The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-12-12

only taken his eye off me for a moment
, Those. at the ear of the train then
joined those in front, and all made a
dash at the open door of the express.
They were all in n bunch in the light
The first man to enter the door
stood a moment and then fell back out
! side in the crowd. The shot caIne
from the darkness away out to the
left Another man tried it. As he fell
on his face in the car, the others, who
had been watching, fired a volley at
the flash away off in the dark. The
next nan who tried to enter the car
succeeded.
THE others kept watch until he re-
appeared at the door. Something was
wrong. Two others got in to help him
Then one OF them whistled. and my
man at the window jumped off and ran
back to the train.
That was my chance. Out came
the gun from under the seat, and ! got
4 snap shot at Toms man, but missed
him. As he turned on me Tom struck
his arm with a wrench. knocking the
pistol from his hand. He jumped off
into the darkness. We backed her
slowly up toward the train, firing as
we went.
suddenly a dark form rose up on
Toms side of the track and threw
something into the tender. Tom and |
both fired at the man. He staggered
up against the cab steps and groaned.
Then by 4 s~uperhuman effort he caught
the hand-rail, and Just as we were pre-
pairing to give him another shot he
dragged his face into the light.
1T was Charlie, We both had hit
him,
Pull out, Jim, and save the box"
That was all he said. 1t was the
box he had thrown into the tender.
No matter how much there was in it,
the stuff wasn't worth the life of the
boy who saved it to the company.
While l lifted Charlie mp into the seat
Tom threw the old engine wide open
and we ran away from the train rob
bers and all.
at was forty miles to the nearest
station, a small government post. Tom
VI LIN "oi llt tiSiiS oht VII
the seat beside Charlie and held him
up. The rattle and rumble of the
wheels accused me at every revolution.
They seemed to be repeating the
words: You've filled him. You've
killed him. Tom made those forty
miles in an hour; good time ovcr that
road at that day, but it seemed to me
n n al AS ,r. ,rnra runnipr in 'Fnrr
gave the bell and whistle both. and
then when she came to a stand he fired
two shots. The bluecoats were out in
jify.
Everything was told in a few
words. Charlie was carried into the
quarters and turned over to the sur.
geon. Il fine old fellow named lIamil-
ton. With an escort of twenty men
we ran back to the train. The robbers
had left it. Finding the express empty
of treasure they had tried to 20
through the train. There were toe
many revolvers among the passenger
and they drew off.
When we reached the post again
Surgeon Hamilton walked up to the
cab. Are you Jim Cooke said he. |
nodded. Take these to Mr.. Whites
wife, and he handed me Charles
watch, a hank book and Il bunch of
keys. lie told me to tell you the
urgeon went on, not TO feel bad about
that shot. The road agents found him
with that last volley, and he would
have gone under anyhow from his
other wounds. His EOdy will go back
with you on your return. and | will
give you a letter to the express COM
pany.'
Tom cried like Il child. | couldn't
cry: my brain seemed tn he on fire: !
was thinking one minute of how re-
p~roachfully Charlie had looked at me
when he swung into the cab with a
dying effort, and the ncxt of 4 frail
little woman in Frisco who was pa
ticntly waiting Charities return.
The company gave her a pension
but she didn't need it long
What was in the box" | asked.
Certificates of stock in a wildcat
mining scheme"
why"
1T was like this" said Jim. wipino
his eyes and bringing his story to a
close. The express agent saw that
somehow the fact that a shipment OF
treasure was to be made had leaked
ont. At the last moment he substi-
tutcd Il lot of worthless securities. lie
saw that he was Swallowed on the way
to the train and he acted up at the
depot just to throw the robbers off the
scent and to make them believe that
the shipment was really being made
by our train."-Joe Quail, in the BY
stander.