tun-
mel of complete darkness, with mani
ac? May The occurrence never be re-
peated! We knew not what moment he
might dash upon us or what way. We
waited for the light, and waited while
the hair lifted upon the scalp and the
blood ran cold. When at last the
light looked in through the windows we
found the afflicted man lying help!essiy
across one of the passengers. When
the train halted it did not take us long.
after handing over the poor unfortunate
for medical treatment, to disembark and
move into another car.