Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-24

night. gives a good chance for long run. On
some lines. however. a stock car is preferable,
as there are fewer stoPpages and the end door
between the cars enables the tramp to enter I'M
observed. Coal trains are also worthy of at
tention, as they only pull up at the principal
| stations
There are men, however, who make a point
OF getting on every train that passes them,
gardless Of selection, and these iauntless in
dividua!s viii ride on the bumpers, the brake
beam. the rods underneath, and even on the
eowcatcher or on top of the train, anywhere in
fact SO long As they gain few miles toward their
destination. The exhibition OF skill in this line
displayed by the trsmps of the country when q
prize night OF magnitude occurs in New Or
leans is something remarkable. l was ordered
! down to that city when the Sullivan Corbett
nght came of TO help out, and must admit
| the ingenuity displayed by the rovers to get in
and then out of the crescent city WAS surpris-
Ing. They swarmed over the cars and chung
horeto In all conceivable places. like flies in
| summer time and found a man in the water
tank Of the tender Of the locomotive up to his
when pulled him out of his uncomfortable
Quarters.
MURDER OF BRAKEMAN SANDERS.
Early last March, as Brakeman Sanders was
rnnning over his train putting on brakes on the
Fort Wayne road. he discovered u tramp
crouching on the platform OF car below. He
ordered him off and, the fellow hesitstej
about complying, began to descend the iron
steps TO pat his order Into effect. The train
had Stacked up considerable and as Sanders had
| formidable looking club In bis hand the
tramp, with sulien shake If his head. con-
cluded to &c. OF ordered. AS he reached
the step and jumped to the ground no uttered
threats Of vengeance, aud more as!ute man
than Sanders would have kept eye on the
FELLOW until the entire train had passed bim by.
Some fifteen Or twenty cars Back the tramp
again mouns@d the train, but THE time it was
more for revenge than the free ride. 1t was
growing dark. and the tramps movements
could not be clearly followed, Climbing to the
top of the car he began making his way toward
Sanders on his hands and kuees with the move
rnents Of a cat. He had reached distance Of
one car length from the brakeman. who sat
with his face toward the locomotive and back
toward bis enemy, when the train ran on to a
bridge spanning a small creek fully hundred
feet below. Quickly covering the intervening
space the tramp crept up to Sanders, and at a
point where the distance to the ground from
the bridge was the grestest deliberately pushed
him OF the train. With cry of mortal terror
that could be heard above the roar OF the NOV
ing train the poor fellow turned over and over
and nnally brought up n mass Of crushed bones
and flesh on the rocks below.
The tramp jumped from the train at the
end OF the bridge, and, for the time being, es-
capped to the woods. Sanders lived long enough
to give description Of his assaant. had
just arrived in Chicago from the west and was
reading an account of the terrible affair when
q telegram was handed me con tanning descrip-
ton OF the murderer and ordering me on the
case. believed knew my man and decided
TO become tramp and work my way to Pitts
burg, so as not to miss him il he WAS west Of
that city. had just landed my man behind
the bars at Columbus when | received orders
to come on here and work up Engineer Strick-
lands case.
playing tramp is no fun. especially if done
well and with n ohiecf in md hiatt
ride TO Pittsburg caused me lots of discomfort
but learned Of many things that railroad
detective should know. But that is my bust
ness.
'My makeup was a good one and my wife
wouldn't have known me- In conformity with
instructions from well-posted tramp I went
to the Fort Wayne yards, where IA train WAS
being made up, and scrambled into the first
empty car saw. In a few inmates we were
flying along the road at tho rate OF thirty miles
an hour. Little cared. though my hair was
sometimes singed by the flying oinders. lost
no time however, in parting with that train.
The thoughts OF an interview with either an
indignant con or unrelenting brake didn't
please me, as l couldn't disclose my identity
without running the risk Of spelling my plans.
party Of tramps we're holding festival at the
place alighted and l rather startled TO
hear that posse Of police had been requisi-
toned from Chicago, fer they had taken pos
session Of the watsr tank, around which theF
neighborhosd were notorious.
FOLLOWING THE DENVER KID.
bis was the crowd l wanted and We were
soon fast friends. As anticipated. their chief
topic of conversation was Brakeman Sanders
murder and they all seemed to agree on one
point, and that that the Denver Kid had
done the trick, He had been with them re-
Gently, and said lie was bound for Pittsburg
THAT was enough for me, and l resolved to
get away before the anticipated police raid was
made. There was no suitable train till evening.
Had il not been that an expert in the Jumping
line turned up and posted me l should never
have caught ii. We had TO lie down among
some weeds and at the of side from the depot,
for agent conductors and brakemen are on the
watch for night trains. Then crawling on
hands and knees out OF the line Of light from
the approaching engine and brakes lamp,
anxiously marking his retreating steps us he
satisfied himself that there was no necessity for
him to ride the blind baggage out another
swift advance Just as the train was getting
under way and we were safe.
Il must explain here that when the brake
man of a passenger train SEES probable jumpers
about he gets on the blind baggage. which car
ries him a few hundred Yards Stacks ND md
let's him off, utterly destroying the hope of the
impecunious tourist.
"At Fort Wayne again alighted, as feared
my man might take the back track but none OF
the tramps whereabouts had seen him. although
tnev hIl knew tpe MD. L awaited q freight
train which was due in n few hours. An empty
car was visible as the train passed. 80 leaped in
without hesitation. Almost Immediately after
ward brakeman appeared.
"'Hsllo, said he, where are YOU goinR'
"'To Toledo junction. I replied.
'How are You fxedY he asked. knew
what lie meant. Fifty cents changed hands and
l slept in corner Of the car for the next few
hours, until the brake informed me that To-
ledo junction was reached. 1t was raining
heavily and felt all broke up, when suddeuly
saw train stealing out of the depot and east
ward bound. Cautiously but rapidly made
after it, hoping 1t would stop to water, and
keeping line Of cars between me and tramp's
natural enemy, policeman. Then dragging
myself in at an end door discovered that had
struck q coal train. Got any stuff was the
formula used by the brakeman on this occasion.
in reply 70 which gave him what il known rs
song and dance, or tale Of hard luck, accom-
panied by a quarter. He demurred, but the
song and dance softened him and we rumbled
into Masillion after two minor stoppages
was desperately tired when l got out, as Goals
are ossifying after a few hours reclining thereon
"At noon the next day. in broad dayligh and
under the very noses of the police and popu-
lace. l caught the New York fyer, hoping to
reach PittsburHon 1t. We stopped at Home
wood for coal, the brake spotted me getting
of. and by riding the haopa 90 ont danrivad