The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-25
DEVAL,S ESCAP :,

1t was red-letter day in my life
when | was first put in charge Of
passenger" I'd worked my way up
by successive stages from the post Of
cleaner in the sheds, and, being always
a steady-going young fellow, had
reached the topmost rung of the ladder
sooner than NEST. There was, per-
haps. an extra incentive in my case,
as l was counting little girl who was,
she had told ne, only waiting till
earned enough to make me the hap
piest of men.
To be sure, I had a rival. Ernest
Deval by name. who was something
in the city" and possessed the SNOWY
attractiveneSs and the art Of insidious
fattery which sometimes lure tickle
minded women to forsake the true
metal for the glittering dross. I must
own he occasioned me some slight
cause for jealousy, still, secure in the
knowledge OF our mutual love and
knowing Alice to be a sensible little
girl, 1 was on the whole as happy DIS
most chaps who see their sweethearts
but once or twice a week.
She had told me on more than one
occasion that she wanted nothing to
do with him, but in spite of her OBJ
vious dislike he persisted in persecul-
ing her with his attentions, and only
the day before the incidents happened
which 1 am about to relate, had found
it necessary myself to display the fin
ger of Alice to him with my ring upon
it, to his ill-concealed chagrin and evil
dent modification.
49,
ordered to take out the sleeping saloon
express to the north. My mate had
secured the couplings, the old engine
was painting and snorting like q thing
of life, as if eager for the coming
journey, and the hustle on the plat
form had subsidized. The signals were
right and l had my hand on the throt-
tie only waiting for the right awayI'
when, just as the green light was dis
played, a cab ratified into the station,
from which an excited man hastily
jumped. Flinging some money to the
driver, he rushed along the platform
and sprang into the first compartment
of the train, the next one to the en-
sine, just as l pressed the lever and
my fireman had looSened the brake.
We had hardly begun to move when
another man, who had been waiting
on the station, in the shadow of
pillar, and 1 knew as Detective Jobson,
of Scotland yard, Sprang to the car
riage and calculating, Thought 1
should nab you here my beauty" en-
deavored to enter. 1 was busy get
ting under way, but my mate told me
that the man in the carriage struck the
detective in the face and forced him
off the footboard. His hat flew off IN
the struggle and fell between the plat
form and the moving train, but the
1o+oV 20 IA.e
ry, was up again in an instant. and
though the carriages were flying past
him, he Sprang upon the foOtboard Of
the last coach, needing not the cries
of the excited porters and terrified on
lockers; and just as the train cleared
the platform he saw the guard lean
forward from the open door, ana
grasping the man by the arms, assist
him into the van.
The fugitive in the first coach saw
the detectives disappearance also, and
his bloodless face bleached a shade
paier.
Great snakesw exclaimed the fire
man, drawing in his breath with a
sharp hiss, that was a narrow shave.
JobsOn means to have that chap some
how, and have him he will. L wonder
what he's wanted for. He'll never
reach the landing stage this journey,
that's dead cert!'
Crewe right enough. Poor beggar! He
made a desperate fight for it, anyhow"
The sleeper" as we called it, was
timed straight through to Crewe with
out stop, doing the 15S miles in three
hours and five minutes. There we left
it to another engine which would be in
waiting to take it up" express later
in the morning. I knew that as soon as
I'VE reached Crewe there would be a
crowd of policemen waiting to search
the train from end to end. Jobson
was up to his work, and the telegraph
would be clicking its warning message
moment or two after we had passed
through the first station.
1t was not the only capture, by any
means, 1 had witnessed this astute
officer make, and the despairing faces
OF the men, robbed of the last hope
of escape, the shadow Of the criminals
cell already upon them, came into my
mind as we rushed past Willesden, and
looking backward for a moment in the