Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-06-11

had bound my arms and legs NO that was
helpless. What strength and skill this del
cato looking woman had could fccI tho
thin cord almost Penetrating my flesh.
Yet In my state OF stupor accepted it as
necessity, and offered, or, more proper
ly, was able To offer no opposition
She then, with another rope, hsbod me
To one Of the dividing scat arms. Still !
was silent and unrcsisting
My feelings were quiescent ] had moth
Ing OF tho horrible sensation Of nightmare,
where the mind reyolts, but paralysis
cramps action.
She now took up the strange looking In
strument, which felt would be utilized
on me, and the service of which was excit-
ing In my mind great curiosity. IL may
seem strange 20 tho reader, but II IL fact
that, with tightly stretched cord biting in
to my flesh, my whole thoughts were con
ccntrated on tho strange looking instru-
ment lying on the seat by the woman's
side.
Tho reason of Its presence was not long
to be I'm doubt She took IL, and again
bending over me forced open my mouth
and fixed the instrument. IL was gag
1 submitted TO all this, strange TO say,
had was n slight curiosity TO what she
would do 10 me noxt, but no wonder as
to tho purpose or end she had In view
struck me.
She stood over mo for second or two,
contemplating her handiwork. Evident
ly satisfied, she took down another parcel
from the rack, which she unfastcned with
her back turned toward me and which she
placed on tho seat, covering 1t with brown
paper.
She then sat down on the seat, and re-
moving the slight, delicate shoes she wore
replaced them by heavy boots, which had
evidently been among tho contents OF the
parcel. Next she caught up her skirt and
fastened 1t around her waist so as TO leave
the lower part of her legs free.
She rose, and putting each foot success
sively on the seat fastened a strong leather
pad over each knee.
She placed her shoes In her pocket and
again let down the window little.
1t had come on to snow, and large flakes
were blown into the carriage.
In my cramped position the cold was
numbing me, and almost fancied there
was look Of compassion In her eyes az
for second she turned toward me. But
she was bound ON action and had no time
-"
to spare.
Taking under her short mantle the ar
ticle she had placed on the seat of the car
riage, she opened the door on the near side
and stepped out on the footboard.
The express was running on the extreme
rails of the railroad. A ditch bordered the
way at not more than n foot from the out
side rail AS have said, snow was falling
in large flakes.
From outside she closed the carriage
door, and her face disappeared from the
window.
Suddenly the train jolted, as trains run
ming at express speed occasionally do, and
shortly after loud explosion struck my
ear. j remembered no more till conscious
ness came back to me with sense of acute
pain. The train had reached Crewe, a por-
ter had looked into the carriage where
was, assistance had been summoned, and
was being freed from my bondage.
1t was some time before could give an
account Of the incidents OF my eventful
journey, and even then my recital was re-
ceived with somo skepticism. No trace of a
woman could be found on the line, and
surely she could not have escaped unin-
jured, in spite of her knee pads.
"Who had the engaged saloonY' asked.
"The Russian ambassador" was the re-
ply.
"There was an explosion" asked. at
might have been "a nihilistic plot-the wo-
man was q foreigner.
''Well, IL she was, she was blown to
pieces by her own bomb"
When the snow cleared away a place
was discovered in the hedge on the outside
of the ditch where the wood had been evi-
IDENTIFY blown away and blasted, but not
the smallest trace Of the mysterious wo-
man was ever discovered.
was sure 1 had been drugged by means
Of the cigarette, and that the fair plotter
was fully prepared not to be interrupted
In her scheme If any one at the last mo-
ment got into the carriage she had selected.
concluded that the nonsuccess Of her
diabolical plan had been happily brought
about by the jolt of the train, which had
caused her to lose her footing as she crept
along the footboard to hurl the bomb into
tho carriage occupied by the Russian en-
bassador, and that 1t had really been a
case of "the engineer being hoisted by his