The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-08-07
GRIZZLY BILL.

"Thrilling!n said the Ma jor. well
] should say so. 1t was the most eX
citing thing that ever occurred to me
Why, | can't even think of it now
without shuddering IA little. | was
considerable younger i'll those DAYS
than | am now. At the time | was Il
telegraph operator and dispatcher fol
the Mountain Valley Railroad Com
pany in IL western mining country
1t was II 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 Il railroad
station. 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 IL day passed III Y
lonely station.
ION the fifteenth day of every month
/ received by express for the superin.
tendent of the Ingot Mining Company
the money with which the miners were
paid off. The amount averaged be
tween ST., 900 and SIS, 900 On the 14th
of June in that year the superinten.
dent of the mines came to me and
said:
Perkins, the pay money will be
here tomorrow, us usual, but | want
you to exercise more than ordinary
vigilance in guarding it, us | under,
stand Grizzly Bill is operating III the
mountains again
"GriZZly Bill was a name to inspire
terror. The individual who bore that
r1ntntSiral SnhPinItnt L., ~
great daring and resolution He stop.
ped at nothing. 1t was therefore
quite natural for me to feel some little
trepidation. | assured the superin
tendent, however, that | would do all
IN my power to guard the money, and
| Think continued the major with
some self satisfaction, that kept nv
word in this respect"
During the night which followed
a violent rainstorn swept through he
mountains. Shortly before 10 clock
the next morning received word over
the wire that the train from Pikeville
could not get to Goldton owing to a
washout 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. L 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
before 3 or 10 o'clock the next morning.
| sent word to this effect to the mine
superintendent, who, in turn, com
municated it to the men. Feeling
rather tired | turned in early that
night. Sleep, however, was out of the
question.
1.-The baggage, freight, express and
telegraph offices were all under one
roof. One corner of the big warehouse
Ut was hardly anything else) was par
titioned off so as to make private in
closure. This boxlike compartment |
used for sleeping, eating and transac-
ton of the company's Geographic and
railroad business. The sender and re-
ceiver were affixed to table conven-
iently near my bed, and if necessary il
was possible to transmit or take n
message without even arising. OF
course never found it necessary to do
this; simply mentioned it to illus
trate the arrangement of the Office.
Along towards midnight the tele-
graph instrument began to click. |
heard my call, opened the key and
asked what was wanted. The opera
tor at Pikeville wired back that the
train which had been delayed on ac-
count of the washout had started for
Goldton and would reach there be-
tween 3 and o'clock in the morning.
At precisely 2.45 o'clock the train
steamed iutO Goldton.
The express messenger alighted
and handed me huge and many seal
ed package. 1t contained $1,000.
"'Oh, that isn't ALL said the mes
the car that's as heavy as lead. We've
been wondering all the way up the
mountain what it contained
The box was lifted from the car
and placed on end in the freight de-
partment of the station. 1t was fully
T feet long and wide-horribly sue.
gestive of the rough box in which "A
coffin is inclosed. [ thought of this
after the train had resumed its Jour.
ney. | put the pay money in the safe.
turned the combination lock and re-
tired. | fell into a doZe, from which |
was aroused with II start by what
seemed to be the ticking of the sound
er. 1t said as clear as if some one had
spoken: Beware, Danger threaten
1 sat up in bed. The moon was shin
ing brightly through the window.
gazed intently at the sounder. 1t
made not the slightest motion, yet the
message came again, this time even
more startlingly distinct than before.
What could it possibly mean? /
thought that l was dreaming at first,
but when the mysterious message was
repeated for the third time came to
a different conclusion. Idon't believe
in spiritualism, yet am at loss now
to ascribe that inexplicable communi-
cation to any other source.
AT any rate, upon hearing the
third message my mind instantly re-
yerted to the huge box in the freight
corner. The partitioning of my little
apartment did not extend as high as
the roof, but merely to distance of
about five feet above the level of nv
bed, and by standing on the bed |
could peer over the top and see all
parts of the interior of the station. /