The herald., 1893-05-28
AERVY OR NERVHESS MEN,
Which Is the Characteristic
Attribute of Courage9
Arizona Charities original Idea as to
Fright and Its Results.
He Claims That = frightened Man Will
Become Brave or Go Crazy-some
incidents which Are Gases in
Point-Theory Not Settled.

| uhOutQ IL D6 put w 10 COAACObt LhO AZ
mark has often passed that. such anc
such man had wonderful herve. He
may have gained this reputation in 6
hundred different ways but is it exactly
correct to. attribute the possession OF g
fearless courage to the presence or the
absence OF either the singular or plural
of the composite part of mans anatomy
known as nerve?
Now Arizona Charlie tells me that q
man can only remain frightened or
''scart' as he puts it for certain length
OF time. This cowboy king contends
that when man has been hustled by
fright for a certain period he then
goes crazy or else gets over it. Well l
do not know but what Charlie is right
as far as pure fear is concerned for we
have all seen some of those weak speci-
mems who when particularly hard
pressed put up fight that would do
| justice to panther.
Referring to the pure question of
nerve reminds me of q story told me q
few days ago. The place where recol-
lections were being brought to the front
was the smoking room OF Southern
Pacific sleeper. The subject under con-
sideration was the phenomenal run
made by Engineer Hogan on the New
| YORK Central railway, where speed of
ia miles an hour was attained. "That
Hogan is great engineer" was one
passengers judgment. she must be q
world beater," was the sentiment Of an
other. "He is and will be both, gentle
men, until he loses his nerve,' was the
observation'o of quiet man in the cor
ner, "but when he loses that he will be
only fit for freight run on side line."
OF course our fellow passenger had to
explain and this Is the story which he
furnished us which may throw some
light on our subject of nerve:
early in the Sos was the driver of
one of the finest passenger engines then
owned by the Union Pacific, and it was
one of my duties to pull the eastbound
last train over my division, which ex-
tended from Rawlins to Laramie, Wyom-
Ing. Our leaving time from RRwlins
WAS shortly after midnight, and one
evening we started over the division 40
minutes late with big train, and orders
from the dispatcher to make Laramie on
time II possible. Any one who knows
that section of the country will remem-
ber that it is all succession of hills, but
that cut no figure, for l was we'll &C.
quainted with old No. IA, and gradu-
ally let her get to working and shen
opened her for few miles of fast action.
About 40 miles east of Rawlins was
water, tank and siding, where we were
scneaaled to meet a westbound
main line for us and let us slim
by. The approach to this aid;;-7,, --s.1, !.
the west WAS oou@ steep hill anu
| around mile or more of sharp curve
| which commenced at the east end of q
tunnel. Well, we skated out of that
tunnel onto the curve at q 50.mile gait,
which was fact for those days, and away
across the bend l could see the freight
standing at the tank. This was Joy for
me, for it precluded the possibility OF
having to lose further time by waiting
for its arrival, 30 just let the old gal out
another notch, and visions of hot
breakfast and good sleep at Laramie
jumped into my mind. On we went, cut
ting through one of the blackest nights
l ever saw, when juet aa we jumped to
the point OF the bend was frozen by the
appearance of the headlight of the
freight, which indicated that they were
lying on the main line instead of the
siding. One short half mile all down hill,
and the ability of the air brake to hold II
big coaches was all that stood between
us and sure destruction. pulled the
cord and let out a yelp to show the train
men that we needed brakes, threw the
cir 10 the emergency notch, reversed the
machinery and stood waiting for the
crash. My fireman was gone with 9
leap into the ditch, and there l stood
feeling the old gal tremble under me al
che fought with herself. Gould | move
No, not for all the money in the world
Did l have any knowledge of wha'
passed? Well, not much, only | waited
and what for? slight jar, an awfu
struggle among the machinery OF old "a
and then | was on the ground by th'
side of the two engines, which had col
lided with so little force that they were
only damaged by the breaking Of thei
cowcatchere. Then began to shake, tt
} tremble, to De thoroughly alarmed after
} it was all over. Nobody knew where Il
place the blame for that freight being OF
the main line, but there she was, anC
only the force of the modern air-brakt
saved us. My fireman was luckily
picked up uniniured, and l lay in thu
cab while he ran the train to Laramie
:. What was the result? Well | trieC
three times to make time with an en-
CINE after that, but it was no go;
could not keep her to schedule, for hat
lost my nerve. A week after | quit en-
q gineering, and pull had got me an
: other Job, but do not tell me that mer
like Hogan can last at that speed o
! driving. He is ell right for time, bu
he must sooner or later let go OF hi
nerve. and then he will be fred off Il
: some obscure division because he canno
q make time. Now he ls wonder, bu
{ without his nerve he is not fit to drive I
milk train"
You ace that our engineering frien'
applies it to a loss OF nerve, but think i
over and see if you can decide whethe
s he lost his nerve or found the nerve
i which he had formerly failed to possess
Il ! cannot delve deep enough into surgi
cal science to decide. Can youP
;, There is one man now living in New
u Bork cily high up in the government {
= the city schools, who, when Creedmor
was q popular fad, used to lie on hi
back and after taking aim with his riff
h turn and hold a quiet conversation wit
n his friends, in the midst oil which b
would FIRE his rifle with an almost cel
. tain result of bulls eye or somethin
IS close to it. OF course the gnn mus
II have been held as in vice to produc
Il that result. 1t was truly phenomena
n but was it Sign OF nerve or was 1t
sure indication of an utter absence {
nerves which gave him this ability?
Way back in~the "edfete" east thei