The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-19

ca~e Pretty seaee,io.i.s His Life
While HanAcu3ea to q Prisoner.

ca~e Pretty se.S61,to.i.s HI. Life
While HandcuRea to . Prisoner.
A reporter recentlyRd1Sjh a trip along the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad in Virginia
noticed sheriff get 81 the train with with
cuffed. says the Washington Star. The
incident drew him into conversation with
the brakeman. an interesting sort Of chap,
who was a good tahef:
'That sort Of thing. 'nsaid the brakeman.
nodding toward the station where the sheriff
had got of and referring. Of course. to the
circumstance of the handcuffs. "looks safe
and may be Is, but don't want to get my
self mixed up in no kind Of combination
like that"
IAN officer gets used to It," suggested the
writer.
II didn't" responded the brakeman, with
extreme succinctness.
do brakemen have to arrest prisoners
and carry them into captivity" inquired
the writer. with some degree Of surprise.
1T was this away" said the brakeman.
falling into the peculiar southern pro-
vincialism. this away" II didn't always
use to be a brakeman. My daddy didn't
exactly know what profession to put me to
when was boy, SO he thought he'd look
about little till he found something that
would fit. 1 had done all kinds of odd jobs
up to the time I was Is. and, being a great
strapping big fellow. my daddy at last got
me q job kind Of subdeputy to the
sheriff of the county. who was q friend Of
my daddy's. l took to 1t easy and being
big and strong came handy when there
was any prisoners to be tOted around to
Richmond. or from one courthouse to an
other. I suppose I had made six or eight
trips of that kind, and, Of course. following
the customs of the country. l always went
with the prisoners handcuffed to me. SO /
could have him ready when called for. One
day we got notice at our place to look out
for man that had done murder down
about Richmond some place, and 1 set out
doing my first detective work. don't brag
but In about three days we had our man,
and we got orders to bring him in. 1t was
only three hours run. and the sheriff and
me started out about O'Clock in the eve
ming with me handcuffed to the prisoner.
I'VE was feeling good. that is the sheriff
and me. for there was a reward in it. and
we didn't make 1t any harder on the pris-
oner than we could helr, for he was dread
full blue and seemed dead sorry that he had
done wrong. After we had been riding
along for an hour, reckon the sheriff said
what was the matter with going out into
the smoking car and trying a smoke, and the
prisoner fairly jumped at the chance. The
sheriff went in front. with the prisoner next
and me swinging to the back. The sheriff
cautioned us to be careful in crossing the
platforms for the train was going thirty
miles or more and the coaches were ordinary
light ones that rocked a good deal. We
crossed the platform all right, and then, just
as the prisoner was about to step into the
car after the sheriff he made a quick turn
and jumped from the platform, dragging me
after him of course"
What happened during the next half
hour l only know by hearsay for all I
remember was a whiz and thud against
something soft. and that was the end Of me
until I came to half AN hour later. The
prisoner, however, was dead. as he intend
ed, but he hadn't got me- as in falling I
had dropped square Oh top of him and
hadn't bone broke except the bone in the
wrist that was through that COMPOUNDED
hanccuff. The jar was enough to lay me
up for a week, and when got over 1t I
told my daddy that p7reckoned had got
all wanted of that profession and he let
me resign. I've beentsM the railroad pro-
fession about dozena years now, and one
Of these days if aint riding in a private
car it will be because the man that owns
1T hasn't invited me ltos get aboard. See.'
and the brakeman grinned as he carefully
rubbed a knot In his wrist as if he thought
he might massage it straight once more.