The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-11
HELD UP.

no business to write it. 1t belongs to the
railway manager. He ought to tell it,
Dut he won't. A railway manager will
not admit in print that trains are ever
"held up" on his road, whatever NAV
happen on the opposition line. Thus it
comes that have to set down the story,
who should not. Besides cannot write
II down In such way as to indicate the
snap and go OF the narrative told us by
the railway manager, for he was drunk
at the time, and no sober man, with q
pen In his hand, can emulate the elo-
quence of railway manager when the
champagne flows.
VI course sober railway manager
would not tell an incident that might
brighten traffic away from his road, SO
you have to learn these things from them
when they are half seas over. The story
Is strictly true. because l related it to
the manager next day Che was suffering
from headache) and he admitted its
accuracy and said with groan:
81 had no idea I drank SO much rs
that"
He implored me not to tell the story
and will not. merely write it. Hang
man who won't keep his pledged word
The railway runs through Il wild part
of North Carolina, and Tompkins had
been manager Of it for some years. 1t is
picturesque line and gets itself tangled
up among the mountains III the most be-
wildering way. The train puffs and
staggers up awful grades, winds and
TWISTS and doubles on itself in the most
confusing fashion, goes round and round
cuplIke depressions and seems in general
not to know where it is going. But.
ike the person i'll the song it ''gets there
Just the same. The road passes through
some pretty rough settlements, but there
Is civilization and wealth at each end of
The line, and this enables the railway to
pay good salary to the manager, al
though never heard that it so far forgot
itself rs topay any dividends to the share
lrll.~
~ there was Il lot of ma
and as the manager was
IN that direction he or
IS r-ratc car hitched to the noon
Cypress. ;.!i away they went.
y private ear, the manager tells me-
differs from an ordinary coach and is
superior i'll some respects even to the
aristocratic Pullman. A good deal of
course depends OF the manager. If the
managers a prohibition man-but. then.
what is the use of discussing the improb-
able! Tompkins knows them all. and he
says railway manager is content if the
engine drivers and trainmcn are teeto-
talers, without carrying the temperance
fad to extremes. BY extremes Tomp-
klns means the rear end of the train.
where the managers private car is cou-
pied. Anyhow | am given to under
stand that the interior decorations OF
managers car are very fine and eXpen-
slve, including artistic effects in Bur-
gundy, dry champagne, fine delicate
brands of old Kentucky, cigars from
Havana and things of that sort.
The time of this memorable trip was
few days before Christmas, and people
were going east to see their folks, MANY
of the travellers having considerable
amounts of money on them. Besides
this, there were 100000 in the safe of
the express car going through to New
York. This fact made the manager a
trifie anxious, and it was one of the
causes that was bringing him east. How
ever, the train would be out of the noun
tains while it was still daylight, so the
LEU no real aTNletY.
All the nabobs who amounted to any
thing were in his private car, and they
were enjoying themselves rs people
should during that festive season, but
not, if L understand Tompkins Alright,
entirely by admiring the scenery, al
though doubtless that added to their
pleasure.
Just as they were in the toughest part
of the mountains there was wild Shrek
of the whistle, Il sudden clamp of the
airbrakes, and the train, with an alb
ruptness that was Just short of an acct
dent, stopped.
whats up:' cried everybody.
II don't know" said the manager, get
ting little pale around the gills. lyon
all stay hore. and I'll so out and see."
1t need h:ir,,ly bc said that none of the
passengers knew of the money in the ex-
press car.
Thc ,n;,,: .e.opped down from his
private GO; !. q, the rear, and the mo-
menl he .oett & toward the front of the
train io >au TIA. hi, worst fears were
rea!izC , heud of the locomotive
Oh Iii" =; ni,a huge pile of logs and
railway i.t. :ianling around the en-
CINE ;:ls IA, e..i less car was group of
the most vil,Ainous looking mountaineers
the manngcr had ever seen-determined
and desperate men, vino could put a bull
lei III a man half Il mile away. All We're
armed with their long rifles, and two had
their weapons at their shoulders, while
the trembling express messenger and the
engineer stood with their hands above
their boo1S