Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-02-21
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TRAPPED BY TELEGRAPH.
While in a small town in Wyoming
Territory learned that lady living
there had been the heroine of a thrilling
adventure with train robbers, and curl
osity and love for the brave induced me
to call on her to tell me the story. When
1 went to her house L was welcomed by
a 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 a girl of IS, left
my home in Omaha and came out here
to fill the lonesome position of night
operator at a small station on the Paci-
fic Railway, in this Territory. 1t was a
dreary, desolate spot, in the midst of a
desert. The only buildings at the sta
ton, apart from the depot, were a sec
tion-house, occupied by track foreman
and few Chinese laborers, water tank
and 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 L
was alone in the depot.
No. express train, bound east, was
due at 2:15 in the morning, but it never
stopped unless signaled, and this was
the 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 the time reading,
and when the doleful howlings of the
wolves were borne to my ears from the
distant sand hills 1 would pick up my
guitar and endeavOr to drown their cries
with music and song.
The superintendent of the division, a
buoyant, light hearted young gentleman
came over the road at frequent intervals,
and eheered me up with the promises of
better position when vacancy should
occur. He often found me on the very
brink of despair, almost on the point of
resigning nv position and returning to
my humble home and the mother who
depended on my salary for the necessa-
ries of life; but his promises, his genial
conversation and words of encourage
ment drove away the gloom, and came
to look for his visits with sense of the
keenest pleasure. 1 began to regard him
with sisterly affection, he was so
kind and tender, and so solicitous for
my welfare and comfort.
One night, shortly after midnight, as
sat at my table reading late novel, l
thought 1 heard shutfiing footstep on
the depot platform; but as it was not
repeated concluded it was but wolf
more daring than his cowardly fellows,
and resumed my book. A few mo-
ments later, 1 heard low knock at the
door, which 1 always kept locked, and
strange feeling came over me. During
my several weeks stay at the station l
had never had a visitor, and the sudden
knock, so low, yet so startingly clear in
the stiffness of the night, caused my
form to tremble and my cheek to blanch.
My first thought was of the Indians,
and then reasoned that it might be
some tramp desiring shelter. While L
sat there in alright the knock was re-
peated louder than before, and, muster
ing all my courage, L approached the
door and asked:
"Who's there?"
A gruff voice replied:
"a traveller who desires to take the
eastbound train"
1t was my plain and unmistakable
duty to admit him, and with trembling
fingers drew the bolt.
Instantly the door was pushed vlo-
lently open, and 1 sprang back TO the ia
BILE 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 low, firm voice:
"Gal, we don't want to hurt you, but if
you make suspicious move, or scream,
or give any alarm, so that any O. the men
in the section-house kin hear you. I'll
spile the looks O. that pretty face with a
bullet Be quiet and sensible and be-
have yourself, and yer shan't be hurt.
Whar's yer red signal lamp?"
"What would you do?' 1 gasped.
"None O. your business. We don't
want to hear any unnecessary back talk,
nor no impertinent questions. Whar's
the red lamp?"
A chill of horror swept over me when
the truth burst upon me that l was in
the hands of band of desperate train
robbers, whose evident intention was to
signal the train and rob the express car
at my station. What could l do? 1t
was vet three hours until the train was
due, but | could not elude my captors to
rouse the section men, and L knew by
the ugly gleam in the leaders eyes,
through the holes in his mask, that If
| made the least outcry he would not
hesitate to carry out his threat and muir
der me. | knew they could find the
lamp by searching for it, and in trem-
bling voice told him it was hanging
lust outside the door of the freight-room
One of the men got it, and after exam
ining it to see that it was in order, the
rough band took seats to await the in
coming of the train.
The leader lit his pipe, and, looking al
me steadily for few moments, said:
young gal, when that ar train toot'
her whistle we've got some work for you
An official duty, as you might call it
You must go out thar on the platform
an signal the train to stop an take oI
some first-class passengers. An, looke'
here, if you make suspicious move, o