The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04
BUTTERED THE RAILS.
How Billy Malone Was Outwitted
by Virginia Students.
From the Washington Post.

~ CAuAGhNAs
From the Washington Post.
Gen. BILLY" Malone. the fast-fghting
Virginian, never lowered his flag volun-
tarily in the face of an enemy but once In
his eventful life. That was when a lot of
college students got after him down in
Southwestern Virginia In the early seven
ties. The general was then president of
the lately consolidated line of railway
from Norfolk to Bristol. Within ten miles
of Abingdon, this way, is located the
famous old Methodist college, Emory and
Henry. redolent in name of the piety of
Bishop Emory and the patriotism of Pat
rick Henry. AT the period mentioned
there was salt train that used to pass
the college en- route from Saltville to Bris-
to daily at an hour that enabled the stu
dents to ride on il down to Abingdon
where some of them visited the girls al
the female college of the town. The others
usually visited the local jag foundry, and
returned to college to enliven its classic
quietude with whoops and yells not re-
Quired by the Ciceronian cult of oratory
nor found in the preparatory discipline
for Demost henean defamation.
The college authorities were anxious to
break up the Abingdon excursions, but
they ran by a sort of ancient prescription
and the faculty hesitated to taboo them
outright. They resorted to strategy, and
got Gen. Malone to quietly order the salt
train to scoot past the college station. OBJ
livious 10 all signals and defiant OF past
custom. The first afternoon that the train
frsked by and left the callow collegians
amazed and Disguised they considered II
a mlshap only, due perhaps to some de-
mand Of urgency upon the engineer to
meet a new schedule The second day
they were left in a like plight and this
Nkrrr lt.a,r
tian IN their objurgations. Il was evident
to them that they were the victims OF
conspiracy. A caucus resulted in the send
ing forth Of a special commission TO ferret
out the mystery and spot the miscreants
That evening three Of the boys set out
for saltvile. At Glade Spring they loaded
up with the ticklers OF old Hiram Thomp-
sons best bug-juce. When they reached
SaltWlle they son got the engineer OF the
salt train In tow and headed for Floyd
reserve, whore nightly carousals with
loose and Justly crowd OF countrymen could
be found. The engineer got booty enough
90 give the whole game away. and next
morning the special commissioners report
ed throughout college and campus that
Gen. Malone was In league with the fac
ulty 90 shoot the train and deprive the
boys Of their timc-honored privileges. A
midnight caucus was held by the ring
leaders OF college dcvllment ln general
ana ways ana means proposed TO GlrCum=
vent the doughty general and the faculty
For more than a week there had been a
student riot breeding over n dozen firkins
OF rancid butter that had been imported
by ono OF the college refectories. some
shrcwd student proposed that both griev.
ancos he dealt with at the same time. IL
was resolved 90 bring the butter and the
lullglne" together. and soon the Knockers
up were summoning from their beds the
reliable spirits who could be trusted for
such an adventure as that in hand. A half
hundred willingly responded
IL did not take long 70 force the door OF
the spring house and yank out half A
dozen hrkins OF butter strong enough TO
stall any train In the land A hundred
hands were soon busy spreading the Of
fenslve grease along the rails OF the track
until they were smearcd FOR hn,f a mile
either way from the college station The
last southern express train was duo along
about daylight and the boys washed up