St. Paul daily globe., 1890-11-10
BETWEEN TWO TRAINS.
A Cold-Blooaed Murder and Daring
Robbery.
SAVED FROM A DESPERATE
Thrilling Story of How Morose Jim
Barker, the Plagman, Lost
an Arm.
New York Dispatch.

WAS UuiJ aG fOrty-SecOnu street ana
Fourth avenue the reader may remem-
Der that at each of the cross streets
above the round houses at which loco
motives were attached to the trains
that were drawn by horses from the
station at Twenty-seventh street, were
stationed small structures in which flag
men sat and Signaled the incoming and
outgoing trains. Among the men in
this branch of the railroad service was
one old fellow who was quite charac-
ter in his way. He had been in the
service of the company for over twenty
years, and although taciturn to the last
degree, he was generally understood 20
have had quite thrilling experience
while in the employ of the company,
and having lost an arm in the discharge
OF his duty, the road with its usual gen
erosity, had rewarded him by making
him flagman.
False limbs were not in general use at
the time that Jim Barker had lost his
arm, and in its stead, In order that he
might perform some service with 1t, an
iron hook performed the duties of a
hand.
Jim. not being of a talkative nature,
seldom spoke of the incident in which
he had lost his hand, but one evening
the writer while passing mp the track,
found himself in front OF Jim's box. 1t
was terribly cold day in February,
and as the writer stopped to pass the
time OF day with the morOSe man, the
latter asked him into his den to warm
himself at the red-hot little stove that
rendered the small apartment almost
lntolerable through the amount Of heat
which it threw out.
The FIagman's BOX.
Jim being in almost a merry mood
for one of his solemn disposition, |
accepted his invitation and entered. AS
no train was due for over half all hour,
Jim followed me into the cabin, and
tOaSting his huge hand at the stove.
muttered with shudder, as though
talking to himself:
"Bur-r-r! This reminds me of that
night nineteen years ago. 1t was mar
row shave"'
what night was that. Jim?" l asked.
Glancing at me with half-Question-
ing look, Jim answered.:
1.-The night l lost my arm"
"Would you mind telling me about
"O' course not; but first I want to
show you this" and Jim went to chest
In the corner of the place and fished out
a bottle, which he handed me Tor in
spection. Holding it up to the dim light
which the solitary lantern shed l was
startled to see that the bottle contained
human finger preserved in alcohol.
Whats this?'' | asked. feeling half
of dread and half of curiosity taking
possession of me.
why, the night [ lost my arm found
finger.''
Now, thoroughly aroused. forgetting
the intense heat that The small but able
bodied stove was Stnding out, 1 de-
manded that Jim should tell me the
story.
WELL" he began, sit was in this
way. 1t was freezing cold night, and
had been in my box as much as pOssi-
BILE to keep warm. At 10 O'Clock the
local was due, and, taking my lantern l
went out to signal it. AS l reached the
door ! heard her whistle. and | gave her
good speed, and, as l was about to get
back to the fire, saw form drop from
the rear car and start at dead run past
me up the opposite track. The night
was dark, but from the light of my
lante rn i saw that it was tall, thin
man, dressed as parson.
Manned for Life.
"He carried a small carpet bag. I
called to him to stop. but at the sound
OF my voice he increased his speed, and
by the time set out after him he had
good block the start of me. Up the
track he flew, and l followed AS tast as
my legs would carry me. Although I
was good runner In them days, l could
not gain on the form that was flying
ahead OF me in the darkness. On we
ran until l knew that must be some
where In the vicinity OF Seventeen
street. 1t then struck me that the down
express must be due, and that the up
express must be about to start.
eff the man whom l was pursuing
should continue to Ninetieth street there
might result an accident, for it was
there that the two expresses would pass
each other. The tracks On both sides,
at the time Of my story, ran between
two steep embankments, and there
was just room enough on the road bed
for two trains to pass. On flew the
ministerial-loOking gent that / was
cnasing, when suddenly | saw him
stumble and fall. Before he could rise
l was almost upon him, when. suddenly
regaiDing his feet, he faced about. and.
with muttered oath, swung his bag
about his head, and brought it down
with full force upon my head. As 1
staggered, half stunned, dimly saw
the flash of a locomotives light. and
family heard the shrill whistles re-
peated blasts. When l came to | found
myself in the hospital. l had been
there two days, and the nurse informed
me that / had had very narrow escape
from death. l had been lucky TO get
off with the loss of an arm. My bag, he
said, had been picked up,andwas at the
nf hnh I INN fol
manded to see it.
The Severed Finger.
SIT was brought to me, and my nurse
opened it. 1t was half full of bills and
gold and silver coin. / thrust my re-
manning hand into the money to make
sure that it was real, when my fingers
came in contact with something soft. I
grasped it and brought it forth.
at was a human finger, besmeared
with coagulated blood!
81 then asked my nurse about the
man was pursuing at the time the ac-
cident took place. He told me that
after they had gathered me up and
started me toward the hospital that they
began to search for him. He had dis
appeared as completely as though he
had been gathered up into the air. Sub
SeQuently traces of him had been found
where he had been hurled down the
abrupt embankment by the side of the
road.
Nothing more was ever heard of the
unknown man who carried the money
and the severed finger in his bag.
" hen [ had recovered L was discharged
from the hospital, and when l was able
to go to work again the company set me
to work as fiagman. / asked to keep
the finger and this request was granted,
and have since kept it in this bottle,
preserved in alcohol. Here comes the
express, must signal it.''
Bidding Jim good night, went out
into the cool fresh air and was soon
home and in bed. All that night saw
visions of severed fingers and scenes or
fearful railroad slaughter.
AS days wore on L gradually ceased
to think about Flag,man Jim and his