The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-20
FIGHT WITH A MADMAN

rear, one smoker. | was in the latter,
and it was night. At each end a fit
full and Pickering light family illumin-
ated the eXtremities of the car and
intensified the darkness of the rest of
it. The only other occupant was
man at its further end, who sat directly
under the light with his back toward
me
I I had been smoking furiously for half
an hour, trying to subdue, in the solace
of tobacco, the veXation caused by the
irritating slowness of the train as it
ratified YEARLY along. For lack of any
thing better to do, 1 pressed my face
against the window pane and tried to
decipher objects in the outside black
ness through which we were moving.
Ghosts of telegraph poles fitted by in
regular procession; the rails of a par
allel track seemed to be racing with
the train and keeping up with it; oc-
casional lights, few and far between,
told when a farmhouse was passed.
This was neither exciting nor enter
tanning, and l turned from the dreari-
ness without TO that within. Then L
noticed that the man at the further
end had his arm thrown over the back
of the seat and his face was turned to-
ward me
The conductor, with his lantern on
his arm, entered at this moment and
proved a temporary diversion. Was
the train late? Yes, but the time would
be made up before we reached the
terminus. We had a couple of freight
cars to drop at the next station and
a couple to take on, but the delay
would be slight. The conductor walked
the length of the car. returned, and
int T
began to nod. My cigar fell from my
fingers, and 1 leaned sleepfly over on
my travelling bag beside me. 1 dozed
for awhile until awakened by a jerk
from the train. l looked ahead and
saw my fellow passenger He still had
his arm over the back of the seat and
he appeared to be gazing steadfastly in
my direction. l noticed he was not
in the same seat as before, but in one
three or four nearer my end of the car
| was just wondering how long I had
been asleep and how long he had been
watching me, when | saw him STEALTH
ly step into the aisle and sink into the
next seat in my direction, his arm over
its back and his face toward me as be-
fore. | was thoroughly awake and Curl
GUS now, and little Uneasy to boot.
He had gotten into the dark shadows
of the car, and all l could discern was
his form and the indistinct .vhite disk
of his face. Two minutes, and again
a catlike movement and change of seat
1 leaned back, feigned sleep, and
watched him through partly closed
eyelids. This. however, seemed to re-
assure him, for he advanced two seats
IN quick succession. l counted the
backs of the seats. He was still six
away from me. For moment l felt
inclined to get up and leave the car
L would Tot have admitted that I
was afraid, but there was something
decidedly uncanny about the mysteri-
Gus approach Of the stranger in that
darkened car, and L began to develop
a rather healthy anxiety. Besides, [
had forgotten my revolver when leav-
ing home. Had the conductor entered
1 would have been grateful. Still 1 was
determined to see what the mans OBJ
Ject might be. AS the rays from the
light in my end of the car fell upon
him, l was better able to make him
out. could see he was a man of about
my own age and physique, with pierre
ing black eyes in which 1 thought [
could detect suspicion that l was not
asleep AS l watched him advance,
seat by seat, I wondered if he would
attack me, and, if so. how 1 should re-
pei it. My nerves are pretty good but
Strange
as it may seem. even during those cri-
teal moments, while L watched him
as alertly as he did me, the monoton-
Gus rattle of the train got into my
head and compelled me to keep note
of its regular but unmusical time
beat.
Clack. clack, clickity-clack; click.
click, clackity-click-he was but two
seats away-clack, clack. clickIty-clack
he was in the seat Immediately in
front of me, his face not three feet from
my own-click, click, clickity-
L could stand it no longer; 1 opened
my eyes and met his gaze. A long mo-
ment and then:
'Well?" from me-
You are my brother William"
1t was not a question but an affirm
alton. solemnly and slowly made.
You are mistaken" 1 began, i'm
relieved, Il
You are my brother William" he re-
peated. fiercely, ''and I shall punish
you as you punished me-"
At lhis juncture, without any &C
countable reason, he paused as if
listening, arose, and walked swiftly
back to his seat at the extreme end
Of the car. Thereupon the door opened
and the conductor stood beside him.
AT once he gave him a long and ap-
animated recital. Several
times he pointed at me-
The railway official came down the
aisle, stopped and looked at me Gu
riously.
Conductor" said 1, that man is a.
lunatic"
In a. few words I detailed the actions
and the declaration of my fellow pas /
5enger.
The conductors expression of curl
osity changed to one of amazement.
Why said he, I've just been told /
you did all that yourself. Are you both
was so astounded that could think
OF nothing to say, and sat there look |
ing at the conductor in an incompar-
able stupid way. That functionary /
studied me obviously for awhile, !
glanced back at the other man, and |
then, evidently concluding we were /
Doth harmless, left the car
Inc extraordinary passenger now re- !
manned passively in his seat, with his !
back toward me. In a short while the |
train stopped. l looked out, but could /
discover no railway station. A brake !
man rushed by me and uncoupled the |
forward freight cars, which the engine !
pulled away to the station, a quarter of |
/ mile distant, leaving the two pas
'enger cars standing alone on the |
plain.
The man ahead did not move. |
turned to my bag for a second to get a. |
fresh cigar, and when / looked again |
my man had disappeared. 1 could not |
oelleVe it possible for him to have left |
he car within that incredibly short |
space OF time, and / arose quickly and |
started to go forward. Almost instant
y a couple of bullets whizzed past nv
head and crashed through the glass