The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-29

travelled without any feeling of fatigue.
But about IL o'clock the heat of the sun
become oppressive: the wind whirled the
dense smoke from the engine backwards
into my face, and the dust made by the
train laundering along enveloped me In a
continuous cloud, and yet my object was
to look. watch, see and act on the instant.
The railroad, following the tortuous course
OF the Hudson river, as every one who has
Travelled on 1t knows, IS very crooked; with
many short curves at close intervals so
that with the Yalise In one hand and with
the other firmly grasping the railing OF the
car, it was more and more difficult. as ] be-
came more and more exhausted, to main
tain my hold on the platform OF the car.
The valise had now become as heavy as
lead although it contained nothing but the
letter that was designed 10 reach The alb
ductors, and / became so wearied out that.
after standing on one foot and then on the
other, after changing the Valise from one
hand to the other and then back again,
after taking every possible position consist
ent with an approach TO comfort, felt that
/ must give up and sit down in the car, but
the constant thought was present with me,
If you do you Will miss the signal And
yet greater strain was on my brain than
on my body, 10 say nothing of the dead
weight upon my heart.
AS the train wound along around hill,
bank and tree, each instant that rail-
road fagman appeared waving his white
or red flag, as a signal TO the passing train,
l involuntarily braced myself TO throw off
the valse. So swiftly sped the train that
there was but an instant TO decide whether
the man had bell or not. and momentar-
lily l was on the point of dropping lie va
lise. Notwithstanding the necessity Of keep
ing constant lookout, and In spite Of the
fact that a few moments inatteGtion might
render the whole expedition void, / was
more than once on. the point of giving up
from utter inability to keep my feet. And
when Albany came in sight / was so glad
and thankful for the moment / lost sense
of the disappointment which soon after
returned to me with aggravated Intensity
Begrimed with smoke and dust arrived
in Albany about l o'clock without seeing
the man waving white flag in one hand
and ringing a bell with the otner-the sig
nal which the writer of the letter stated
| should see on this memorable trip"
No letter was found at Albany addressed
to G. K. Walter as promised by the abduc-
tors, but this, it was afterwards claimed.
was owing to a misrepresentation as TO Mr..
Ross's departure Be that as il may ii IS
giving the thieves, who had thus far dis
played so much ability in keeping secret
their whereabouts and the hiding place OF
the missing boy, too much credit Tor stu
pidity in believing that even if they Were
prepared to display the signal, they would
not have discovered. what was so plainly
apparent to the sleeping car porter, that
Mr. Ross, acting under advice, had pro-
vded himself with two guards in violation
of the chief condition imposed by the rob
bers. 1t was a fool errand and an impotent
conclusion
But it was only one of many missteps in
the vain attempt TO solve the Ross mystery.