Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-07-30
WAY-BILLED AS A CORPSE.

lug. Ou OuTlSJuldS Eve, DOdIluk
eastward, with the journey so fai
done from Frisco. the train drew
out of Yuma facing the Arizoni
desert in the midst of an astonish
ing storm of sleet and rain. Yuma
marks the California line, and there
as we took on the stage company''
strong box, / counted ou the last
disturbance of the night. Unit
day-break the journc. lay through
the alkali stretches, where at every
100 miles the train rushed shrieking
through poor, uncsnmcrcial clus
ter of huts aud 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 q
rack of repeating carbines, charged
and primed.
"In taking account of the Yuma
strong-box, weighing nearly twc
hundred pounds and 'vouched' t.
contain $4,000 in gold, / glanced at
the carbines. / looked again when
L remembered that the safe con.
tained as much more.
Joachim Murilla burned me out
of the car for less than half that and
gave me the bullet that lamed my
back" said the messenger with q
smile. II had hardly dollar in
the car the night l stood off the
rustlers at Dodge City. 1 reflected,
what will the company expect now
with 100000 on my shoulders?
"I assorted expressage, listed bills
and overhauled the carbines az the
train flew and the storm beat. |
knew the route so well that l could
call the towns and tanks as the en-
gine whistled or stopped.
"Toltec,' / thought, as at midnight
the hoarse whistle began to sound.
Well pass her with a "howdy."
No, by George! we're going to stop.
II opened the door enough to see
a lantern swaying at n small station
and little group on the platform
surrounding a box and evidently
preparing to put it on board.
Tumble it in, quick | said.
"'A little slow partner replied
man on the platform. It's cof-
fin
"a moment later was alone with
the corpse in prison as secure as
a tomb, while the wheels roared be-
meath and the storm raved outside.
"Somehow / was nervous and
could not keep my eyes off the cof-
fin. / fancled 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 occupant of the coffin might lib
crate herself-got hold of me and |
couldn't shake it Off The box was
of unusual size and exceptionally ILL
made. The wood was rough,
warped, and filled with knots and
knot,holes. All this might have cas-
lily been due to the limited facilities
of desert town, | don't know
why, but | couldn't resist turning it
over, face downward. 1t seemed to
me to roll horribly.
"Then | imagined | heard noise
ut the car-door, and at the same
n movement in the coffin.
| knew it was foolish, but | rolled
the stage company strong-boX with
its 200 pounds of gold to the coffin,
and set it upon the lid towards the
larger end.
"Then lighted my pipe. | no.
ticed afterwards, though | didn't
think of it at the time, that most of
the knot-holes towards the head of
the coffin were covered ana sealed
by the Hat iron bottom of the strong
box.
Several minutes passed and the
engine had blown its view. halosw at
n wayside cattle town when sud
denly sounds began to issue from
the box. There was no doubling it
this time. There was n scunling, II
n kicking against the
sides.
"To say that was hornfled
doesn't express it. The struggle in
the box continued. staggered to
the gun rack, tore down Il carbine,
cooked, aimed and fired il through
the box ten feet away.
"Muflied shrieks now mingled
with the humping and thrashing
In the box. | fired again. The
shrieks were redoubled. | became
frantic aud shrieked like lunatic
myself while l fired again and
again Mt the box until the maga-
zine was exhausted aud then |
rushed TO get another.
"But the pine box was split and
torn; the iron box was slowly crush
ing II down; through gaps in the
wood blood was streaming aud nc
sounds whatever issued from the
coffin.
"Finally Il long deep groau escaped
from the box. Plainly II was d
mans voice. | managed 20 tea
4 AWAY tina shattpra1 ia fnharn ,,fu,