Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-04-26
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How He Saved Train from Destructio.

How He Saved Train from Destruction
and Afterwards Stole Bride.
Washington has a social sensation. Will
| lam Guyton, a prosperous young business
man, fell in love with Miss Annie James
Darling, an heiress, and the pretty niece of
Charles Spencer, of 1909 S street. She re
ciprocated, permitted him to slip an engage
ment ring on her finger, and then blushingly
told her aunt what she had done Mrs. Spen-
Ger was very angry, threw the ring in the
fire, and forbade the young lovers to meet
again But they did meet, and until they
got caught Then pretty Miss Annie was
locked in her bedroom She bribed a servant
girl to take a note to Mr. Guyton's stores
begging her lover to come and release her
That night Mr., Guyton crept stealthily into
the yard and waited until he saw an upper
window raised. In an instant a pair Of
sheets, tightly knotted together, were low
cred, and then the pluczy little miss swung
herself down into his outstretched arms.
hug, a kiss and hurried visit to the house of
friendly psIson, and they were linked to-
gether for life All the next day the Wash
ington police sought in vain for the missing
girl The following morning she went back
to her uucle's house for her clothing, and on
telling her aunt that she was married she was
again locked in her room. But it happened
that her husband was waiting on the door
step outside, and when he heard his bride
scream he forced his way into the house and
rescued her. They have secured a fiat ON
Twelfth street and will soon be comfortably
settled in their own home
Mr. Guyton formerly lived in Chicago He
is a good looking young man, but has only
one thumb For the missing one he got S.
800, besides column after column Of praise in
the newspapers. 1t was in 1882 that Mr.
Guyton lost his thumb He was brakeman
on freight train running from Evansville.
Ind, to Chicago. One morning he was in
the caboose at the end of the train and the
engineer whistled for down brakes in the
startling way that indicates to every railroad
man that danger is brewing. Brakeman
Guyton ran to the front platform of the ca
bose and began twisting at the brake for all |
he was worth. Then the collision came |
Brakeman Guyton was crushed between the |
caboose and tho freight car just ahead of |
him. Every one of the men on the freight |
train was killed or injured Two Of Guyton's |
ribs were broken and his right thumb crushed. |
The collision occurred just where the track /
made sharp turn around the base of the |
hill and the wreck piled up on the track |
could not be seen hundred yardseither way
Then Brakeman Guyton recolccted that q
passenger train was following five or ten
miles behind his train, and that unless it was
tagged it would dash around the curve and /
be wrecked, too. He looked for Gag, but
the caboose was so badly wrecked that he
could not find one Beside the wreck was the
body of another brakeman, who had been
killed instantly. The dead man had on a
red flannel shirt. Putting his mangled right
hand inside his vest, so that it would not be
in the way, Brakeman Guyton tore off the
dead mans shirt and started back around the
curve to flag the passenger train. He fell
once, but struggled to his feet and got around
the curve and on the straight line of the
track. He sat down ON one side of the track
too weak to stand, and waited for the passen-
ger train, and that is all Brakeman Guyton
The engineer Of the passenger train saw
the bloody figure lying there beside the track
with the red flannel shirt in his hand and
stopped the train. The brakeman had tainted
from loss of blood, but he had tagged the
passenger train and averted another and
more serious accident. He lost a thumb and
in return got S. 800 and the thanks of many
for his courage and bravery. And this is the
man who won pretty Annie Darlings heart
Washington Cor. Chicago Times.