Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-20


edge of the bench, was almost greater than ]
could bear, and smothered groans would es
cape me, And then? In vain I probed the
space below me with my uninjured leg, the
sioping surface of the cross-tie was still some
feet beyond, and to lower myself with my
crippled hands was utterly impossible
Nearer and nearer came the footsteps. Now
or neverl I closed my eyes in prayer, and
flung myself of in the direction OF the beam
| 1t was indeed desperate throw, but
wont I fell across the timber, and, quite
helpless, shot swiftly along it. For one
moment swayed dangerously, then brought
up suddenly and violently, and found my.
self jammed safe in the angle between the
sloping surface and an upright, almost di-
rectly under the rail. I dared not move,
scarcely breathe; and hung limp and awk-
ward, Just as I had slipped, while above
me heard the steady, calculated tread ap-
proach.
1t was he sure enough! I heard his voice
and shuddered. Had he heard me? He was
muttering impatiently, and when he was
| could hear his words. Reckon it was some
| where hereabouts. Oughter see the carcass,
d him. Squirmed off, and fallen in. 1
reckon; not likely he'd catch among the
timbers D. him for this trouble" he
shouted in sudden anger, I'd him, say.
What cause had he to hang and kick? What
better was he than tn others, that he need
put up his game on me? Nine before, and
never a hitch; and now - circus like
this! But be was Johnny Bull, and he did
it to suit me!'' Then his voice fell again
into madman's cunning chuckle. Fancy
now, the boys hearin' my gun-wouldn' t
have thought it! But there's nothin' un-
ready about Dick, that there amt! Dick II
go one better than the gang-won't we,
Dick? Reckon now there amt man won t
talk when he gets home about that elk he
saw in the water that Dick Quanton fired
atP' And then, still chuckling, he went on a
few steps, and 1 could not catch his words.
But he seemed irresolute and came back
again, evidently anxiously scanning the
lake. Suddenly he broke Into LOUD dis
cordant laugh. He had caught sight OF my
hat which in my last struggle had dropped
off and fallen into the water. ''Ha! hal
There she goesr' he shouted. promised
you you would find your friend! Guess
you've done it, eh, you Johnny Buil?"
Alas! this was what had been dreading
ever since 1 found myself lying on the
trestle! This, then, has indeed been my
poor friends fate! Even in the midst ofmy
terror and pain 1 mourned him. To think
that fine light-hearted lad should have fallen
victim to this wretched maniac! Surely this
was the cruelest blow of all.
The sight of my hat seemed to have
calmed and satisfied the bloodthirsty wretch,
and be went contentedly back. But he had
done his worst, and 1 scarce cared to
notice that his footsteps were gradually
receding. Absolute silence settled down
around me-.
''Steady. matesl Steady He amt stiff
yetr'
With this voice in my ears opened my
eyes, to find that it was broad daylight and
that I was being tenderly hoisted to the
bridge by group of men who were looking
down on me with sympathetic faces, while
the one who spoke was slung by my side and
was supporting me.
Gradually, like the memory of frightful
dream, my sufferings unrolled themselves be-
fore me, and I moaned. Whereupon, even
in mid-air, my companion applied to my
lips flask OF acrid whisky, and this so far
revived me that when we reached the track
was able to give some kind of an account
of what had happened to me. Significant
mods and glances passed from man to man
when Dick Quanton's name was mentioned,
and could see that in spite of their horror
and dismav the ma jority believed that 1 had
told the truth. Only one suggested that I
was "dead beat" tramp who had been
stealing a ride and had fallen off
the brake of a passing train, and he
was promptly silenced. Indeed the general
belief in my honesty took rather an awk-
ward form, as they bore me off the trestle
each man insisted that should drink from
his flask, and the result was that before we
had reached the town I was once more In
capable either of speech or motion, and
verify believe that their vile whisky
came near doing what the mad conductor
had failed to do. However my condition
was credited to nv injuries, and they pitied
ME the more for it.
learned afterward that I owed my rescue
to the bridge patrol. who noticed fresh
bloodstains on the timber in the course of
his daily examination of the structure, and
on searching closely for the cause, detected
what he believed to be the dead body of
man upon the crosstie. But for the prompt
aid which he called up, am inclined to
think his prognosis would have been correct. |
Dick Quanton was supposed to be asleep |
in bed when the officers entered his house to |
arrest him. But when they reached his room |
he was ready for them, and in the terrible |
struggle which followed, his madness re-
vealed itself clearly enough to all of them
indeed two of the men will bear the evidence
Of it to their dying day. From the invest-
cation which ensued it appeared that his
family and friends had long known that he
was prey to strange illusions, but they re-
yarded, or affected to regard. them as inno-
cent. Perhaps it was because he had always
been dangerous man to meddle with that
hey did not care to interfere. He was, OF
course, passed on from the prison to the
and died soon after of general
PARALYSIS.
The number of his victims was never ac-
,urately known, but in my own mind I
lave no doubt that the number I heard him
mention was the true one. They were PROB
IDLY all dispatched within period of six or
seven weeks, and poor William must have
,een one of the first. Many other travellers
lfterward recalled that he had tried, on one
Excuse or another, to tempt them to the rear
platform. These were all men who We're
travelling alone and were bound for the
Silverbow region, for, with that diabolical
cunning which characterized all his actious,
he madman sought only to entrap those
Who were not likely to be soon missed.
None Of the bodies were recovered, nor
vas it likely that they wonld be, for the
trong current which sets through the mar
ows would carry anything falling from the
bridge into the deeper recess of the lower
basin. But close examination of the CEN
raj portion OF the trestle yielded ample
of my story. Many of the out
tanding lower buttresses bore here blood
tain, and there a few clotted hairs or
hired of clothing, showing where the falling
men had struck upon them. From this it
nay be supposed that in most cases death
would be swift and merciful.
When after long and tedious GONZALES
'ence 1 at last regained my strength, it need
carcely be told that l had had enough
# the West, and was only too glad to leave
he country altogether and to return to NV