The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-08

your LOWef-W0db u grand opportunity
for a wild man The limited both ways
And there is the split switch. Didn't IL
ever flash through your mind what might
happen if you should by any chance pull
the wrong lever at the critical moment2
when the two trains were within a quar-
ter OF q mile of each other} Ugh |
don't believe I could stand it. I'd be i'm
agining all the time how such a crash
would look and sound, and then would
come the temptation TO try it just once.
My, what a story it would make"
Mighty good reading, l expect" said
Danton "but after that
''Oh, there wouldn't be any after that"
the reporter interrupted, only hereafter.
But, really, wouldnt you like TO see such
a sight}'
Eyes, frankly, would. I have often
thought so. But would want to be at
safe distance. And l wouldn't admit shat
1 am so bloodthirsty as to want to see two
trainloads of people slaughtered"
What do you suppose would be the re-
suit of such a crashl Would both trains
be likely to be totally wrecked, and
would any OF the passengers escaped Sixty
miles an hour, mind youl'
~ should not suppose there would be
much left to tell the tale"
Nor l. The engines would certainly
go nearly through each other, and no
cars are strong enough to stand such an
impact. 1t would be wholesale slaughter
with vengeance. And not so much dan
ger to the switchman, after all. He is
out of reach, isn't hel Would you be in
any danger up in your towerl"
Not the slightest"
"And after the wreck couldn't you
throw the switch back in place to avoid
suspicion2"
Il could throw the switch back, but
the suspicion could not be avoided
You've just said that the poor switchman
is always suspected"
That's so. But 1t could be worked,
nevertheless. You know what I'd like to
do} Write up an imaginative story of
such wreck and make a sensation. 1t
would be tremendous hit"
Il should think So You'd have to
manufacture names and dates and use
fictitious road. 1t would surely be start
ling story The minutiae of the detail
must be such as to carry conviction. DO
you understand the arrangement of the
levers in the towers2o
pretty well, think. Near enough to
fool the public, who know nothing"
well, just keep two signals in view
the red and the white. An remember
that the levers work on ratchets, and
some are painted white and others red
The white signal must be set till the
South bound limited is right on it, then
suddenly thrown to red. That will carry
the train over on the north bound track,
but too late for the engineer to apply the
brakes. Be careful about the schedule
See that both trains are on time, 50 as to
meet at the right point, otherwise you
spoil everything, and put your head in
the moose. You want to kill the whole
outfit In the story, and convert the trains
into scrap iron and kindling wood"
And be sure to allow the switchman
to escape" laughed Bob, who had hith-
erto taken no part in the conversation.
after Strengthening So many people
and destroying so much property" asked
Mrs. Danton over her spectacles.
"Oh, we would work that part of the
story all right, ma'am, said the repor-
ter. He would get off on a plea Of in
sanity. Easiest thing in the world"
Il doubt if it would be right to excuse
him even then" said the good woman.
But you couldn't hang a madman, and
nobody but mailman could be guilty of
such crime"
at will be a great story" Danton said,
nodding his head with an air of satisfied
speculation on it's wonderful possibilities
Get it out. I'D like toread It, Make it
dramatic, graphic, ftragicl / want to see
how you carry 1t through. 1t makes my
flesh creep TO think Of what might be
done every day by the switchmen on the
roads Of the United States. Why, if we
were to band together, and unite upon a
day for slaughter we could kin thou
sands of people. The mere moving of a
lever few inches, and there you are
death and destruction Heaven and hell
Salvation and damnationl"
"Why, my son, | never heard you use
such language before" mildly remon-
strated his mother.
81 feel warmed up, mother" he said,
rising to walk the floor in his enthusiasm.
This thing has never been on my mind
before, but when you come to think of it
the situation is startling. Why are all of
tine switchmen on all of the roads of the
world so faithful Think of the thou
sands who are earning small wages at
throwing the levers, and yet how few
even admit that there is the slightest
possibility of one of them doing GRIM
inal act. Suppose some man with the
idea that the world had wronged him
should go about killing whomsoever
crossed his path} Could there be a
more terrible way Of wreaking his ven
geance than by throwing a switch2 He
might go from road to road wrecking
trains and destroying thousands of lives
If such man were going in for killing he
would want fearful results, great trains
He would not care TO stain his hands with
the blood OF one man. That would look
too much like murder. To kill thousands
is slaughter. There's something attrac-
tive in the idea Samson slew thousands
of the Philistines with the jaw bone of an
ass. That was grand glorious!
sublime! If were going in to
kill it would be butchery, massacre,
carnagel l have no patience with your
midnight assassin, your hot headed muir
derer Give me the COOL calculating viii
lain who can lay his own plot, execute it
in cold blood and, with a grim smile on
his face, see thousands perish by his
hand"
He would have gone on, growing wilder
and wilder in his speech, If the hour for
"Bob's" departure for the tower had not
arrived This broke up the party. Be-
fore leaving the house the reporter prom
Used to get to work at once on the story,
with the understanding that when
finished it should be submitted to Danton
for the correction of any technical errors.
bob" worked solemnly at the levers
from IL till 4. His thoughts usually were
of Margaret, but on this watch they
dwelt on the strange interest Of Danton
in the reporters imaginative article, and
he was obliged to confess to himself that
a review of the evening gave him very
uncomfortable feeling.
Danton slept not at all. but spent most
of the night In restlessness pacing the
floor of his room, and when he went to
the tower at O'Clock TO relieve s'Bob"