The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-10
A CRAZY
ENGINEER.
THE MEM0RABLEAND TERRI
BILE RUN OF A FREEMAN
ONE NIGHT.
sTRIGuT INTO THE UP-BoUSD GRADY
HAD GONE on A DRUsk-HIs
REASON UTTERLY UNBALANCED.


engine No. 10. "what with the
chance of a wreck every mile or so.
a general smash-up at the sidlngs,
the giving way OF bridges and the
forgetfuluess OF the dispatcher, all
of which ts likely 10 happen. | may
say there is no complaint of monot,
ony in running an engine. But the
worst snap ! ever struck in the
business was a trip | took one time
with madmsn. Yes, sir, as wild
a lunatlc as you'd find chained snG
straight jacketed in any asylum in
the country. Want the storyf We'll,
here's to ir, and a straight one it 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 l ever saw, and knew his
road like book. I'd been With
hIm about year. and we got pretty
thick, and he was always showing
me his little gals picture and talk
ing about her. His wife was dead
and his sister had the child.
"He was inst the lovingest ather
| ever did see Never got drunk
like other men but this one time
am gong to tell YOU about. We
were TO 20 out tnat night, when /
met him on the street just before
dark and | saw he had been drink
ing, but was in a mighty good
hnmOr. 'Fll be there in tune, he
said 70 me, I'm just going up to
the house to kiss my baby good-by. ;
"Well, we parted and l came on
down 10 the depot It was II ghty
near time to start and | had steam
all up, when here came Grady. TIE
moment saw him | knew there
was something mighty wrong with
hun. stead OF saying Hello or
something like that, he just climbed
into the caOoose without looking
at NE, bat kind of staring straight
ahead of him, with his eyes hot
and dry and his lips as white as
my shut off duty. l thought to
myself, well, If this is drunk it's
the qneerert one L ever saw, and,
not wishing to rile him, | kept
quiet. We pulled ou. steady enough,
Grady still saying nothing. but
staring straight ahead as if be saw
something III front of him. Pretty
soon we hegan to get faster and
faster, till the old engine just roe.
ed, and could feel the cars behind
fairly Jump over the rails. i did
not like to say anything, for he vas
b ,ss of the engine, but when We
went hizzins past a station where
we were to stop without paying any
more attention to it than II it had
not been there began to think
there was something mighty wrong,
and stepped forward, and, pre-
tending to look at the dial-plate,
said 'Haln't we rather gong It.,
boss9' But hc didn't answer, and |
went on: amt sick, are you,
Grady, Old man? If you are, lie
down hit and I'll run here hile'
"But etill be paid no attention,
but would look out at the headlight
aud kind OF mntter to himself. SO
I went back to shovelling In the
coal, but keeping an eye Oh him, for
by this time | was sure that there
was something very much wrong
with HIM. and | begun TO think that
what be bad taken had craZed bis
brain, and yet his looks weren't
those of a drunken man, and his
hand seemed a. steady as usual.
But presently, whiz! we went past
the lighted lamps OF snall station
whtir We Wcie Cue to wait fifteen
minutes f"r the up train. Good
Lordn thought; 'we'll meet that
tram on tie main track, and then
look OUT
"With this in mind | called ont,
Hello, Grady, forgot about the up
bouDi, amt your But he ju-t
stood as before, mum bling to him
self in that strange fashion, and i
ja-t caught him by the arm, storm
log at him, Where are are you
going to, mani and then he looked
back over bis teeth like dog. Tt
helI,,' he shouted, 'and all OF yoU
with me. I'se killed my baby. aud
I've got to got to hell, but you
have to go with me- When he said
that waited no longer, but grabbed
him around the waist. | did no
want to hurt him, but had to save