Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-01-25
a WESTERN ADVENTURE.
How Courageous Fireman nroke mp
Hand ~ Train fobhers

Hor = Courageous Fireman nroke mp
HAND % Train hobbers.
was engineer % the through Pacific
express on leading Western railroad,
and had stopped my train al water
tank that stood vs. the track in a lonely
spot far from any prominent station.
just "a my fireman WAS swinging mp the
pipo after filling the tender from the
tank, a man stepped suddenly into the
cab Of the engine with a revolver In each
hand, and said. in low, determined tone:
'tPull out, run 10 the woods and stop
there"
recognized at once a noted desperate
for whose discovery reward Of a thou.
sand dollars had been offered. know 1t
was as useless To discuss point with
the revolver he held at my head as IL
would have been for him TO dispute the
right Of way with my locomotive IL he
were on the track below. where heart
lily wished | had him. The woods were
four miles ahead, and, OF course, bis
confederates were hidden there, waiting
10 rob the train. | knew that the ex-
press car contained a good many thou
sand dollars that day, and that any
gang OF train robbers such as the des-
perado beside me would belong to,
would think nothing OF killing the mes
senger In charge IL he resisted, or even
hesitate for an instant 10 do their bid
ding. Then, besides tho mail and bag
gage cars full OF plumber, there were the
ten passenger coaches filed with pas
sengers, well toward thousand people,
such as ride on a hrst-class express
train, and are sure TO have large
amount OF money and other valuables.
made as hard and slow work of get
ting the heavy train under Roadway as
! could, so as to gain time to think; and
while we drew too rapidly nearer and
nearer the woods where must stop my
train and deliver all up to the robbers,
I canvassed plan after plan in my mind,
| rejecting one after another as imprac-
ticable. The wrong end OF n revolver
barrel close beside your head is a new
factor that seriously complexities many
an otherwise simple problem.
Meanwhile my fireman had quietly
kept about his business, appearing tc
accept the situation as something that
could not be avoided, and for which he
was in no way responsible. Yet
| thought he betrayed little nervousness,
by his manner OF firing. He would bring
small shovelfuls from the tender, going
to and fro more times than were neces
sary to put that amount q coal on thu
! ere, and, besides, would do this in
sort OF shutting, uncertain way, as II hii
mind was so much on the trouble a
hand that he only half attended to wha
he was doing.
hammer lay on the bottom OF thu
tender, that was used for breaking
Jumps OF coal that were too large.
had handle two feet long, but a com
paratively small head. IL was mucl
like an ice-pick, with a shor. Ratchet o
wedge-shaped head on one side and
i point or spur on the other. remembe
| noticing. without much thought excep
that he did not seem to know what IA
did, that every time he came from tn
| tender with coal he hit this tool wit
his foot and moved IL nearer the engine
We came in sight of the woods, az
| preaching them with express speed, an
my heart chilled as | thought Of wha
the next few minutes must bring forth
when, quick as a fash, he caught tn
hammer and dealt the outlaw blow 4
the back Of the neck at the base OF tn
skull tina. dropped him dead across N
footboard. The revolvers had hardl
touched the floor before each Of US ha
one in his hand. We emptied every on
OF the twelve barrels into the woods a
we flew by hoping that some stray sho
would go whore IL would do the mos
good and secure our departing passer
gar congenial company for his Ion
journey on the other line.
Within week afterward my firema
was passing rich" with the thousand
dollar reward.-N. Y. Ledger.