The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-31
Sobbing, so that any slight clicking
the key might make would not reach
the robbers, opened it and slowly
made telegraph characters:

ing they might reach the ear of some
operator on the line. / then slowly
and distinctly wrote these words, still
sobbing violently:
Who - hears - this - for - heav-
ems - sake - report - to - train-dis-
patcher-at Laramie-quick-t
am-in--the hands-of - seven - rob-
bers-who-will compel-me-to-dag
No. 4-Send-help-quick."
Then l signed name and office call.
| released the armature and the in
strument clicked out:
"Brace-up-little-girl-I-hear-
you'll"
H." was the rain-dispatcher's call.
With fierce shout, the leader sprang
forward and rudely snatched me away
from the table, and asked:
Gal, what's that?"
"Only a distant office asking for
orders for freight train" responded.
None o. yer lynn, you little imp"
he roared. yer up to some trick"
No." l replied, 81 am not. If l
were doing that my fingers would be on
the instrument. Don't you see l am
not touching it, and yet it works? 1t
is only an order to a freight train away
down at Medicine Bow"
Keep away from that table," he
said, savagely. " An' if / ketch you at
any tricks I'll choke the life out o.
you"
Oh, how eagerly my ears drank in
every word the instrument licked out!
l heard a telegram to the sheriff of
Green River, twenty miles west, ask
in, i'm, To IF oN
and get on board special train, which
would be ready for him. Then another
to the young superintendent, who was
at Green River, telling how my slowly
written words had been heard by the
dispatcher and asking him to supervise
the preparations to fly to my relief.
Then third dispatch to the master
mechanic, instructing him to fire up
his fastest passenger engine and couple
on to carriage and await the superin.
tendent's orders. My heart beat so
violently that it almost took my breath
away. 1t seemed an age ere / heard
the Green River operator cali the dis
patcher and say;
"The superintendent, with sheriff
and twenty armed men, are aboard, and
train ready for orders"
The order came flying. 1t told the
engineer he had clear track, and to
run at his very highest speed to within
a half mile of my station, and with his
party to alight. Then came the vel.
come report from the Green River
office:
especial east departed at l: To-"
Oh, how my poor heart beat, and
| hou
element; /: ID mentally figured that
the train on such a desperate errand
should make nearly mile minute
and reach the stopping-point at 1:36.
The robber chief gave his men their
instructions. l was to be sent alone
to signal the train, and when it halted
the band would make rush for it.
" Bill, you jump on the engine as
soon as she stops and hold the engineer
and fireman under your gun. Jack
you pile into the mail car an make the
clerk give up his registered letters, an
Yank an Aleck III work the express
car, while Tom and Shorty hold the
conductor an brakeman back. Do
your work quick an bold, an don't be
afeard to burn powder if necessary"
How eagerly l watched the clock and
how slowly, how very, very slowly the
hands seemed to move-1: q, l: 25 and
|: 80 were licked Oft: 80! Would
they never come?
The men sat on the bench along the
west side of the room, facing the two
windows on the east. | tried to figure
how long it would require for the men
to walk to the depot from the stopping
place. Perhaps even then they were
surrounding the station, and l might
hear knock at the door any instant"
O, horrible thought! In few mo-
ments | might see men shot down be-
fore my face, and might myself be
killed. | almost tainted with fright.
The blood seemed to freeze in my veins,
and | grasped the chair, or | would have
fallen to the floor. l; 40.
There came fearful crash of glass,
and the black muzzles of a perfect
cloud of rifles were thrust through the
windows and pointed directly at the
robbers. Then a voice cried out,
"Men, throw up your hands, I am
the sheriff, and in the name of the law
demand your surrender. Make but q
move and I'll order my men to fire!'
" Yer little cat!' Kissed the leader,
glazing at me savagely, as the band
suddenly held aloft their hands. Then
the sheriff and three men entered and
disarmed and handcuffed the robbers,
and | saw the superintendent looking
at me and heard him say: " What a
debt owe you, my brave grill" Then
| fell fainting into his arms.
When | regained consciousness /
was lying in my room at Green River,
with several ladies around me, and was
told that seven days had elapsed since
the capture of the robbers. | was suf-
fering f. ON brain fever, brought on by
the terrible strain had passed through
and had been unconscious for that long
period. For many days thereafter |
lowered on the border between life and
death, and the superintendent was at
my bedside several times every day,
cheering me up with words of encour-
agement and doing all in his power to
alleviate my sufferings.
oil. III 4