The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-12-25

''Then / became ambitious again. Co
ing to the superintendent l secured a
position as travelling operator and went
on the road; and very soon it was, too,
that began to talk about the great
evil of taking students into offices'-
they all do that!
'Well, went out on the road, was
finally permanently located, became
very fast sender, and acquired quite
reputation. My experience as Il student
attempting to take his first train order
was nothing compared to one had
shortly after taking my first Office.
The dispatcher had sent me an order
to hold an east-bound train for one go
ing west. | was at a station where the
double track stopped and a single one
took its place. The east-bound train
pulled up, with the conductor on the en-
CINE. l had forgotten to put out my
green signal and also forget the order
l had in my book. l told the men on
the engine had nothing for them and
then went into the office. The train
gradually increased its speed and the
bumpity-bump, bumpity-bump of the
wheels as they passed over the ends Of
the rails was getting faster and faster.
l stood in the door watching the train
pull out, when heard the next station
east report the departure of the train
coming west. Then, and not until
then, did think of that order.
81 can never dwell on the events of
that night without having a recurrence,
in milder form, of the awful feeling
of horror that took possession of me as |
looked upon that order, until that min
ute unthought of. I Dashed out of the
| door just in time to catch the caboose,
| which was going so fast that it swung
me in on the back steps and mashed
my nose against the back of the car. |
paid no attention to this, but
began to set brakes, and never
stopped until I had the brakes on
half the cars tight set and the train at a
standstill. The explanations were made,
and that train was backed up and on the
side-track about two minutes before the
train bound west came whizzing by. l
|
didn't act that night like other peoples
that I've read about.
''The men on that train must have
felt that had done them great favor,
saved their lives, or something of that
kind, for they never said word about
my letting it nearly get away from me.
If they had it would have been good
bye for me as soon as the company could
have gotten relief to my station.
81 had always been nervy chap
strong, afraid of nothing, man, horse or
woman-but that nights experience took
all the sand out of me as long as re.
manned in that village, so concluded tc
move on, and I've been moving ever
since.
81 resigned, to take effect at once, got
on west-bound train, and worked the
conductors all the way to the slope be-
: fore l began to think of stopping.
cat Truckee had the experience Of
my life. Perhaps you've heard of it. Tc
begin with will say that at that time
thought altogether too much of the
ardent, like many another good mar
that you can find 'on the block in this
town nearly any day in the week.
was also greatly afflicted with insomnia
which / laid to the fright had abou
that train order. Be that as it may,
found it necessary to have at hand all O.
the time bottle of morphine, and {
gallon jug OF whisky, generally wen
with it. was riding along one nigh
with my jug secreted under the seat anc
the morphine bottle in my pocket, whe1
the train came to standstill. The con
| ductor Immediately rushed in, gun il
, hand, and notified the coach-load 0
passengers that we had been stopped b,
gang of the most desperate train-rob
/ bers in the West, and that they wer'
going through the train. Quick as
flash the idea entered my head that
could do the gang up took out m,
morphine bottle, emptied the content
5 into the whisky. and, without saying
. word to any one, went to the rear plat
l form and jumped off.
, Where you goin', pard?' said voic'
, Immediately behind me. What av ye
: got in the jug?"
| '' i am going nowhere at present.
i answered, at the same time turning t.
5 face the solitary rear guard. I've go
, whisky in the jug, and thought woul'
5 take it along with me and get off a littl
, while until you people got through witt
) your business on the inside
!, sp1oco ,,or,. boort III
, man replied, you've tried to get ava
, with what the boys would consider tn
: biggest find on the train. Let's sampl
your juice
, 'sThis was just what wanted. I lie
him sample, and in half a minute h
: toppled over. While the rest of tn
: gang were ahead having hot fight wit
the Fargo express messenger, put o.
> the robbers blouse, mask and trousers
tied his hands and feet, and rolled hin
: over in the high grass at the side of tn
: bank.
"When he had been talking to me
, took particular care to notice his voic
r and manner of speaking and, bein
: about his size, did not have any doubt
as to my ability to fool the rest of tn
. gang. And did it. too. They had gon
: too the train and cleaned out every on
: and then the leader came to me an
0 said: ''Well, Bill, did any of 'em gi
, away?"
!: :" Nary one; one duffer tried to say
: this, holding up the jug, but nabbe,
: him and here it is There was grea
: deal of satisfaction displayed over tn
f last find and they all sampled it, and
n we'll that little jug did what all tn
/, brave trainmen and passengers coul