The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-08-04
A BAGGAGE SMASHER

Between the stories Of Conductor To
Pope and Sandy McTougal, backed |
Sandy McTougals friends, one gets
pretty good idea of Sandy's remarkab
adventure with voice, or, as Sane
terms it, with the devil in box.
Tom Pope is conductor and McToug
is baggage master on the Air lin
which runs from the Atlantic ocean
"the middle of next week."
"Most astonishing thing, that hunt {
Sandy's for avoice," said the conducto
the other night.
"Umph" grunted Sandy, "that ma
be yer way of lookin at it, but call
diggin for the devil, and findin him."
care you going to tell this story" il
CURED the conductor.
"Not by long chalk" McTougal an
swered.
Then Tom narrates, and very prettil
too, how he and Sandy were transferre
to night runs in August last, and hoy
lonely the baggage man became becaus
he was cut off from fellows to listen t.
his stories and offer him cigars.
"You alters smoked 'em, Tom," inter
rupted Sandy. 81 don't smoke, "
know"
81 did get good many puffs tina
way, I'll admit" said the conductor
"They were about the only thing Sandy
ever gave that l could get any light out
Of"
care you telling this story?" asked
McTougal. eff so, tell it."
"Sandy was lonely and miserable
continued his friend. Nobody talked
to him or gave him a quarter for moi
smashing their baggage, so he took to
brown studies and maps between stations.
The night of his voice business
"Devil, I tell you," cries Sandy
abruptly.
"Was crowded one," continues Pope,
without noticing the interruption. "His
car was jam full of luggage"
"And the more trunks Sandy has on
board the crosser he gets. There was a
camp meeting on switch-off track, and
at the junction l picked up a lot of mob.
by passengers who were leaving for
other places of amusement, and there
was no end of trunks"
"McTougal got things into shape
about II o'clock, reckon, and as there's
part of the run where it's a good hour
between stations he got ready for
snooze. He picked out the softest trunk
in the pile on which to pillow his head,
tilted back his chair with his feet on the
rounds, pulled his hat over his face and
went to sleep. How's that, Mac?"
"Quite keerect," responds the bag
gage master.
Every well; then you tell for awhile.
l wasn't there, you know"
"It didn't seem s if I'd been asleer
more'n minute" begins Sandy, "when
there was lively jump of the car an |
sort of come to life with jerk. At the
same time 1 heerd, as if way off, noise
like some one a-talkin. But l thought
twas a brakeman outside, an was les
a-dozin off again when right at my ea1,
in thin, sharp voice, su'thin said, ooh,
Lordp
81 amt no fool, I amt" Sandy asserts,
throwing back his head defiantly, can
when that tin whisper comes into my
ear l jes' half opened my eyes 'spectin
to see some of the boys around. But not
Twin thing was visible. So l said to
myself, Il snored; that's what's the mat
ter an off goes a-noddin an dreamin.'
"Then agin l hears that voice. Itsays
quite distinctly, 4 want to get outr
"Now, | want a bit mistaken this
time. heerd it. But fore l could get
my wits together there was yell sound
in way off.
"That's my death CALL says I to my
self, instantly calling to mind fellows
who had heard like sounds an were dead
in lessn week. Then l says to myself,
Sandy, don't be foolp an jumps to my
feet as wide awake as l am now.
sit was woman's squawk, and l
could have sworn to it. Then it sung
out in tin trumpet style:
"'Help! helpr
Il nauleu over Une JOOl CncSC, an une
water barrel, and the cupboard in the
corner, an looked out on the platforms
an did everythin q man could do under
the circumstances, to find out what was
a-makin of that fuss. went to the
side door to cool myself, an was a-fannin
my face when, blame me! if l didn't
hear cornet start off with 20 'Rogues'
March, and a gruff voice foller it with:
"'In the midst of life we are in
death
II yanked my head round, an didn't
see nuthin that wasn't there before.
That threw me off my pins. Then a
rooster crowed, an Teller with a cold
in his nose counted ten forward and
then backward, an another cuss, with a
bullfrog voice, ordered me: Wake up!
the devil wants your You needn't
laugh, gentlemen, when tell you l run;
an sod you if you'd been thar. was
certain the devil had come for me-late
but sure-an 1 didn't wait for him to
ask for my ticket"
Tom Pope at this point broke into a
stentorian laugh.
eff, gentlemen, you'd seen Sandy
come flying into the car where I was
sitting, you would never stop laughing,
You may not believe it, but his brown