The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-08-06
UNDER A MOVING TRAIN.
scn>a: ions of n Man Who Thought His
Last Hour Had Come.

Last Hour Had Come.
TO fall under a running railroad train,
to lie ON the rail and see death approach
ing one at the rate of fifteen miles or so
an hour and only a few feet distant, is
an experience not given TO many to be
able to relate. Yet this is what hap
pencd to a Chicago IA
'How did it happen: What were you
thinking about" he was asked the other
day.
We'll" he replied, Il had no time to
find out how it happened, but | do re-
member "A good many things that ]
thought of while it vas happening.
Now it seems utterly impossible to me
that such a food of thoughts could flash
through my brain and leave their indi-
vidual and distinct impressions as did
in the almost immeasurable short space
Of time that lay on the rail in front of
those wheels. 1t is said that Just at the
moment of ones death the whole doings
of Il lifetime are held up for review in
less time than ii takes to wink ones
eye. can readily believe it.
I'm less than Il second | thought of
the many railroad accidents of which ]
had read. 1t flashed through my mind
that | had often seen men credited with
willful negligence or reckless intention
III allowing themselves To- be killed or
manned. and there | was on the track
ready to furnish another illustration.
Yes, sir: there | lay, fat on my back Oh
the rail and saw the wheels of the after
f1,I1sl. 1I Ala. ,t,, ,,,,, ,,ll,,L,, =, 1.,.. ,-l
only ii few feet away. 1t almost seemed
as if ! felt them crushing and grinding
my bones. yet ! had. it seems. time f.
think also of how easily a fellow gets
killed.
Il thought how foolish it was To- ac.
Gust others of foolhardiness III gettin.
run over when ! myself was about Il
become IA horrible example. | though,
of how often | had let mp lightly EN-
gineers and conductors and helped It
take the blame from them and put it on
the fellow who got killed. But my
greatest regret, in the time | had t,
think. was that had 50 often adversely
criticised the inal vino gul run over.
'Strange as 1t may seem, however
these We're not half my thoughts.
realized that ! was yet alive, in the hes,
of good health, every bone and liml
sound, so to speak, and the next instant
| would. Nfelt, be ground into piece
and my flesh and bones spattered Owe
the railroad track. There wa no powe.
in the world to help me, so it SCENE
moi all that the engineers or conductor
or brakemen could do would be Of an,
avail. Then it flashed through my min,
that l was on the brink of the othe
world and | had not even a chance t.
make one repentant prayer. wondered
what it would mean for me.
while these ideas were runnin:
through my mind | must have made
some sort of an effort to escape. / have
no knowledge of how | did it, but | di,
roll off the rail outward. The vince
caught my heel, though at first it SCENE,
as If my foot was cut off above tn,
ankle and l was powerless to move ii
managed to get onto my right foo
and balance myself ON that for Il second
to get my thoughts together AS to wha
shoud next do. 1t has taken me tel
or fifteen minutes to tell this thing. bu
it did not, | should judge, from the rat
the train was going, take anything Xix,
a second of time for it AL to happen
Chicago Tribune.