Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-06-10
HAD NEVER SEEN A TUNNEL.
Jumped From the Train as the Engin,
Entered the Hole:

Jumped From the Train as the Engine
Entered the Hole:
A correspondent of the Philadelphia
Times writes from Colorado Springs as
follows:
"Im from Missouri, and they'll
have to show mel"
That is what John Duffer, of Pike
County, Mo-, remarked this morning
as he was being patched up in the
Office of DIR. Creighton at Manitou.
His face and hands were badly
scratched where they had come in con-
tact with the sharp gravel, there was u
bruise over one eye where his head
had struck against a fragment of Pixies
Peak, one elbow felt like tarnation
wildcat had clawed it," and there was
general feeling of soreness pretty
much everywhere, as he explained it
to the doctor, but he was alive and
thankful.
John had jumped from the platform
of Colorado Midland passenger train,
above Manitou, while laboring under
mistake as to the destination of the
train, which appeared to be plunging
into the mountain side.
"You don't catch me lettin' 'em run
me into the ground with any of their
trains, when I've got through ticket
to Cripple Greek in my pocket" he re-
marked, as the doctor took another stitch
in his scalp and adjusted an artistic
court plaster single on the swelling
dome over his right eye. "I'm pretty
badly peeled up, but you bet I'm still
on top, and that's where I'm going to
stay" And John Duffer took a good
sized bite out of mammoth piece of
navy plug which he dug out of his
pocket, and relapsed into momentary
silence, though his jaws worked faster
than ever.
" You see, doc" said the Missouri
ian, as he deluged the gas log in the
doctors fireplace with the overflow
from his lips, II was agoing over to
Cripple Greek to see what those gold
mines look like, where they shovel up
the stuff into wagon and let her go
at that, and find chunks of gold in the
rocks. l had my grip and a bucket of
grub in the car, and just after the
train left the depot went out on the
platform to look at the mountains
Down on one side was holler, and
up Ell tother side was hill that /
couldn't see to the top of, and on all
sides was mountains, and couldn't
see how the train was ever going to
dodge them all. The little shelf the
train was running on kept wiggling
through them hills like snake in a
pillow field, and then I looked ahead
and saw where hill had been split
plumb down to the ground to let the
railroad through, and that was oil
right, because could see daylight on
the other side. And then when the
train went through that split in the
hill il switched around kinder to one
side, and could could see the track
ahead of the engine, and then l saw
big white mountain all covered with
snow sticking clear up into the clouds,
and nobody knows how much further,
and the next thing / knowed the
engine give screech like she was
most scared to death, and I looked
quick and the whole business was
going PUNK into hole in the ground.
And then jumped. Came near get
ting killed, but l fooled 'em that trip.
You don't catch me running up against
any game that l don't know anything
about, and 1 amt going into any
thing that / don't know the way
out of. Then 1 came down town to
get patched up, and I'm going to
Cripple Creek some other way, even if
l have to walk"
And what became of the train p
asked the doctor, who had been feeling
of buffers ribs to see if they were all
in place, didn't they stop for you p
"Stop nothing The last saw of
the thing it was still going into the
hole, and 1 didn't care whether it ever
stopped or not. 1 wasn't on it. Say,
do you reckon could get my bucket
back if they get them out?"
1t took considerable time and the
testimony of several witnesses to con-
vince Mr.. Duffer that the entire train
and its contents were not hopelessly
buried in the interior of Pixies Peak,
and quite little crowd accompanied
him to the station, where Agent Dun
away telegraphed to Cascade to return
one lunch pail and grig labeled John
Duffer, Pike county, Missouri.
And as he left the station to fill up
on ''free soda billing right out Of the
ground" Mr.. Duffer explained once
more: "When the train ran into the
hole I thou0ht we'd never see day-
light again, and my only chance was
to jump, and 40 jumped. I'm from
Missouri, and you'll have to show