The national leader., 1889-02-02
THE RED LIGHT.

There, stranger, do you see that
cripple comm over there with a
crutch?' said old Jim Perkins, the
section foreman, whose section ended
at the little town Of P, on the
South Shore Railroad, to the ac-
companying passenger with whom he
had struck up a conversation while
they were both waiting on the station
platform for the east-bound passenger
train.
He nodded his head as he spoke,
toward girl sixteen or seventeen years
Of age, who was hobbling up the road
to the platform.
The passenger said he saw her, and
Jim continued:
We'll, sir, that little girl is a hee-ro-
wine. she's got more bravery in her
than any two people I'll known on.
Sandl why, she's got more sand than
the biggest mogul engine on the South
Shore Road. Ye don't see what chance
she has to show it, eh?'
We'll, III tell ye story that'l open
yer eyes, I'm thinkin'; hold on till she
gets by
sHow DIDO, MaryP' he said, as the
girl approached, and after acknowl-
edging his salutation, she passed on
and stopped at the waiting room door
at the further end of the platform.
Jim waited until she had gotten out of
earshot, and then, turning again to his
listener, proceeded with the story.
cTwas two years ago, shortly after /
tux this 'ere section, he said, that the
thing happened. Mary-her names
Mary Wheeler-lived over there in that
little house ye see, jest this side o. the
big red barn, with her mother, wild
der, and little sister.
Her brother Jack was express mes
senger on the late train, No. 81, that
passed here at 11.30 at night. He
boarded the train at Swanton, the end
o. this division o. the road, and was
only at home when he got day off.
The road was new at that time, and
the gravel pits along the track hadn't
been closed up yet. They still had
gravel trains a-running, and the gang
that loaded the cars was lot of dirty,
nasty Italians that boarded together in
old box cars. switched off on to shady
side track sum'ares or in shanties built
for 'em by the company in the pits.
'Dugan's pit is jest across the trestle
over east there, and around that curve.
It's about half mile from here, and
ye can see it from the car window as
ye pass.
AT that time about $50 Italians was
working In Dugan's and about hum
dred on 'em lived In the shanty they
had between the main track and the
gravel-pit side track.
They was a hard set, and used to
have lots o. rows up there nights, and
specially payday nights, when they
gen'ally had keg er two o. beer at the
shanty and plenty or dago cussedness
for it to work on.
sSome one of 'em was killed or stab
bed about every payday night; but
LOrdl ther' wasn't any notice TUX of
'em, dead or alive, and the town au-
thorities wouldn't o. cared If they'd all
been murdered s'long's they fought
amongst 'emseIves and didn't offer no
violence to white folks.
We'll, one pay day night Mary'd been
over to Jenny ThOmpson's, a friend o.
her'n that lives down the street piece,
and she was havin' sech good time
thet before she knowed it twas half
past ten o'clock.
OF course sne got ready to 90 hum.
Jenny offered to 60 half way with her,
but she said she wasn't afraid, and
takin' her crutch she started out.
"Twasn't very dark and she got
along all right till she cum It the corner
of Granger's barn, when she saw two
men comm up the road toward her.
'She didn't think they'd seen her, SO
she stepped in under the shadder o. the
carriage shed roof to les 'em pass.
They kim along till they got in front
o. the shed, but stead o. goin' by they
turned in too, and for minute she
was 'fraid they'd seen her go in, and
was follerin' her.
But they hadn't; and so soon as they
got inside they began talkin' together
kind o. low like; not so low, though,
nut Mary could hear what they said.
She was only about four feet away.
and ther' was wagon between the
men and her.
The men were tramps. and along
with another of the same llk they'd
been stealin' ride on the front end o.
the baggage-car OF No. 81 the night
before, when old Tom Baker, the con-
ductor, spotted 'em and when the train
got here he stopped and fired them off.
They were awfully mad and they'd
made up their mind to get square with
him. So they planned as how one of
'em was to sneak down the road in the
afternoon till he got past Dugan's pit,
and hide In the woods there till after
dark; then cum over to The track and
pile some ties on it, SOS to wreck No.
81 when she cum long. o. course
they'd light out when they had their