The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-26
A NIGHT WITH A CORPSE
An Express Messengers Advent.
ure in the Wild West.
Half Crazed by the Sight Of Big Pine Box.
Having 100000 Entrusted to His Care.
Ths Cofiued Body Comes to Life.

leads from lower Broadway to the Inferno
of drays, ferries, and gamins on North
River chop-house burrows beneath the
confusion of that quarter. In the little
basement room are cobwebs, tallow Candles
p ewter tobies, 'alf-and-'alf and steaks of
"hung" and "high" meat in the approved
English fashion.
There, late one night, sat half dozen
wOrkmen from big express building near
by and the interloper who sets down this
record.
The talk had sunk to the matter of
corpses, which often travel by express,
though never by invitation of the express
messenger.
During the winter of 1885," said burly
man with a shock of black hair, &c was in
the Wells-Fargo service between Kansas
City and San Francisco. The run was
made upon the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe and Southern Pacific railways, that join
at Deming. On Christmas eve, bearing
eastward, with the journey so far done
from Frisco, the train drew out of Yuma,
facing the Arizona desert in the midst of
an astonishing storm of sleet and rain.
Yuma marks the California line, and as we
took on the stage company's strong box, |
counted upon the last disturbance Of the
night. Until daybreak the journey lay
through alkali stretches, where every 100
miles the train PUSHES shrieking through
poor, monumental cluster of huts and halts
long enough for the locomotive to take on
water
Unscheduled stops. however. were not
infreQuent at that time and there hung
within the car rack OF repeating carblnes,
charged and prlmed.
TRAVELLING WITH 100000.
ain taking account of the Yuma strong
narltr dc nd
'vouchered to contain $4,000 in gold, L
glanced at the carbines. | looked again
when | remembered that the safe contained
as much more.
Joachim Murilla burned me out Of the
car for less than half that, and gave me the
bullet that lanes my back, said the burly
man with smile. Il had hardly dollar
in the car the night l stood off the rusters
at Dodge City. L reflected. what will the
company expect now, with 100000 on my
shoulders?
~ assorted expressage, listed bills and
Overhauled the carbines as the train flew
and the storm beat. | knew the route so
well that could call the towns and tanks
as the engine whstled or stopped.
"'roltec,' thought, as at midnight the
hoarse whistle began to sound. we pass
her with 'howdy.' No, by George! we're
going to stop"
81 opened the door enough to see a Ian
tern swaying at small station and a little
group on the platform surrounding box
and evidently preparing to put it on board.
"'Tumble 1t in quick, said.
IA little slow, partner, replied a man on
the platform. It's coffin
"a moment later / was alone with the
corpse in a prison as secure as tomb,
while the wheels roared beneath and the
storm raved outside.
"Somehow | was nervous and couldn't
keep my eyes off that coffin. l fancied that
it moved and was slowly rising up on end.
or that it was preparing an onslaught: then
that it was about to disclose the dead.
THE last Of these nOtionS-that the &C.
cupant of the coffin might liberate himself
got hold of me and | couldn't shake 1t off.
The box was of unusual size and exception
ally Ill made. The wood was rough, warped
and filled with knots and knot-holes. All
this might easily have been due to the linn
ited facilities of desert town. l don't
know why, but couldn't resist turning it
over, face down. 1t seemed TO me to roll
horribly.
Then 1 imagined l heard noise at the
car-door and at the same moment move
ment in the coffin. l knew it was foolish.
but L rolled the stage company's strong
box. with its 200 pounds OF gold, to the COT
fin and set it upon the lid toward the larger
end.
SHOOTING AT A BOX.
"Then l lighted my pipe. noticed after
ward, though l did not think of it at the
time, that most of the kuot-holes toward
the head of the coffin were covered and
box.
Several minutes passed and the engine
had blown its view halloa at a wayside
cattle town, when suddenly sounds began
to issue from the box: There was no doubt
about it this time. There was a scuffling, a
groaning. a kicking against the sides.
ITO say that l was Mortified does not ex-
press it, The struggle in the box continued.
| staggered to the gun rack, tore down
carbine, cooked. aimed and fired 1t through
the box ten feet away.
"Muffied shrieks now mingled with the
humping and thrashing in the box. fired
again. The shrieks were redoubled. | be-
came frantic and shrleked like lunatic
myself, while l fired again and again at the
box until the magazine was exhausted and
then l rushed to get another.
But the pine box was split and torn;
the iron box was slowly crushing it down;
through gaps in the wood blood was stream
ing and no sounds whatever issued from
the coffin
Finally long, deep groan escaped from
the box. Plainly 1t was mans voice. l
managed to tear away the shattered lid.
There was no coffin inside, but only the
body Of man torn with dozen terrible
wounds.
He wore the garb of the frontier, with
knife and pistol at his belt and loaded
w W
sclous and gasped, Raise me upp
"'Don't water at Tank d. said the man
with difficulty, AMI his jaw fell.
The engine stopped at Water-tank 81,
a half hour behind schedule time. Shots
were fired through the cab of the locomo-
tive and the express-car as the train dashed
by Tank -
1.-THE dead bandit was buried without
Identification at Deming, and some one
scrawled upon the head boards 'Quien
Sabe?'"
A long breath followed the story and
then small man over in the corner rose
to go. The movement stirred the others,
and they, too, got upon their feet and went
out.
Ibid you know that stout man with the
bushy black hair?" l asked the waiter who
brought me check.
~ es, sir"
''WhO is hep"
"Leastways, sir. don't know his name,
but everybody calls him Truthful JIM
SIR He do yarn it, sir, most powerful" IN.