The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-06-09
THE LIGHTNING s WORK.
1T BROUGHT DEATH TO THE
TRIUMPHANT ROBBER.
Vow tho Express Package Was Saved
slaughter Planned by Desperate to
Gain Possession of n Largo Sum of
Money-Tho Strange Woman.

way station on the Northern Pacific
railroad. My duties consisted in
signalling tho trains that passed by
my door. selling tickets and acting
as telegraph operator.
The weather had been so excess
sively hot that had been compelled
to lay aside all superluous garments
and to do my work in my shirt
sleeves. 1t was just such day as
always closes with a heavy thunder
storm, and about o'clock the
thunder pealed out with heavy re-
verberations, and tho lightning was
fairly binding.
For half an hour the storm con-
tinued with undated fury, and ali
along the track little rivers of rain
water were surging and rushing.
The afternoon had grown suddenly
dark, and it was impossible to dis
Germ an object twenty yards Off The
usual time for the arrival of tho
evening express had passed., and
still no indication OF her coming had
been received. l was growing an
xious.
When the small Office clock struck
9, could stand it no longer, but,
donnIng my cloth cap and coat,
opened the door TO sally forth again.
AS | did so the shrill shrek OF q
woman greeted my astonished ears.
In the gloom / saw q woman stag
gering along the track
whats the matterp" / inquired,
II
mand.
"For heavens sake. come quick"
she snrieked wildly. Come quick!
The train has run off the track! All
are lost-ny husband-my child:
dead--dead!"
helped her up onto the platform
and told her to hurry into tho sta
tion house and wait until my return.
Then, with lantern in hand, start
ed off on o run toward the scene of
the disaster. 1t was barely quar-
ter of milo to the crossing, but it
seemed ages to me before | reached it.
All was quiet: not moan or shrek
OF any kind could be heard Tho
storm still ragged around. l looked
down the embankment, expecting to
see heap Of broken, twisted iron,
mixed up with tho dead and dying
passengers, but there was no sign OF
u railway wreck
| turned my face in the direction
of the station once more, and began
running with all my strength. AS /
hurried along | glanced occasionally
at the line to SEQ if it was in good
condition. When | reached the now
switch, which was used for siding
trains, suddenly stopped. The
switch was turned. While / was
still wondering ut the strange con-
dition of things | heard the long,
shrill shrek of the belatcd and, as |
supposed, wrecked express The
next moment the headlight of the
engine rushed in sight around the
curve and made long path of light
along the line. There was evidently
no accident, but there would be in o
few moments il the switch was not
turned back. This could be done IN
one way only-by reaching tho sta
ton before the train reached tho
switch, and turning the heavy lever
that connected the two. Could | do
itP | started for the station on the
dead run.
do not know how reached it.
was dimly conscious Of running
blindly through tho darkness, STUN
bling against the rails, finally leap
ing upon the platform and seizing
the iron lover desperately in both
hands just as tho wheels rum bled
over the fatal place. The evening
express did not usually stop ut the
station. but merely slowed up to see
if there wore any passengers, But
before could recover from my ex-
element the long line of black
coaches was brought to standstill
and the conductor was hurrying
toward me.
Jim" he said, ''take this pack
age ana lock it up in the safe until
called for. BE very careful of it, for
it is something valuable. | will ex-
plain later" Ho showed small,
heavy parcel into my hands, boarded
the train and away it sped / drop
ped into q chair in the station com
pletely bewildercd. The parcel lay
before me. There were no signs OF
the woman who had started me off
to find tho wrecked train. re-
manned seated in my chair, staring
briskly at the wall for probably ten
minutes. A thousand thoughts and
coniectures flashed through my brain
during that time, and then. as l in
voluntarily turned my head, start
ed back with nervous jump. In
the doorway stood the woman who
had told me about the accident.
Good heavens!" cried, what 10
the meaning OF this?"
"You see that little paper on the
table, which your friend, the con-
ductor, let you keep for him?"
laid my hand upon the parcel and
gave her sinister look. ..Well,
what of itp" / asked.
cit contains q sum of money any
where between $4,000 and so, 00o.
''Indoed?" said l contemptuously.
YES. 1t was to be sent East to-
day. and as two or three of us got
wind OF the affair we concluded to
stop it. BY some strange mistake