The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-01-17
-$15-
DOWN.
IN snulN's EMBRACE.
a Locomotive Engineers Experience
While En- Route to "a Convention.

While En- Route To Convention.
j. w. Cutter is a trusty guardian OF
the cab on the Cincinnati, Washington
and Baltimore. He commenced his
experience in 1868 as fireman, and
has vivid recollections of the days of
the civil war. In 1865 he was one of
anumber Of citizens of Chillicothe, o.,
who burned the bridge over Payne's
creek to prevent the threatened raid
Of Johnny Morgans band Of maraud
srs. The creek was in shallow state,
and had Morgan's men been so dis
posed could have easily waded the
stream. The citizens of the quiet Ohio
town. however, we're crazy with ex-
element and applied the torch to the
only bridge in the vicinity Morgan
changed his plans and did not bother
them, but pushed further north. Mr.
Cutter attended the last Richmond
convention and posed as star actor
IN iaughable act from life in which
a bear aud linen duster won him con-
siderable fame as joker.
II was near Sisterville, w. Va, and
the cinders from the locomotive of the
train upon which Cutter was passen-
ger flew thick and fast. II was detri-
ment to white collars and menace to
light clothing At one Of the stations
q stop was made, and Cutter rushed
into a neighboring store, threw down
dollar and seized the first linen
duster within reach, regardless of size
or beauty of artistic finish. Now, Mr..
Cutter is a short man, and, as luck
would have it, he secured duster
that was intended for a man of giraffe
like proportions. Nothing daunted,
and amid the shouts of the other dele
gates, he donned the duster His
thirty-six inch breast was lost in the
forty duster, while its folds
draped loosely about his hips and dan
gled just above his heels. The circum-
stances of purchase nerved him to su-
preme indifference, and he cared not
for conventionalities and laughed
mockingly at tailors' signs.
AT Sisterville the train stopped for
an hour, waiting for connections The
gey throng of engineers and their
wives left the cars and roamed about
the picturesque West Virginia hamlet.
In one street a wandering son of Italy
was grinding hand organ and direct
ing the mazy waltzes of huge CHINA
mon bear The bear became very
much enamored Of Mr.. Cutter'sduster.
The color was the same as the shaggy
hair of the bear, and the latter inn
agined that long lost brother had
been found At once, the large, affec-
tionate heart of the forest terror
thumped joyfully beneath his fifth
rib, and he made wild rush for the
unsuspecting engineer and the CHINA
mon colored duster.
Protestant us were in vain, escape
was impossible. The huge arms of the
dancing bear firmly grasped Mr.. Cut
ters, and he was compelled to finish
the waltz with very uncongenial
partner. The friends of the engineer
roared with laughter and even the
Italian smiled. AT last the embrace of
the bear became uncomfortably close,
and, after desperate struggle, Cutter
broke loose with the remnants of a
fully domoralized duster and his face
quivering with fright.
The Ohio engineers indorsed this
bear story, and it is cheefully given
as one of the incidents of the Rich
mond convention. Denver News.