Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-04-27
AN EXCITING SCENE.
Shut Up in an English Railroad Car with a
Desperate Mailman.


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 terrible
velocity. There are two or three loco.
motives in England celebrated fol
speed. One they call the Flying Dutch.
man. Another they name the York.
shire Devil. We were flying behine.
one OF these locomotives Sky miles ar.
hour. There were five of us-fouI
gentlemen and lady-in an English
car, which is q different thing, as most
people know, from the American car
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 moment as if not knowing
whether TO come in or stay out.
The conductor compelling him to de-
eide Immediately, he got in. He was
finely gloved and every way we'll
dressed. Seated, he took out his knife,
and began the attempt of splitting a
sheet of paper edgewise, and at this
sat intensely engaged for perhaps
an hour. The suspicion of all in the
car was aroused in regard to him,
when suddenly he arose and looked
around at his fellow-passengers and
the fact was revealed by his eye and
manner that he was a maniac. The
lady in the car (she was unaccompa-
nied) became frenzied with fright and
rushed to the door as II about to jump
out. Planting my feet against the door
l made that death-leap impossible. A
look or 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
mailman 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 or twice he attempted.
1t was question between retaining
the foaming fury in our company or
letting him dash his life out on the
rocks. Also it might be a question
between his life and the life of one or
more in the train. Our own safety
said LET him CO." Our humanity
said keep him back from instant
death, and humanity triumphed. The
bell-rope reaching to the locomotive
in English railway trains is on the out
side of the car and near the roof and
difficult to reach. / gave it two or
three stout pulls, but there was no
slackening of speed Another passen-
ger repeated the attempt without get
ting any recognition. We might as
we'll have tried to stop whirlwind by
pulling boys kite-string. When an
English engineer starts his train he
stops for nothing short of a collision,
and the bell-rope on the outside 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 Il thousand times
any one is willing to risk his arm and
reach out Of the window long enough
to work the rope the delu-
sion is seldom broken. To rid our
selves OF our dangerous as
sociate seemed impossible. Then there
came a struggle as to which should
have supremacy of that car, right rea-
son or dementia. The demoniaC
moved around the car as if it belonged
to him and all the rest of us were in
truders. Then he dropped in convul-
sions across the lap of one of the pas
sengers. AT this moment, when we
thought the horror had characterized,
the tragedy was intensified. We
plunged into the midnight dark
ness OF one of those long tunnels for
which English railway travel is cele.
brated. Minutes seemed hours. Can
you imagine worse position than to
be fastened in railway carriage, eight
feet by six, in tunnel of complete
darkness, with a maniacp May the
occurrence never be repeated! We
knew not what moment he might dash
upon us or in what way. We waited
for the light, and waited while the
hair lifted upon the scalp and the blood
rad cold. When, at last, the light
looked in through the windows, We
found the afflicted man lying helpless
ly across the lap of one of the passen
gers. When the train halted it did mo-
take us long, after handing over the
poor unfortunate for medical treat
ment, to disembark and move into an.