The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-11

wonder. Don't you suppose there are
many switchmen and signalmen on
this road who are mentally weak? 1t
must be so. And when they read of
accidents and their imaginations are
wrought up, / should think some Of
them would 60 crazy or be so tempo
rarily insane as to experiment at the
expense Of the public and the COM
pany. Now. up there at your tower
what a grand opportunity for wild
there at 5.3o-sixty miles an hour! And
there is the split switch. Didn't it
ever fash through your mind what
might happen if You should by any
chance pull the wrong lever at the
critical moment, when the two trains
were within a quarter of a mile of
each other? Ugh! l don't believe /
could stand it. I'd be imagining all
the time how such a crash would look
and sound, and then would come the
temptation to try it just once. My,
what story it would makel"
81 should think so. You'd have to
manufacture names and dates and use
a fictitious road. 1t would surely be a
startling story. The minutia of the
detail must be such as to carry convic-
ton. Do you understand the arrange
ment of the levers in the towers?'
Pretty we'll, think. Near enough
to fool the public. who know nothing"
"Well, just keep two signals in view
the red and the white. And remem.
Der that the levers work on ratchets,
and some are painted white and 9TH
ers 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 care
full about the schedule. See that both
trains are on time, so 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.
1T will be great story" Danton
continued, nodding his head with an
air of satisfied speculation on its won
derful possibilities. Get it out. I'd
like to read it. Make it dramatic
graphic, tragic; 1 want to see how you
carry it 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 kill thousands OF
people. The mere moving of a lever
few inches, and there you are-death
and destruction! Heaven and hell!
Salvation and damnationr'
''Why, my son, never heard you use
such language before" mildly remon-
strated his mother.
Il feel warmed up. mother" he said
rising to walk the floor in his enthu-
siasm. This thing has never been on 4,
my mind before, but when you come to
think of il the situation is startling.
Why are all of the switchmen on all |
Think of the thousands who are earn
ing small wages at throwing the levers,
and vet how few even admit that there |
is the slightest possibility of one Of |
them doing criminal act. Suppose |
some man with the idea that the world |
had wronged him should go about to !
kill whomsoever crossed his path? |
Could there be more terrible way Of |
his vengeance than by throw
ing switch? He might go from road |
to road wrecking trains and destroy |
ing thousands of lives. If such man
were going in for killing he would |
want fearful results, great totals. 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 some
thing attractive in the idea. Samson
slew thousands of the Philistines
with the jaw bone of an ass.
That was grand! glorious. su-
blime! If l were going in to kill
It would be butchery. massacre, |
I have no patience with your
midnight assassin, your hot-headed
murderer. Give me the cool. calculat-
ing villain who can lay down 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. Before leaving the house
The reporter promised to get to work
1t once on the story, with the under
be submitted to Danton for the correc-
ion Of any technical errors.
Bob" worked solemnly at the levers
rom twelve to four. His thoughts
Usually were of Margaret, but on this
watch they d>velt on the strange inter
st OF Danton in the reporters imagin-
tive article. and he was obliged to
confess to himself that a review of the
evening gave him a very uncomforta-
Die feeling.
lDanton slept not at all. but spent
most of the night in restlessly pacing
'he floor of his room, and when he
gent to the tower at four o'clock to
elieve Bob" the latter noticed his
,loocshot eyes and haggard face.
You don't look well, AL he said, !
3 Danton threw off his coat. ran his
we over the levers and looked up AID
Town the track.
''Oh- I'm all right" was the reply.
1 didn't sleep very well and feel
lightly broken up. But I'll make up
or 1T after this watch The Chicago
--n-eSs Is late this morning. I see.