The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-03
-" PLAYING 'POSSUM. "

kbout 1853 my first adventure occurred. l
. Lsd-bean CB the road between Cincinnati
and 81 Louis for about six weeks, aud the
: business was so heavy that we had to nave
an extra man. Waila Itook charge OIL the
money he looked after the parcels anu
- bcxes. and We had a whe.e car to ourselves,
My assistant was named John Goodhue ana
lad been one Of the check clerks IN the
freight depa, tmeut Of tile C.Lchnan once.
Ep was n gc,G-aatured, easyEoing man OF
:i0 much given 10 taking things easy, but as
ne was the only man the company could or
vorld spare [ had to take him as l found
--I!m ana make the best @! It. Whenever
we pulled ont Of either city We were very
busy for tie first half hour. l saw that
everything was properly checked OF ana
accounted for in tile line Of money and val
uab.es. and then assisted him II he was not
already through. Il TINS sometimes hap
rcned that was busy at my safe 10 the cor
ner flr tile first % miles out. and that little
or no conversation was exchanged be-
tween us.
On this particular evening Goodhue was
l0mmutes late Tor the train, but he took
hold with unusual spirit, auG When Tue
stuff MAS alt in We had the car pretty Wen
-f.Ifd I was al MY safe when the train
pulled our, and / heard Gocdhue moving
anou. and going through The usual routine,
We had nothing 20 put oil until we reached
a farm 80 miles away. and then II was some
thing m the line Of freig CHI. L therefore
took things easy, and was smoking as did
; mv WO.k.
Ihad on7hat night, in addition to my own
safe and, So. co., paynGSteT's safe which
confined nearly quarter Of million. L
was sitting on this and bending over my
own " en- | received a blow on the head
from behind Il fell upon tie left side 81
NY lead and glanced 10 the shoulder, but II
Knocked NE over sideways IN heap on the
floor / was not stunned, but It came TO me
IN a second 20 play 'p0sSum. Even While
falling l realized that u was plan 10 TOD
the ear and / wondered who GOOddue had
behind HIM l rolled over on my back,
gr6anad two or three times, aud then
Strengthened cut and after minute L heard
voice say:
]. was the voice Of the man who had
struck me, but not the voice OF Goodhue.
I heard a second man come forward, and
then the plot was EXPOSED Neither was
GOOGhue and both were strangers.
Guess you've dore for him, 'lOm, " said
tie last conner aS he stood over me-.
Couldn't help il, Jm-he'd have given
Us a EEEt II l hadn't Now, then, we've ct
things reppered. In FIVE minutes we shall
= = .
but III open the door. 81 here on The
safe!'
The whistle blew, the train pulled up,
and pretty soon we were at Stand,till.
I he rCbbeT ouened the sliding door and
stood as cool as \ on please for TWO or three
minutes, and l heard him reply % The agent
that there was nothing 10 q OF. As on
as The rain pulled out he shut the door and
= came over and said:
open the other door. Five miles from
here Is The stretch Of woods, and we must
b. ready 10 dun p the safes at the word"
Ny revolver was under me, IN is bolster,
and / was helpless. The first move l
m35e would nave brought them upon me,
and they would have Oeen certain TO make
sure " TX Of 10 THIS time. had 70 let them
carry out this plan, b4t l was forming
another. Tie stretch Of wood, was two
miles IenE and between Bidukyile and the
next stop was q distance Of IS miles. The
TWO small stations between Tere not IN cur
time card. Tie tTaiu sped along al the rate
OF 81 miles az hour and pretty soon out
went tile safes. Then the men ran out at
tile end Of the car, set The brake, and pulled
the bell cord vigorously,
That vas What they did, but | did not
wait to- see or hear It. They were no
sooner clear Il the car shan I rose up and
took a nYrg leap straight out into the dark
e ness aitef the money. There was a long
pile OF gravel on that side. and | struck into
tines, and finally brought up in a potato
patch on the railroad strip, badly
shaken up, but not a bone broken:
The engine was whstling for brakes a
miie aWr y, and as soon as l could free my
mouth and eyes Of dirt l started down tile
track 1 found tile FIST safe On the edge Of
the ditch, and the second a hundred feet
away beside a stump. / dragged mine
down to the paymaster's, then got out my
revolver and lid behind a stump, and pretty
soon heard the fellows coming down the
track. They had brought the train almost
TO q standstiu and then signaled it to 90
snead and jumped. They were hunting
along tie ditch as they came, and l waited
until they were within five rods before
opened FIRE and jumped up and shouted:
Here they are. boys! shoot them
down"
They didn't stand for a second, but went
Of as fast as they could, followed by my
bullets, and half an hour later l had the
safes on board a fFeght-trai1. An inYesti-
cation proved that Goodhue was intoxicated
Oh that night. He had accepted an offer TO
drink with a stranger and had been piled
with liquor until he fell down on the street.
The robbers must have known him well,
and also been familiar with cur way of
working. Who they were we never knew.