The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-06-22
THE cnd.I
HELD UP BY HORNETS.
They Attack q Train and Raise More Troubl,
than Robbers.

They Attack q Train and Raise More Trouble
than Robbers.
Isl. Louis Globe Democrat
have had just one experience Of boing held
up by trsin-robbers. 1t was at the hands of
some Texas gentlemen and in company with a
good-szcd train:load of fiery Southrons and
mild Eastern folk, and we'll remember how
the sand sifted out of the boot-heels of the
whole crowd. and we sat or stood, or crouched
and cowed, like helpless, scared infants, under
cover of two medium-sized Winchesters. But
i was aboard train In Mexico that was held
up and gone through under circumstances Of
horror and terror that were beyond anything
have heard of or imagined.
We were RAINING along smoothly through
the State of Coahuila one wretchedly warm day
last Fall, when, just az we entered a patch of
woods, the brakes were clapped tight on and
the train stopped with jerk that shook US up
considerably. The idea OF train. robbers seemed
instantly TO striker everyone, and there was a
hurried secreting of vaIuables. But il wasn't
to be that kind of IAN invasion. The decayed
trunk OF big tres had fallen squareiy across
the track. 1t was too big to take chances on
tbrusting it aside by charging it with the pilot,
so the train hands and some Of the passengers
started with rope to drag it out of the way.
The rope was fastened round the stump, there
was long pull altogether-and then a fright.
ened howl and a Wild break by every body for
air like a windmill ~
"Hornets!" howied the burly brakeman
who headed the rush, as he hurried himself
into the first car, incontinently slammed the
door in the face Of the Others and dived under
seat happened to be on the platform OF
this car and got in just ahead Of him. Prob
ably half dozen passengers were in the cars
the rest having stepped off to investigate the
trouble. All the windows were open. and in a
few seconds the train was in possession of sew
eral hundred big Mexican hornets, the wicked
est things on wings, with business ends like a
dose of future punishment administered with q
live wire. There were at least three hornets
nests in the decayed tree, and the hauling of
the train hands brought out the inhabitants.
There was moment of gaping surprise, then a
chorus of howls, and every man aud woman
left in the cars tried to crawl beneath the seats
! pulling coats, dresses, anything over their
heads, with shocking disregard Of the proprie-
| ties. Not 40 train robbers nor whole tribe of
| hostile Apaches could have inspired such de-
| moralized terror. The conductor with rare
presence Of mind, headed the crowd who had
| hauled on the tree, sliouting: Break for the
| baggage carl" and as only the one door of that
| car was open, the score Or so passengers, once
| bundled in. were comparatively safe, although
hOpelessly prisoners; the hornets buzzed sngrily
or maybe geefully, outside and about the
| smothered passengers in the coaches, and all
| was burning blank
But we couldn't stay there, yet we daren's
| turn out and fight them. Finally, SO I heard
later the fireman volunteered to face the horror
| for US. Tying his blouse around his head he
ran forward, tied the rope. still fast to the tree,
| to the pilot, jumped on the engine and started
her back with lively jolt. The tree was
| dragged almost clear and the rope broke But
| the fireman was having too warm a time to try
! further experiments. SO he kept running her
back at a mighty gait. The hornets either few
out or blew out of the windows and after run
ming back couple of miles he stopped the train
| and coaxed us out, sore and sorry crowd.
| But we couldn't go back and we couldn't
| stay there and we were 10th to take further
chances with the hornets, which we imagined
| to be lying in wait for US up the track. Finally
| all the windows and doors were closed tight,
| the engineer shut himself in his cab, and we
went plungng ahead. He said the pilot struck
| the old tree and sent it flying skyward, en-
| veloped in a cloud of hornets thus dislodged
| from smashed nests. But we were out of range
| and sight in q few seconds and slid past the
| next way station at pace that brought the
| sleepy Mexicans to the platform in amazement.
| An occasional howl during the next hour or
| two told the discovery of a lingering hornet in
| the cars and when we reached the next village
we bought up the entire stock of ointments,
| oils, and soothing saivas in the single drug
| store and the train was surgery for the re-
mainder of the daV.