San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1893-03-31
AT LONE PINE.

west and eleven from Big Rock to tn,
east. The names of these stations
together with dozens of others, hav,
Iince been changed. At the date
write of man named Clark had Bis
Rock station. had Bad Creek and 4
new agent and operator had just taker
possession of Lone Pine. That station
had been vacant for week 1t haC
been held by a young man named
Reed for about three months, but onC
night he was found dead and robbed
the work of the lawless element theT
overrunning the West. The first
news got from the new agent came
from herself over the wire one after
noon, and this is what she said
ALLOW me to introduce myself as
Mrs. Hadlev, the new agent at Lone
Pine. / am just out from Chicago.
Charming place this, and l know
shall like it. Hope to become better
acquainted
It was in May when the little wo-
man took possession. In describing
her l did not say that she was little,
but such was the fact. Her weight
was not over 100 pounds and she
looked more like girl of 10 than a
woman of %. got chance to run
up and see her one afternoon in the
month and found her nicely settled.
She had been more or less annoyed
by roughs, but there had been no oc-
casion to test her nerve as yet.
found her double barrelcd shotgun
loaded with buckshot and her navy
revolver ready for business, she as
sured me that she would not hesitate to
fire upon any man who menaced her
safety.
The first alarm came one night
early in July. In the forenoon of
that day two very rough looking men
had come up the track from the West.
They halted at my station, sized me
up, and then demanded something to
Eat. might have given them a bite
nad they requested instead of de-
handed; but when | saw that they
meant to pick quarrel and have an
excuse for assaulting and robbing me,
[ brought out my shotgun and obliged
hem to walk on. As soon as they
we're out of sight | notified the little
woman at Lone Pine to look out for
hem. She replied that she would,
and up TO 10 o'clock at night | heard
rom her every hour, but the tramps
lad not put in an appearance. 1t
vas 1880 o'clock, and | was sound
isleep, when I heard Lone Pine call
ne over the wire. | rolled off my
cot and ran to the instrument and
lsked what was wanted.
The tramps are herer was the re-
ply. They are knocking on the
ioor and asking for food and shelter.
But don't let them in. Get down
Jour shotgun, lay it across the table,
With the muzzles pointed at the door,
md if they break in pull both trig-
gers."
They are cursing me and declar-
nc they will set the cabin on fire if |
ion't open the door" telegraphed the
little woman a moment later.
III you open the door they will
murder you! You have a sliding
window to the right of your door if
remember right"
Yes
Take your revolver, slide the sash
pack and fire upon the fellowsw
"But | may kill one Of them
That's what you want to do-both,
I possible. If You show any fear of
hem they will batter the door in and
then God help your
ats awful to shoot
Then came break. l knew that
he fellows were making some dem
onstration which obliged her to act,
and during the next sixty seconds
heard every beat of my heart Then
,ame the tremulous message:
1--we shot one OF then, and
Ehat-what- shall | do about it,"
Did you fire from the Window"
Yes"
Don't do anything excc-.t wait
and watch If you've hit one the
other viii likely make of. If he
ries to get in, however, give him the
same dose. Do you hear him about?n
No: I think he's moved of. but
he one l shot Is groaning and taking
IN awfully.7
Let him groan. You'll have a
rain from the East in thirty-five min
ltes. Keep me advised
/ had two more messages before the
rain reached her. One was that the
nan had ceased to groan and was
probably dead, and the other was that
he other tramp had tried to burst
open the door, but had been driveA
of by her firing one barrel of her
shotgun into ii from her side. When
the train rolled in a dead man was
found at the door and wounded one
wing on the ground a few yards away.
There wasn't any inquesting on the
lead. The body was carried few
niles and dropped into gulch, and
The wounded man, who had half a
lozen buckshot in his shoulder, was
turned over to tho first sheriff The
little wOman's adventure made her a
heroine for many weeks, ard | was
not mean enough to let on that l had
been obliged to brace her up and di-
rect operations from a distance of
thirteen miles.
Everything went well at Lone Pine
until the 18th OF September That
fall there was a regular army Of
tramps headed for the West, and the
employees Of every passenger and
freight train had TO be armed TO the
teeth. In some instances the gang
took possession Of freight trains and
ran them TO suit their own con
yenience. The number Of trainmen
killed or wounded every week was
something astonishing. On III, 18th
a gang Of twenty tramps seized a
freight train at a water tank twenty
miles cast of Big Rock and ran it to
that station. There happened to be
q big construction gang at Big Rock,
and they turned to and overpowered
the tramps and scattered them in