The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-01-26
with 4 Maniac COMPANION,

With d Maniac Companion.
On my way from Wales to London
1 met with one of the most exciting
scenes ever witnessed. We were in
a railway train going at terrific
velocity. There are two or three
locomotives in England cele-
brated for speed. One they call the
Flying Dutchman. Another they
name the Yorkshire Devil. We were
flying behind one ofthese locomotives
sixty miles an hour. There were
five of us-four gentlemen and
lady-in an English car, which is
different thing, as most people know,
from the American, the English car
holding comfortably only about
eight persons, four of them occupy
ing one seat facing four on the other.
We halted at the depot.
A gentleman came to the door and
stood a moment, as if not know
ing 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 well
dressed. Seated, he took out his
knife and began the attempt of split
ting sheet of paper edge-wise, and
at this sat intently engaged for per-
haps an hour. The suspicion
OF all in the car was aroused
in regard to him, when sud-
denly 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 unaccompanied) be
came frenzied with fright and rushed
to the door as if about to jump out.
Planting my feet against the door I
made that death impossible.
A look of horror was on all the
faces, and the question with each
was: "What will the mailman do
next? A mailman unarmed is alarm
ing, but a mailman with an open
knife is terrific. In the demoniac
strength that comes to such a one he
might make sad havoc in that flying
railway train, or he might spring out
of the door, as once or twice he at
tempted. 1t was a 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 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 bellrope reaching to the locomo-
tive in English railway trains is out
side of the car and near the roof and
difficult TO reach. I gave it two or
three smart pulls, but there was no
slackening of speed.
Another passenger repeated the
attempt without getting any recog-
milton. We might as well have tried
to stop a whirlwind by pulling a
boys kite-string. When an English
engineer starts his train he stops for
nothing short of 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 q thousand
times anyone is willing to risk his
arm and reach out of the window
long enough to work the rope, the
delusion is seldom broken. To rid
ourselves of our dangerous associate
seemed impossible. Then there came
a struggle as to which should have
supremacy of that car, right, reason
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 ofone of the pas
sengers.
At this moment, when we thought
the horror had characterized, the
tragedy was intensified. We plunged
into the midnight darkness of one of
those long tunnels for which English
railway travel is celebrated. Minutes
seemed hours. Can you imagine a
worse position than to be fastened in
railway carriage, eight feet by six,
in tunnel of complete darkness,
with a maniac? May the occurance
never be repeated! We knew not
what moment he might dash upon
us or what way. We waited for the
light, and waited while the hair lifted
upon the scalp and the blood ran
cold. When at last the light looked
in through the windows wefound the
afflicted man lying helplessly across
one of the passengers. When the
train halted it did not take us long.
after handing over the poor unfor-
tunate for medical treatment, to dis
embark and move into another car.
-Pittsburg Dispatch.