The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-05-10
TRAPPED
An Incident in the Life of a Tele-
graph Operator.

While in small town In Wyoming
Territory l learned that a lady living
there had been the heroine of a thrill
ing adventure with train robbers. and
curiosity and love for the bravo in
duced me to call on her to tell me the
story, says n writer in the Hartford
Times. When / went to her house /
was welcomed by n handsome lady OF
about thirty, and in response to my
earnest request for this one chapter
Of her life she related the following:
In 1873, when but q girl OF eight
cen, / left my home in Omaha and
came out hero TO fill the lonesome
position OF a night operator at a small
station on the Pacific railway in this
Territory. 1t was a dreary, dcsolato
spot in the midst of a desert. The
only buildings at tho station, apart
from the depot, were a section house,
occupied by a track foreman and
few Chinese laborers, q water tank
and a coal shed. The day operator
and agent, a mere boy, slept At the
section house, about two hundred
yards distant, so that during the long,
dreary night was alone IN the depot.
mo. 4 express train, bound East,
was due at 2:I5 in the morning, but IL
never stopped unless signaled, and as
this was tho only train during the
latter portion OF the night you can
imagine my lonely situation upon the
desert wild. had my books and guitar
for companions and passed much of
tho time reading, and when the dole
81 81 81
10 my ears from the distant sand hills
would pick up my guitar and en-
deavor to drown their cries with
music and song. ----,.s.=. - -. =.
The superintendent of the division,
buoyant, high-spirited young gentle
man, came over the road at frequent
intervals and cheered me up with
promises of better position when
vacancy should occur. He
often found me on the very brink
of despair. almost on the point
of resigning my position and
returning to my humble home and
the mother who depended on my
salary for the necessaries of life;
but his promises, his genial con-
versation and words OF encouragement
! drove away the gloom, aSd I came to
/ look foz. his visits with a sense OF the
! keenest pleasure / began 30 regard
! him with a sisterly afecsion. he was
/ so kind and tender, and SO solicitous
| for my welfare aud comfort. -. >s.ss5s
| One night shortly AFTER ihidnight,
as / sat at my table reading late
| novel. l thought / heard a shuaiing
| footstcp on the depot platform; but as
/ l. was not repeated l concluded it was
/ but q wolf more daring than his cow
| GrdIy fellows, and resumed my book
/ 4 few moments later l hoard a low
/ knocking At the door, which I always
kept locked, and a strange feeling
! came over me- During my several
! weeks stay at the station had never
| had a visitor, and the sudden knock.
so low, yet so startlingly clear in the
! stiffness of tho night, caused my form
! 10 tremble and my cheek to blanoh. :.
! MY first thought was of Indians,
and then L reasoned that 1t might be
| some tramps desiring shelter. While
l sat there in alright the knock was
! repeated louder than before, and mus
tering all my courage 1 approached
the door and asked:
Who's there?' -
"a gruff voice replied: ---- -
"a traveller who desires 10 take the
| East-bound train --s. -, 49, =;
1T was my plain and unmistakable
| duty to admit him, and, with trembling
/ fingers, l drew the bolt.
Instantly the door was pushed vio-
! lently open, and l sprang back to the
table and sank into my chair in terror,
! when seven burly men, wearing cloth
masks on their faces and armed to the
teeth, entered the Office. One OF them.
evidently the leader, walked up to me,
and, pointing a large revolver to my
head, said in a low, firm voice: -.
"'GaI. We don't want to hurt you,
but if you make a suspicious move, or
scream, or give any alarm, so that
any o the men in the section-house
kin hear you, I'll spiIe the looks
o that pretty face with bullet Be
quiet and sensible. and behave your
self, and yer shan't be hust Whar's
yer red signal lamp
"'What would you do?' / gasped.
"'None o your business. We don't
want 70 hear any unnecessary back
talk, nor no impertinent questions
Whar's the red lamp?' -
"A thrill of horror swept over me
when the truth burst upon mo that /
was in the hands OF band of des-
Perate train robbers, whose evident
intention it was TO signal the train and
rob the express car at my station.