The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-09-28
A MOST DARING EPISODE OF THE WAR;
non PURSUIT Of a STOLGN
LOCOA1OTIVE.
The Capture of an H"sine at BIG

Shan'y Station-.-.Deviccs OF tn
, Eugitivcs and Disastrous End .
the Raid.
Bridgeport iConn) Farmer.
On a day in April, 1863, Il passenge,
train from Marietta, Ca, stopped a
the station Of Big Shanty, eight mile
north and the welcome word passe(
through the ca"s, "tea minutes foi
oreaNtast Out swarmed the pas
sengors, many OF them soldiers of thC
Coufcderacy, ana with the conductor
engineer and brakesman eagerl,
sought the lunch counter. But among
the passengers was group OF civilians
some twenty in number, who seemed
less hungry, and lUitered on the plat
form after the others had vanished in
the rcfreshmcnt room Near the
station was Confederate camp, well
TILED with new recruits, one OF whom
was pacing his beat as sentinel scare a
dozen steps from the engine.
Had he been an old soldier re SEN
try would doubtless have paid more
attention to the movements Of the
civilians, ono OF whom climbed into
the locomotive, group of others into
the empty boX-Car, while another
slipped between two cars and quietly
pulled out the coupling pin. The last
Fof the group nov walked quickly up
the platform, nodded to the man in
tho engine and the cars next behind
1T began to move.
The sentinel, now first convinced
that something was wrong, fired an
alarm shot and the conductor, whose
cars had caught the grind OF the wheel
on the track, rushed hastily out. to
! lind To his aStOuishmcnt aud dismav
| that half the train was running away
! Out poured passengers and traiOmeu.
| full OF helpless anger. Their lOcOmO.
tive had been stolen, there WAS no
other engine within miles, what was
! to he done?
The conductor, evidently not seeing
anything bctter to do, started at full
speed up the track, accompanied by a
railroad mechanic named Murphy.
The effort seemed ludicrous one
two men chasing q locomotive-bu
fortune help those who help them
| selves and fortune came to COndu
Fultcr's aid TIE two men had not
gone far before they cspcd a hand.
car, standing beside the track. Here
was hope. Lifting it by main strength
on the rails, they applied themselves
to the levers and SON were dying up
the track much faster than their feet
could have carried them.
But misfortune succeeded. The car
struck a broken rail and was hurled
from the track, llinging its occupants
into muddy ditch. Up sprang the
conductor, nothing the worse, but
much the more unsightly, from his
bath OF mud. Up sprang Murphy be-
side him. They sprang TO the car,
rlghted it, tugged it again to the track,
and were soon under way again, now
with eyes wide open for further
logacies Of broken rails. Conductor
Fdtier was proving himself man ful.
OF grit. He was bound so run down
that locomotive, even if he had to
crawl on it, track. AT length the
station Of E.owah was reached. Hero
to his delight Fuller found an engine
with steam up, ready for the road He
found soldiers here also, to whom he
hurriedly told his tale OF what he was
sure was a daring Yankee trick and
asked for volunteers. H. got them in
abundance; the engine ana tender
were qui.kly filed With eager allies,
and away went the pursuers now with
effective speed. An effort had also
been made to telegraph the ncws
ahead, but this had failed /; the wires
had evidently been cut.
Fullcr was right in saying that the
piratical party were Yankees. They
were IL band Of daring scouts who had
stcalthily made their way South, their
intention being to stCa. locomotive,
I burn the bridges behind them as they
He'd, and thus make uSeless the only
railroad by which the Confederate
forces could be fastened to Chattanoo-
ga, then threatened by the Union force
under General Mitchell.
So far they had been strikingly sue.
ccssful. They had torn up the rail
whore Fuller and Murphy got their
sOmersault cut the telegraph wire,
and run past station after station,
| stopping here and there for wood and
water. To all questions, the com
mander OF the expedition, James j.
Andrews by name, had but one answer.
81 am taking a train load Of powder
to General Beauregard pointing at
the same time to the closed box cars,
in which. lay his concealed compan-
! ions.
Yet iIl-fortunc awaited them. They
had hit upon the wrong day. Yester
day they would have found a clear
track. To-day the road ahead was
blocked with trainS hurrying south
ward. Mitchell had taken Huntsville
Chattanooga was in danger of capture.
Everything movable vas being rushed
quickly south. Trouble first came at
KinstOn, a station thirteen miles from
Big Shanty. Andrews drew his car
on siding, to let pass an expected
local train, hoping after it bad passed
to End a clear track to Chattanooga.
1t came, halted, and on its last car
waved a red flag. the signal that an
other train was following.
" How is this ~ Andrews asked the
conductor, in sharp tones. MY
orders are to take this powder North
without delay. Why 10 the road
blocked ?
"Mitchell is coming TO Chattanooga" :"
was the reply. We are getting
everything we can out Of it,"
This looked serious. How many
trains might there be in the rear =!
The expected train came. TO their
dismay the fatal red nag loated on its
rear. Another train; still the rcd
flag. An hour OF intense anxiety
passed before the blockade was broken
Then a train passed without the
: danger signal, and the fugitives with
renewed hope, drew out from theil
place OF peril. Yet their delay haC
been long Pursuit might be neal
at hand. Stopping the train they
sprapg out, and began hurriedly t(
tear up q rail. AS they worked
, sound of fateful Owmen came to thei
, ears, the shrill whistle Of locomotive
+ Like giants the alarmed scout
worked. The rail yielded it bent; il
} o few minutes more it would be loose
hat tlNf,. NtFN.xt n