Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-16
A BAGGAGE SMASHER

Pope and Sandy McTougal, backed by
Sandy McTougal's friends, one gets a
pretty good idea Of Sandy's remarkable
adventure with a voice, or, as Sandy
terms it, with the devil in a box.
Tom Pope is conductor and McTougal
Is baggage master on the Air line,
which runs from the Atlantic ocean to
"the middle Of nextweek."
t'Most astonishing thing, that hunt of
Sandy's for voice." said the conductor.
the other night.
"Umphp grunted Sandy, ssthat may
be yer way Of lookin at it, but call it
diggin for the devil, and findin him."
"Are you going to tell this story?" in
Quired the conductor.
"Not by long chalk" McTougal an
swered.
Then Tom narrates, and very prettily
too, how he and Sandy were transferred
to night runs in August last, and how
lonely the baggage man became because
he was cut off from fellows to listen to
his stories and offer him cigars.
"You alters smoked 'em, Tom" inter
rupted Sandy. 81 don't smoke, ye
know"
81 did get a good many puffs that
way, I'll admit" said the conductor.
-'They were about the only thing Sandy
ever gave that I 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 quarter for not
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. ellis
car was jam full of luggage"
Sand the more trunks Sandy has on
board the crosser he gets. There was
camp meeting on a switch-off track, and
at the junction I picked up a lot of mob
by passengers who were leaving for
other places of amusement, and there
was no end Of trunks"
NMcTougal got things into shape
about II o'clock, reckon, and as there's
a part of the run where it's good hour
between stations he got ready for q
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 it for awhile.
wasn't there, you know"
'It didn't seem s if I'd been asleep
more'n a minute" begins Sandy, when
there was lively jump of the car an I
sort of come to life with jerk. At the
same time heerd, as If way off, noise
like some one a-talkin. But thought
twas brakeman outside, an was jes'
a-dozin off again when right at my ear,
In thin, sharp voice, u'thin said, sOh,
Lordr
''I amt no fool, ain't," Sandy asserts,
throwing back his head deiantly, can
when that tin whisper comes into my
ear jes' half opened my eyes 'spectin
to see some of the boys around. But not
a livin thing was visible. So + said to
myself, Il snored; that's what's the mat
ter an off goes a-noddin an dreamin.'
"Then agin hears that voice. Itsays
quite distinctly, Il want to get outr
'Now, want bit mistaken this
time. l heerd it. But fore could get
my wits together there was yell sound
in way off.
"'That's my death call, says to my
self, instantly calling to mind fellows
who had heard like sounds an were dead
in less'n week. Then says to myself,
SANDY, don't be foolp an jumps to my
feet as wide awake as am now.
tsit was q woman's squawk, and I
could have sworn to it. Then it sung
out in tin trumpet style:
"'Helpt helpr
IT hauled over the tool chest, an the
water barrel, and the cupboard in the
corner, an looked out ON the platforms
an did everythin a man could do under
the circumstances, to find out what was
a-nlakin of that fuss. 1 went to the
side door to cool myself, an was a-fannin
my face when, blame mel if didn't
hear cornet start off with the '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 feller with cold
in his nose counted ten forward and
then backward, an another cuss, with a
bullfrog voice, ordered me: Wake upi
the devil wants your You needn't
laugh, gentlemen, when 1 tell you / run;
an sod You if you'd been thar. / was
certain the devil had come for me-late
but sure-an I didn't wait for him to
ask for my ticket"
Tom Pope at this point broke into q
stentorian laugh
eff, gentlemen, you'd seen Sandy
come flying into the car where was
shifting, you would never stop laughing.
.Yon may not believe it, but his brown
face " as as white as your shirt fronts,
and his eyes were as big as billiard
balls. He dashed down the aisle and
whispers in my ear:
"sTomf T0m( Come with mer"
"sWhat's the matter, Macr I said.
50 What alls your
Tom, the devils in my car. He's
been a-cuttin up for half an hour, an
I'm most crazy. If you're nay friend
- q