Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-08-15
GRIZZLY BILL.

GRIZZLY BILL.
"Thrilling?" said the major. well,
should say so. 1t was the most excit-
ing thing that ever occurred to me.
Why, 1 can't even think of it now
without shuddering little. | was con-
siderably younger in those days than /
am now. At the time / was telegraph
operator and dispatcher for the Noun
tain Valley Railroad company III west
err mining country. 1t was wild and
lawless country, and was not much in
love with my place, but being poor /
was obliged to accept the conditions
with the best possible grace.
".Goldton, where | was located, was
really nothing more than railroad sta
ton. 1t was not on the main line of the
Mountain Valley railroad, but on a spur
which ran to the Ingot mines. Travel
was not very extensive, in fact, but one
train day passed my lonely station.
vi tHC vi Gfti9
/ received by express for the superin-.
tendent of the Ingot Mining company
the money with which the miners We're
paid off. The amount averaged between
SIS, 900 and $500 On the 14th Of
June in that year the superintendent of
the mines came to me and said;
"'Perkins, the pay money will be
here tomorrow, as usual, but want you
to exercise more than ordinary vigilance
in guarding it, as | understand Grizzly
Bill is operating in the mountains
again.
'Grizzly Bill was a name to inspire
terror The individual who bore that
unmusical sobriquet was an outlaw of
great daring and resolution. He stopped
at nothing. 1t was therefore quite
natural for me to feel some little trepi-
dation. I assured the superintendent,
however, that I would do all in my
power to guard the money, and / think, I"
continued the major with some self sat
isfaction, that | kept my word i'll this
respect.
During the night which followed. a
violent rainstorm swept through the
mountains. Shortly before 10 O'Clock
the next morning received word over
the wire that the train from Pikeville
could not get to Goldton owing to a
washont below Summit Rock. 1t was
thought that the track could be made
passable by afternoon and that the train
would reach my station before 6 o'clock.
! communicated these facts to the mine
superintendent by means of an assistant
who was always at the station during
the day.
AT o'clock that evening / received
a message saying that it would be i'm
possible for the train to get through be.
fore or 10 O'Clock the next morning.
sent word to this effect to the mine
superintendent, who, in turn, commune
Gated it to the men. Feeling rather tired
I turned in early that night Sleep.
however, was out of the question.
1.-THE baggage, freight, express and
telegraph offices We're all under one
roof. One corner of the big warehouse
lit was hardly anything else) was parti-
toned off SO as TO make a private in
closure. This boxlike compartment
used for sleeping. eating and the trans
action of the company s Geographic and
railroad business. The sender and re
ceiver were affixed to a table conven
iently near my bed. and if necessary i
was possible to transmit or take mes
sage without even arising. OF course
never found it necessary to do this;
simply mention it to illustrate the ar
rangement of the Office.
"Along toward midnight the telegraph
instrument began to click. | heard N,
call. opened the key and asked wha
was wanted. The operator at Pikevill
wired back that the train which ha'
been delayed on account of the Washon
had started for GoIdton and woul,
reach there between 3 and A o'clock il
the morning. At precisely 2 40 o'clocl
the train steamed into Goldton.
''The express messenger alighted an
handed me huge and many scale
package. 1t contained 81, 800.
sob, that isn't all, said the mes
senger with laugh. I have box i
the car that 5 as heavy as lead. View
been wondering all the way up th
mountain what it contained
1.-THE box was lifted from the car an
| placed on end in the freight department
| of the station. 1t was fully fee
long and wide-horribly suggestiv
of the rough box in which coffin is in
| closed, I thought of this after the trail
had resumed its journey. put the pa
! money in the safe, turned the combine
ton lock and retired. fell into doze
! from which [ was aroused with star
by what seemed to be the ticking Of ia
sounder. 1t said as clear as if some on
had spoken: 'Bewarel Danger threat
ems I sat up in bed. The moor wa
shining brightly through the window.
gazed intently 1t the sounder 1t mad
| not the slightest molten, yet the messag
came again, this time even more stan
tlingly distinct tnssn before. What couI
| it possibly mean? | thought that wa
dreaming at first. but when the mystic
rious message was repeated for the thir
time came to different conclusion.
don't believe in spiritualislns> yet ! ar
at a loss now to ascribe that inexplscabl
communication to any other s0ugce.
At any rate, upon hearing theNthlr
message my mind instantly reverted I
the huge box in the freight corner. Til
partitioning Of my little apartment al
not extend as high as the reof, hu
merely TO distance OF about fire Zee
above the level Of my bed. and b
standing ON the bed could peer owe
the top and see all parts Of the interic
Of the station / rose stealthily to a
erect position and looked over the edg
Of the partition. The first thing sal
was the box, standing on end near
window in the extreme end RI tho sts
tion. and as / looked saw It's top slow
lyrise and man i head protrude itsel'
It was q thick. brntaiized face. wit
prizzlsd whiskers Instantly Il aashe
across my mind that il belonged