San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-11

the next moment his lett arm was al
most wrenched from its socket. He was
lying with his head on the floor of the
aisle. The car, with rending and crack
ling noise, was lifted almost erect and
then fell on its side. The lamps had
fallen and were extinguished; in the dark
ness something came grinding swiftly to-
ward him and went by. He heard the
SCATTERING of splintered glass and the
groan of tearing timbers. There had
been a rugged leaping and II series of ter
rife conclusions; now all motion ceased,
but there was deafening hiss of steam.
The soft night breeze blew on his face
and he felt the rain falling. A dark,
irregular mass doomed distinctly between
him and the sky; and now he heard
screams and cries of deadly anguish and
calls, confused and aimleSs. One wom-
ans voice shrielied piercingly and then
was silent. He lay in the midst of be-
wilderment, ruin and death.
His arm was paining him. He changed
his position so as to relax the strain upon
it. His wrist was still chained to that
of the officer, and was bleeding. He spoke
to the man, but got no answer; he was
lying in a strangely twisted attitude, his
head was bent into his breast. Keppel
seized him by the shoulder; the mans
head swung over loosely to the right; his
neck was broken; he was quite dead.
keppel got on his feet, standing on the
side of the car. His eyes becoming accus-
toned to the darkness discovered the
feet of another man protruding upward
from mass of debris. Just then flash
of lightning revealed his face; it was
that of the other officer. His body was
crushed to a pulp by the ragged end of a
broken beam.
Keppel waited moment to collect his
thoughts. In the midst of the horror
and chaos surrounding him spasm of
hope and joy caught his heart and he
laughed aloud. His brain became in an
instant preternaturally clear: he saw
what he must do, and realized that no
time was to be lost in doing it.
STOPPING over the body of the detect
i've, he felt in the pockets of his clothes,
and in minute found a key-the key
that unlocked the handouts. He APP
piled it; the next momant he was free.
But he was not safe yet; there could be
no safety rs long ~ th.re remained any
probability of pursuiI Keppel looked
around him.
Wedged between two seats on the OPP
posite side of the aisle, which in the
present position of the car was on an in
clined plane above him, was body
whose right arm, hanging downward,
was within Keppel's reach as he stood.
He took hold of lie hand; it was limp
and clammy-the hand of corpse.
Bracing his feet against some fragments
of wreck, he grasped the body round the
waist and dragged it from its position.
1t was, as he had surmised, that Of the
Young man in whom he had fancied a
resemblance to himself. ...
He had been killed by a mass of metal,
which had struck him in the face, crush
ing in the features and the front Of the
brain. Except that the countenance
was thus rendered utterly unrecogniz-
able, the body seemed uninjured. Keppel
chuckled. you have died to save me-"
he said, "st the right moment and in the
right way. May your soul have peace.
brother .. .'..
As quickly as possible he removed
the dead mans coat and waistcoat
and exchanged them for his own,
putting the latter upon the corpse.
Then, drawing the lifeless arm into
a suitable position, he passed the
free handcuff round the wrist and sprung
the lock The body was now chained to
that of the dsad detective. you must
submit to be mistaken for murderer,
my good fellow" he muttered. you
will never know it: and, besides, | am
innocent-if that is any consolation to
you. SO now-goodby"
Clambering out of the wreck, he stood
upon the track beside the shattered
train. He could vaguely see people NOV
ing about or standing in groups. The
noise of escaping steam had ceased, but
the groans of the wounded and dying
passengers could still be heard intermit-
tently. A figure approached him carry
ing a lantern. 1t was one of the brake
men. nr w..." -" ..s.
"Are you hurt, sir? he said, pausing.
"Only few bruises" replied Keppel
'But believe most of the others in our
car were killed. And, by the way, there
was one odd thin"
What was that, sir?' p.
why, there was prisoner aboard
he was handcuffed to an officer-they
were taking him to Sing Sing, Isuppose."
"Why, that was the fellow that killed
Harry Trent! What became of him?"
81 was sitting in the seat next him.