Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-11-15
MIRACULOUSLY SAVED
From Railroad Disaster, lightning
and Midnight Assassination.

An intensely-hot and breathless. sum-
9mer day brooded over the fields and
mountains of New York State. Seated
in one of the leading cars of the after
noon express train on the Freightsville
Brightsburg railway, I was speed
ing along. half asleep and extremely
warm, suffering all the discomfort
which dust and heat and flies combine
- bestow upon the summer traveller.
An old lady opposite me was nodding
over the pages of an illustrated paper,
while dissipated-looking young man
beside her was chewing tobacco, and
was, apparently, lost in thought. The
crying Of a young baby from the fur
Their end of the car mingled vaguely
with my dreams. We were nearing
the station where we were to take sup
per-a small town known as Claynor.
Bumpity! bump! bump! bump! The
motion of the cars had changed with a
horrible suddenness. Startled broad
awake by the change, and. too old
railroad traveller not to know what it
p0rtended, gazed out of the window
with alarmed intentness. The cars
were OF the track-that knew too
well. We were running at full
speed, and the road lead alongside
of narrow stream down whose pre-
eipitous banks we might in another
moment be hurled. I saw the car in
front of the one in which we sat sway
and topple as though about to fall over.
If it did so, general wreck and ruin
would ensue. Still bump. bump, bump,
went the car-wheels over the sleepers.
Then the motion of the train slackened,
grew slower still, and finally 10. came
o astand-still. Who were saved!
s'Goodness graciousl what are We
0topping for?" asked the stout lady,
hooking up from her pictorial paper.
Twenty Dinutes for refreshments,
na'am," answered the youth beside
her. He was pale az death, as was
natural for one who had just looked
death in the face, for he had fully con-
pretended our peril, but even in that
moment the strange recklessness
which is one of our national charac-
teristics had come uppermost.
As soon as the danger we had es-
aped became generally known, there
was universal chorus of cries and
EXPLANATIONS. some of terror others of
surprise, and some few of thauksgiy-
ing. In the midst of it all most of the
passengers started to get out of the
cars to look over the wreck. We
found the engine and tender half way
down the embankment. The foremost
car had lodged against small tree
whose tough, tenacious roots, running
down the bank and spreading through
the earth, had enabled it to check the
onward motion of the train, already
slackened by the breaking of the COUP
ling that attached the engine to it.
Humanity speaking, that tough little
tree had saved the lives of possibly
one-hah Of the passengers in the train.
As it was. nobody was hurt, save one
unfortunate boy who had been stealing
a ride. 2erched upon the step of one of
the foremost cars, and he was past
either surgery or prayers.
As / stood gazing upon the engine.
standing on its head in the mud, we'll
known voice sounded in my ears. a
friendly slap tingled on my shoulder.
''Well. Brooks. can this be youP
Were we fellow-passengers without
knowing itP"
1started, turned. and warmly grasped
the hand that was extended towards
me.
''How does the learned physician?
Well, this is a strange renconter. And
where have you been this hot weather,
In the name of wonder? frustrating
among the mountains, ehP"
mo; have been to Brightsburg on
professional business. A stomach to
be analyzed-a man accused of having
poisoned his wife,
And was it true bill?'' -
ihat ! can not say; that is not my
business 20 decide. My business was
to look for arsenic. and I found enough
20 have killed = horse. II ia for tha