The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-31

---- .ccEafIJdncos mao on Uuc DrdTn.
Almost at the moment I thought OF
| them two of them came to me. They
were urinjured, and it had been their
hands that had carried me from the ca,
while / was unconscious.
''It took but minute for my friends
/ to give me some idea of the extent OF
the catastrophe. Our smoking-car had
been derailed and had rolled down a
steep embankment, dragging the en-
CINE and one other coach with it. AS
near as they could tell at that moment
| there had been at least dozen killed
and twice that mum Der wounded.
81 inquired: Where is MY partner?
Is he alive?'
Yes, he is alive was the reply,
but he is in bad fix. We are working
our best to get him out of the wreck,
but without help he cannot be saved.
He lies there with his lower limbs
pinned in between two great iron rods.
and with all the strength we have bees
able to apply we can't release him h
must be in horrible agony, thou gh hs
is still conscious
ut was but 8 step or two from where
we stood to where the man lay, and we
turned to see if there might not be some
possibility of helping him. A terrible
cry came from the sufferer. Just then
some one called: The car is on fire
The coach is burning
The fame from some lamp had
caught The dry upholstery. The wind
had suddenly increased and was blow
ing the fame toward the spot where
our poor friend was helplessly pin
Toned. While some ran for water 9th
ers with ak and lever made an effort to
pry the heavy rods and timbers from
the sufferer. It was no use; there was
no appliance at hand with which it
could be done, and those who went for
water came back empty handed. The
engine lay upon its side and every drop
of water had leaked out and had been
drunk up by the greedy earth.
" For the love of God, men, do some
thing cried the imprisoned wretch
Must slowly roast to deathT
with an awful effort he raised him
self upon an elbow and looked around
upon the faces near him. These were
rapidly diminishing in mum Der, for the
heat had now grown too fierce to ba
borne, and the crowd which had never
ceased their efforts to get him out were
driven away. Suddenly his eyes fell
on my face and recognized me.
You,' he cried in an awful voice,
you are the man to do it. Take that
ak and kill me-
THE thought paralyzed me. He
saw me shrink and shudder, and with
a supreme effort he pointed his finger
straight at me and cried again with
more intensity than before; You! you!
do it, tell you.'
"The heat was making his garments
smoke. Don't let me roast he once
more cried. forgot my pain and in a
wild delirium snatched up an ak and
drove the blade crashing into his skull,
then all the W orld became again
blank
sit was many weeks before l was
restored to consciousness and many
more before I was able to move. My
bodily injuries, though severe, did not
cripple me, and am now strong and
we'll But my mind is some
times upset. believe I did the best |
thing that could be done for the poor |
man, though the act was performed in
a frenzy that made me irresponsible. |
believe to-day it was an act of hui
manity. 1t has wrecked my life, how
ever, for until memory fails I shall be
to live that scene over and |
over again in all its horror "--Chic ago
Times