The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-02-18

anss. It was half-past eleven o'clock,
and was sound asleep, when / heard
Lone Pine call me over the wire.
rolled off my cot and ran to the i'm
strument and asked what was wanted.
"The tramps are here" was the re-
ply "rhey are knocking on the door
and asking for food and shelter"
But don't let them in. Get down
your shotgun, lay it across the table,
with the muzzles pointed at the door,
and if they break in pull both triggers"
'"Thcy are cursing me and declaring
they will set the cabin on fire If don't
open the door!' telegraphcd the little
woman, a moment later
"If you open the door they will muir
der you! You have sliding window
to the right of your door, if remem-
Der right?"
eyes"
Take your revolver, slide the sash
back, and fire upon the fellows"
But l may kin one of them
"Thats what you want to do--both,
if possible! If you show any fear of
them they will batter the door in, and
then God help you!'
ITS awful to shoot"
Then came a break. l knew that the
fellows were making some dcmonstra-
tion which obliged her to act and dur
ing the next sixty seconds l heard
every beat of my heart. Then came
the tremulous message:
"l-Ive shot one of them. and what
what shall do about it?'
"Did you fire from the window?"
Eyes"
Don't do anything except wait and
watch. If you've hit one the other will
likely make off. If he tries to get in,
however, give him the same dose. Do
you hear him about?"
mo; l think he's moved off, but the
one l Shot is groaning and taking on
awfully."
Let him groan. You'll have a train
from the east in thirty-fve minutes.
Keep me advised
had two more messages before the
train reached her One was that the
man had ceased to groan and was
probably dead, and the other was that
the other tramp had tried to burst open
the door, but bad been driven off by
her firing one barrel of her shotgun
into it from her side. When the train
rolled in dead man was found at the
door and wounded one lying on the
ground few yards away There
wasn't any inquesting on the dead.
The body was carried few miles west
and dropped into u gulch, and the
wounded man, who had half dozen
buckshot in his shoulder, was turned
over to the first sheriff. The little
woman's adventure made her heroine
for many weeks, and | was not mean
enough to let on that | had been
obliged to brace her up and direct
operations from distance of thirteen
miles.
Every ything 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 gangs took possession of |
freight trains and ran them to suit |
their own convenience. The number |
Of trainmen killed or wounded every |
week was something astonishing. On |
the 18th gang of twenty tramps !
seized a freight train at a water tank |
twenty miles east of Big Rock and ran
it to that station. There happened to
be big construction gang at Big Rock.
and they turned to and overpowered |
the trampS and scattered them in every
direction. It began raining at two |
O'Clock in the afternoon, and when |
night fell it was as dark as pitch. At
eight o'clock train loaded with |
bridge material and accompanied by
twelve mechanics reached my station
from the west on its way to Big Rock.
Just as it came in | got word from
Clark over the wire that landslide
had occurred between him and Lone
Pine, and no trains would be able to
pass it before next day. This, you
will observe, cut Lone Pine off on the
east, and it held the bridge train at my
station. l turned in about eleven
o'clock, with the rain coming down as
if everything was to be drowned out,
and it was just half an hour after
when | was called up by the
little woman at Lone Pine. I'm sorry
to disturb you, she said, "but | fear
I'm going to have trouble" "
whats wrong?'
"a numbec of those tramps who
were bounced at Big Rock to-day have
reached here and taken possession of
two empty freight cars on the siding.
The whole crowd is half drunk and
raising Cain"
If they have shelter and something
to drink they won't be apt to bother
you tonight. However. I'll sit up with
you for awhile for companys sake.
Are your firearms loaded?"
YES The gang appears to have
four or five revolvers, and two bullets
have been fired through the window"
We'll, don't show any light, and You
had better bunk down on your cot. The
fellows will get over their hilarity
pretty soon"
1t was five minutes before ! heard
from her again. The engine of the
freight train was standing almost op-
posite the door, and during the interval
went out and reused the sleeping en-
gineer and fireman and told them what
was going on at Lone Pine If things
got desperate with the little woman |
to take half dozen of the
mechanics and go up to her relief.
When she called me again she said:
Zone of the gang has routed me up