Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-05-24
night.

At sunset a heavy thunder storm
Sprang up, and instead of clearing away
after an hour or two fresh battalionS OF
clouds gathered as darkness fell, and
the electrical flashes and detonations
shivered and resounded through the
heavens. The train with Keppel on
board started from the station in the
midst of a drenching rain.
Keppel sat in the car next the bag
gage car. Frank Monroe. the detective
who had arrested him, sat in the seat
sy mis- side. His left wrist was fastened
to the right wrist of the officer by the
handouts. Another officer sat in the
seat in front of him. There were about
twenty other passengers in the car; but
few or none of them were aware that
Keppel was prisoner-Still less that
he was the famous murderer of Harry
Trent.
Most Of them began to be sleepy after
half an hour or so and disposed them
selves as comfortably as they could for
nap. Even the detectives eyes were
heavy, and he kept himself awake only
by vigorous chewing of tobacco. But
Keppel was not sleepy in the least He
/ felt as if he should never sleep again.
He reviewed in his mind all the Incl
dents of the last three months. A silent
passion of rage and rebellion seized upon
| him. He felt that to gain liberty he
would do murder hundred times over.
! He was at deadly war with the world; it
had taken from him without justitica-
tion everything that he held dear. No
| l. 10 To- nQ RI
be too great. But he was absolutely
! helpless. He was chained to his captOr,
and in little more than an hour he
would be between walls that he could
never scale. The rain dashed against
the windows: the lightning glared
through the darkness. Oh, if heaven
would but send bolt to Shatter his fet-
tiers and set him free!
His eyes, wandering about the car, be
came fixed upon young man who was
seated in the next seat forward, on the
other side of the aisle. IL struck him
that this young man bore considerable
resemblance to himself. He was tall
and rather slender, and had long dark
/ hair that hung down on the back OF his
neck His hands were slender, with long
pointed fingers. The face was scarcely
| like his: the nose was different, and
there was a slight muStache on the up
per lip. His coat, too, instead Of being
black. like Keppel's, was gray summer
tweed He sat in the corner of the seat
bv the window, with his head thrown
back, asleep. How careless and secure
he looked. He had happy life before
him. There were no letters round his
wrists; no gloomy jail to shut out for
ever the smile of the world, and the
companionship of men. But for the ac-
cursed blind fate that makes the inno-
cent suffer for the guilty, so might KEEP
pei have boon sitting at that moment.
He ground his teeth together and a
sweat broke out on his forehead.
A shock Jared him TO his center, and
the next moment his left arm was al
most wrenched from its socket. He was
living with his head on the floor Of the
aisle. The car, with rending and
cracking noise. was lifted almost erect
and then fell on its side. The lamps
had fallen and were extinguiShed; in
the darkness something came grinding
swiftly toward him and went by. He
heard the SCATTERING OF Splintered glass
and the groan of tearing timbers. There
had been a rugged leaping and series
of terrific 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 distinct
lv between him and the sky; and now
he heard screams and cries of deadly
anguish and calls, confused and aim
less. One woman'S voice shrieked
percingly and then was silent. He lay
in the midst Of bewilderment, 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