Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1891-01-24
A Tramps hide Of Terror.

A poor and half-staryed tramp
stole 4 ride on the cowcatcher of .
New York and New England rail-
road locomotive at Willimantic,
Conn.,, Christmas night, and he is
not likely to soon forget his trip. As
Engineer Potter Of the limited ex
press drove his long train into Will
limantic from the west and halted
his painting engine at the station for
a few minutes preparatory to begin
ming the long run to Boston, a slight
man shabbily clad in short thin
coat, light trousers, shoes and felt
hat, came timidly across the network
of iron rails to his cab and asked if
he could ride on the engine to Bos-
ton.
"No," said the engineer, "the
rules Of the road expressfully forbid
it," Then the tramp wanted to get
aboard the baggage-car, but Mr.. Pot
ter was not at liberty to permit him
to do so. He shivered and went
away. Then the locomotive bell
changed, the passengers (vho had
gone into the depot restaurant for
suppor) hurriedly got aboard and
the train moved off, quickening his
speed rapidly. 1t was still night
with The mercury almost at zero and
the moon was very bright. The en-
gineer let his steel horse go at the
rate of more than fifty miles an
hour, and, though all the cab win
dows were tightly shut, SO cold was
the air that rushed into the engine
that even the engineer and fireman
felt chilly.
As Putnam was passed the fire.
man fancied he heard an unusual
sound above the roaring of the fly
ing wheels and he hastily drew aside
one sash in the cab window. He
glanced along the curved side OF the
great boiler and instantly uttered a
cry Of establishment. He saw the
wretched tramp, who had begged for
a ride at Willimantic, clinging like a
fly to the front of the engine and
whose face now turned to the fire.
man was white with hopeless terror.
He was shaking like leaf with the
trembling of the locomotive, his
clothes iuttering in the hurricane
like rush of the engine and it was
evident to the fireman, at the first
glance, that the poor fellow could re-
tain his grip on the engine only a
few moments longer.
The cry of the fireman brought
Engineer Potter also to the side of
the cab in an instant, and even as
the two men stared at the wretch,
tossing ON the cowcatcher, the latter
made a desperate effort to climb
higher upon the pilot to the hot. en-
CINE front. In doing SO he grasped a
live steam pipe. The pipe was bis
tering hot, but the tramp dared not
let go, for he would have fallen to
the road bed or been ground under
the great driving wheels. Still he
uttered no cry, though the look Of
agony in his face told what he suffer
ed. The train was still laundering
ON at fifty miles an hour and the en-
ginecr dare not apply the brakes
for he knew the sudden jar and jolt
that would result from that act
would fling the wretch under the
wheels. There was only one way IN
which the man could be saved and
Engineer Potter saw it at once. So
he went out on the locomotive, the
fireman following him crawling along
its side, and yelled to the man to
hold up his hand. The engineer
then fairly pulled the tramp with the
aid of the fireman, into the cab. The
man fell on the floor of the cab com
pletely exhausted. He received kind
treatment during the rest of the ride
to Boston, in which city he was pro-
vided with food and lodging and
medical attendance.