Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-10-23
A ORAZED ENGINEER.
THE MEMORABLE AND rEAnIBtE Run
OLA FIREMAN ONE NIGHT.


Iife.D said the euk1ueeE VI cNkiuc Nos los
"Whst with the chance Of . wreck every
mile or 50. general smash-up ct the
sidings. the giving way of bridges and the
forretfulness of the dispatcher. all of
which Is likely to happensl may say there
Is no complaint of monctony In running
an engine. But the worst snap l ever
struck in the business was trip took
one time with mailman. Yes. sir. as wild
a lunatic as you'd find chained and
strait lac keted in any asylum in che coun-
try. Want the story9 Well, heres 70 IT,
and straight one il Is. 1t was In 1880 that
was serving as fireman under man named
Grady. He was fine engineer. could do
more with an engine than any one ever
saw and knew his road like book. I'd
been with him about q year. and we got
pretty thick, and he was always showing
me his little gals picture and talking
about her. His wife was dead and ms SIS
tor had the child.
"He was lust the iovingest father ever
did see. Never got drunk like other men
but this one time am going to tell you
about. We were to go out that night,
when met him on the street Just before
dark and saw he had been drinking, but
was in mighty good humor. III be
there In time, he said to me, I'm Just
going up to the house to kiss my baby
good-by.'
SOMETHING WRONG.
"Well. we parted and / came on down
TO the depot. 1t was mighty near time to
start and had steam all up, when here
came Grady. The moment l saw him l
knew there was something mighty wrong
with him. STEAD of saying Hello. or
something like that. he just climbed
into the caboose without looking at
me, but kind of staring straight
ahead of him, with his eyes hot and dry
autv I thought to myself, Well, if this
is q drunk it's the queerest one ever saw,
and, not wishing to rile HIM. kept quiet;
We pulled out steady enough, Grady still
saving nothing, bat staring straight ahead
az il he saw something in front OF him.
Pretty soon we become to get faster ana
faster, till the old engine Just rocked, and
l could feel the cars behind fairly
lump over the rails. did not
Ike 70 say anything. for he was
boss of the engine. but when we went
whizzing past station where we were to
stop without paying any more attention to
IL than il IL had not been there began to
think there was something mighty wrong,
and stepped forward, and, pretending to
look at the dial-plate, said liant we
rather going it, bossl' But ne didn't an
swer, and went on; Amt SICK <. are ae you,
Grady, old man? 1t you are, lie down
bit and I'll run her while
But still he paid no attention. but
would look out at the headlight and kind
of mutter to himself. So / went back TO
shoyelling in the coal. but keeping an eye
on him, for by this time was sure that
there was something very mucn wrong
with him, and begun to think that what
he had taken had crazed his brain, ana yet
n Of n
and his hand seemed as steady as usual.
But presently. whiZ we went past tho
lighted lamps of a small station where we
were due to wait fifteen minutes for the
up train. Good Lord l thought; we'll
meet that train ON the main track, and
then look outl'
KILLED Els BABY.
with this in mind called out, Hello,
Grady. forgot about the up-bound, amt
vou??, But he just stood as before. num-
bling TO himself IN that strange fashion,
and / Just caught HIM by the arm, storm
man, and then he looked back over his
shoulder at me, grinnIng and crashing his
teeth like dog. To hell!' be shouted,
and all of you with me. I've killed
my baby, and I've got to go to bell,
but you'll have TO go with me- When
no said that l waited no longer, but
grabbed him around the waist. l did not
want to hurt him, but had to save the
train--no. both trains. But he fought me
like devil. clutching me about the throat,
there. swaying from side to side.
with our breath hot In each others
face, we struggled for what seemed TO be
sn age, with the train all the time thun-
derine on, on to destruction. l had no
thought of my own life, but / could not
get the idea of the unconscious people be-
hind and coming out OF my head, so
hung on like grim death until happy
thought struck me, and L yelled out;
Look out, Grady. there's your baby just
behind you and as he turned to look,
brought my fist down On his head with all
the strength had left, and ne fell sense
less.
BACK AND SAVED.
"Then began race between time and
me. | had to run the train back TO the
station, where we were TO pass the up
bound SO away l went. The conductor
rang to know what the matter was, but |
had no time to answer. Away we went
back, back, with me fancying every mo
ment that heard the other train thunder.
ing down upon US. Could l make 1T?
CouldI? Back. back, and on to the side
track where we were to wait. and as /
knew we were safe, down fell by Grady's
side in dead faint. They found US lying
there together, and I, coming to first, tried
to tell them what was wrong, when my
poor boss sprang 10 his feet. was out OF
the caboose and gone into the black
night. The up train was fifteen minutes
late that night and that and my
mad back pull was what saved them
both from destruction. Grady was found
next day hiding in the woods,
gibbering idiot, and put in an asylum,
where he died in few weeks. 1t seems
that he had gone home drinking that
night, and playing with bis little girl. had
tossed her up in his arms, when her head
coming in contact with the ceiling the
skull was crushed and the baby left q
corpse IN his arms. No, sir. / want no
more such runs. was sick week after
that one and exchanged to another road