Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-11-11
4 Terrible Experience.

have been for many years suf-
ferer with asthma. At times when the
spssms get very bad nothing seems to
afford any relief but a hypodermic in
lection of morphine. Sometimes when
nearly choked by the terrible disease,
whose worst feature seems to be that 1t
is not Immediately fatal, hypodermie
injection at once gives relief. Often
after taking the morphine and falling
asleep ! have had terrible time with
the after effects of the drug. l have
10 be watched at those times for fear l
shall do harm to myself or others. /
spent couple of months in Colorado
hoping to get rid of the asthma. The
climate there did me so much good that
i almost fancied l was cured. On
coming home had no trouble until L
reached Chicago. Business kept me
for a day in that city, and the weather
turned out to be as bad as it possibly
could be for asthma Towards night.
/ could hardly breathe, and L went to
the Office of physician and asked for
a strong hypodermic injection of NOR
phine. This gave me almost instant
relief. When ] got to the train L said
to the porter of the Pullman car: ''I
have just had to take a strong drug, and L
am afraid that during the night may be
delirious, or l may get up and attempt
to go off the train. Now, if you will
look after me and see that l am not
allowed 20 leave my berth, L will fix it
all right with you in the morning. The
~
few in the train, he would make me
up berth, if liked, in the drawing
room, and would lock me in, if that
would be a greater protection. This
seemed to be very good idea, and |
agreed to it. Some time in the night
Iswoke. never felt better in my life.
/ raised the curtain of the window and
looked out at the flying scenery, for it
was a clear moonlight night, almost as
bright as day. AS lay there propped
upwith pillows | noticed that we were
going at frightful rate of speed, very
much faster than is usual on even the
fastest express trains. The car swayed
back sideways in manner that was
exceedingly terrifying. l rose and
tried to get out to see what the reason
was that we were running so fast,
when ] found the door locked, and |
remembered the arrangement L had
made with the porter. / raped at the
door, but there was no answer. The
porter was evidently in another part of
the car. 1 again lay down, but the
speed of the train terrified me. We
seemed to be going down a heavy
n md rrninn oil
steam on. l thought what a fright
full thing it would be if a wheel should
break, or if there should be a mis-
placed switch in our way. The
thought seemed to be prophetic. In
going around a heavy curve the car
suddenly lurched to one side and /
heard bolts crack and the next instant
the end of the sleeper was on the
ground and it seemed to me that the
coach went clear over, end over end.
After the terrific crash there was an
instant of intense silence, and then |
heard the walls aud cries of the |
wounded and loud roar as of escap- |
ing steam. l tried my best to open
the locked door, but it was impossible
to move it. Even if / could have |
broken the lock, found that the door
was so jammed that it was hardly pos !
sible that l could open it. The
car was lying on its side with the |
window underneath. The glass was |
shattered, but as it lay on the ground |
realized that there was no possibility |
of escaping that way. / was naturally |
very much excited, but / realized that !
I ii |
for and found and that now |
practically all danger was over. |
Just as 1 was consoling myself |
with this thought l heard the crackle |
of the flames and smelt something |
burning. 1t was moment before / |
realized the full horror of my situa-
ton. The car was on fire and had |
doubtless caught from the lamps. The |
window above me, which led into the |
psssageway of the Pullman car, had |
been completely shattered by the con-
cussion, as well as the lower window,
and so with the energy of despair l
mounted on the edge of the berth,
caught the ragged sides of the openings,
and although my hands were lacerated |
by the jagged glass, managed to crawl
through and come out into the passage
way, which was full of suffocating
smoke. From there it was an easy
matter to get through the side window
and out on the side of the car which |
there occupied the place of the roof.
/ then saw for the first time the magni-
tude of the wreck. Two of the cars |
were ablaze, and the employees were
doing what they could to put them out !
and to save those who were pinioned
in the wrecked cars. Standing on
one side l saw the porter who had
locked me in and forgotten all about
me. His face was the picture of
hopeless terror. / went up to him
and said:
"Do you know me?"
eyes" he answered, EEvou are the
gentleman L locked in the drawing
room"
"No," said, ''the gentleman is kill
ed. l am his ghost and shall forever
haunt you for forgetting me-"
For a moment the negro looked
terror-stricken, and then he said: 4
al know something that keeps of
ghosts"
"What is that % | asked.
"Twenty minutes to Detroit" he
said.
al don't understand YOU"
"Twenty minutes to Detroit" he
repeated.
81 don't see what effect that will
have" l said.
"Twenty minutes to Detroit" he
L
seemed to change, and entirely lost its
look of terror. ! found that the magic
words had had some effect on myself,
for could not speak as fluently as
then that gradually frame of wood
did the moment before. L noticed
work seemed to be forming around
the negro, and l watched him with
fascination. Bit after bit of the