The morning call., 1892-10-29
A PERILOUS RIDE.
By ARCHIE R. EGGLEsoN'

ing as railway agent a. Excelsior Springs
which l would never willingly pass through
again.
Excelsior Springs Is situated twenty
miles north of Kansas City, and Is up
grade" nearly all Of the way. hao Ueeu
agent here for over a year and was pretty
well acquainted with most OF the people III
the city.
had inst seated myself at the desk one
morning and was busily engaged In writing
when Sambo, fellow employed as draymsn
for Waite & Co., and who. by the way, was
as "back as the ace of spades, came e1'
citedly along the platform.
A ear Of lump coal billed to the company
had Teen set out on the wrong side irack
and could not be unloaded. Sambo had
come in the day before asking me to have
II removed to another point, but as It was
the end Of the month and l was Unusually
busy his request was forgotten.
Now shall catch it. ! thought. ana &C.
eordingly prepared for the blow.
"WLyn't you mind NE, sab? done tole
Won 10 lab dat car set so dis heah niggah
could get at il. Pears TO me you don't ker
fnr de trouble YOU make oder people"
'Sam, forgot all about It. l am sorry,
"Sho now! Massa done gone and 'lecii-
fed de head obeTseer CD desc h eah cars and
l 'speck v0u'll be loOkiI' fur job totin'
coal along wild dis niger"
laughed al this and his anger grew
yah haw-haw! Pse mind 10 Chamber
tro' de winder an gib You whalln ]!
White folks is good as niggeTs as long as
cay babe d5mselves, but when dey gifts
mulish, sstau am TO pay
Remem beriug that the track was down
grade. I felt sure that we two could open
fhe switch and ruu the car on the main
track and from there TO the other side.
"Sambo." said /. III you help me, in
very few minutes you can handle your
coal" ~
20 goodness. is clean beat cut dis mornin'.
an axes yer parding fur de talk dat
IAN right, SAM" answered, rising from
Leading the way out to where the car
stood, / opened the switch. With the help
Of a piucbbsr we soon had the car rolling
out on the main line, Ssm6o acting as brake
stopped to lock the first switch. think
Ing Sambo would slow the car down and
give NE 4 chance 10 open the next. To my
amaZemeDJ the car had already passed the
second switch and was fast increasing In
speed.
Brake her down." I yelled, at the sans
time setting out after thecsr al breakneck
pace. ''Set that brake. you black imp /
painted. As l clambeTed on behind.
But there he stood, bis hands on the
wheel and his eyes pTOtrudiag from his
head. lie seemed paTalyZed with terror.
By this time the speed Of tie car had IN
creased 20 fifteen or twenty miles an hour.
/ craW3ed over the coal and, clutching the
wheel, gave II 8 whirl. HorrOrsl The
chain was br0ken-it was useless.
l gave one glance al the ties as they few
past Us. There was DO chance to jump
now. We were running wild at the rate of
tbirty-hve miles an hour!
How long would il be before the car
Jumped the track The thought drove NE
Wil1 AS for SambO. lie had thrown him
self tist down on the coal
son, for de good Lawd, Pse clean done
for. IS An / done gone an stole dem
chickens last night from de preaeher Oh,
dem wateTmilllOns dis chile done borrowed
from Deacon sherman. :Ps got 10 die EASY
An dat ham l toted away from dat meat
bar'I Of marSa's an done forgot TO tole him
Pears ike dis niger nebber had any mem ~
no how"
Ataoy other time I should have laughed
II this; but when one is facing death and
realizes 1t everything speaks Of tragedy.
Tie speed Of the car was now over a mile
8 minute The telegraph poles Hhizzed
past SO fast that l could not count them.
The sensation was sickening. l chung con-
w siyely to the bTake-wheel, waiting every
moment fer the crisis to come.
We few by the first station like lightning,
leaving q crowd Of people standing on the
platform wi their mouths open and doubt
less wondering where the company had
procured an engine that ran without smoke
or steam.
My knees shook together so that could
scarcely stand, and had the brake been out
Of my hands should certainly have been
Keeping Sam DO company ia the coal.
If the car kept the rails for FIVE minute:
more We might still escape, for at shOri
distance ahead there was slight ascent and
then more abrupt incline.
As we neared this spot the speed Of the
car pereeptlbly lessened. Ny heart bounded
l would jump for my life as soon as We
reached the summit OF the grade
"Sambo," l said, I'VE shall yet be saved.
Rise and stop your bowling. Brace up and
be man. Now see here said, as be re.
luetanty obeyed. Stand on this beam
When tell you to jump do SO if you wish t.
save your life."
ne car was running quite steadily now.
One hundred yards more would bring il 70
the top Of the little bill. Stepping behind
Sambo, | waited for the critical moment
determined to kick him from the car sbould
be dlsobey me when l gave him the word to
leap.
Nearer aud nearer we came to the top
when at last we were running on a level
go, SamP' yelled.
he made one attempt to Jump, and then
drew back. L was too quick for him, and
sent him SPRAYING into the air. Scanning
the ground Tor one brief moment sprsne
from the car. l struck on my feet. head
ana hands alternately until | reached the
bottom Of a ditch. l was stunned for q
moment only, and rising. looked around fol-
SambO.
BE was already on bis feet and coming
toward NE. He had struck on his head
and shoulders and came out without a
scratch, but was badly frightened.
As fot myself. one finger was broken and
hai TIE skln on MY nose had been rubbed
on and replaced with sand. Ny gold watch
was erusie cd into shapele5s mass.
1 looked at the car as it disappeared in
the DISTANCE with a shudder was so glad
10 Know / stood there alive that could not
control my feelings aud madly shouted.
Let her 60. Sam. let her gol" Not stopping
TO realize that the car would go" In any
case
Five miles further IL Jumped thu track
ana ran INTO watering tank, flooding the
uscK with 500 barrels full Of water The
tsnK, IN going down, crushed q neighbour
Ing windmill Into fragments ! felt as
Sambo did about the matter.
Boss. be said, IF we'd been on dat ar
Gar l speck we'd done gone to glory, shuah.
N4t4o ON mighty Rldu ne mad dc pres
ehee oD mine to jump az the right mint"
Ana L never disputed his great courage
and presence OBJ mine"
Inc next day l was summoned tn the
superintendent's Office where was ssversIv
Ieprlmanded, as deserved to be. bnt not
discharged. l have been very careful evsr
since and run no risks. '''i
10 this day Sambo never unloads a car
without examining the brake chains to see
that they are set and safe.
THE PACIFIC MAIL SERVICE.