The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-16
a TRAMF,s DE OF TERROR.

Il-Clad and Forlorn, He Stole Place
on COW Catcher IN Zero Weather
Willimdntic Special to NeIo York SIN.
A poor, half-starved tramp stole ride on
the cow-catcher of New York and New
England Railroad locomotives at this place
Christmas night, and he is not likely to soon
forget his trip. As Engineer Potter of the
limited expr ess drove his long train into
this place from the west on that evening,
and halted his painting engine at the station
Tor Few minutes preparatory TO beginning
the long run to Boston, slight man, shah
billy clad in short thin coat, light trousers,
shoes and felt hat, came timidlY across the
network of iron rails to his cab and asked
II be might ride on the engine to Boston.
NO" said the engineer. "the rules of the
road expr essly forbid it," Then the tramp
wanted to get aboard the baggage car. but
Mr.. Potter was not at liberty to permit him
TO do so. He shivered and went away.
Then the locomotive bell changed, the pas
sengers (who had aliehted and gone into
the depot restaurant for supper hurriedly
got aboard, and the train moved Off, quick
ening its speed rapidly. 1t was still night,
with the mercury almost at zero, and the
moon was very bright. The engineer let
his steel horse go at the rate of more than
fifty miles an hour, and though all the cab
windows 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 fireman fan
c1ed he hsard an unusual sound above the
roaring OF flying wheels, and he hastily
drew aside one sash in q cab window. He
glanced along the curved side of the great
boiler, and hastily uttered a cry of aston
ishment. He saw the wretched tramp, who
had begged for a ride at Williamantic,
clinging like fly to the front of the engine,
and whose face, now turned toward the
fireman, was white with hopeless terror.
He was shaking like leaf with the tremb-
ling of the locomotive, his clothes futtering
in the hurricane-like rush of the engine,
and IL was evident to the fireman, at his
first glance, that the poor fellow could re-
tam his grip on the engine only a few mo-
nents longer.
The cry Of the fireman brought Engineer
Potter also to the side Of the cab in an in
slant, ana even es the two men started at
the wretch, tossing on the cow-catcher, the
latter made a desperate effort to climb
higher upon the pilot to the hot engine
front. In doing SO he grasped live steam
pipe The pice was biistering hot, but the
tramp dared not let go, for he would have
fallen TO the roadbed rbeen ground under
the great driving, wheels. Still he uttered
no cry, though the look Of agony in his face
told what he suffered. The train was still
laundering on at fifty miles an hour, and
the engineer 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, crawled 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
completely exhausted. He received kind
treatment during the rest of his ride to Bos-
ton, in which city he was provided with
food and lodging and medical attention.