The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-07
VALORATSHADY RILL
4 BRUSH BETWEEN RAILROAD MEN
AND BuSHWHACKERS.
frainmen Who Saved the Ladies' OF ~
Good Old Southern Family From "a
Band of Marauders-Comedy Contrib
uted by a Negro Servant and "a Fireman.

/
him off, and he would race up and down
the track in order to pump her " for
there were no injectors on the locomotives
in 1862. All day the conductor sat in the
caboose where an operator was working,
expecting orders to back away, for the
Johnnies were getting the better of the
Hanks. Once, when the engineer went
down the track into the pine forest, he saw
band of bushwhackers riding leisurely |
through the wood in the direction of Shady |
Rill. These were not men of the north
nor yet of the south. They were maraud
ers, murderers, masquerading as soldiers
and equally dangerous to each army The |
engineer told the conductor what he had |
seen, and, taking couple of muskets and |
one of the brakemen, the captain put |
himself into the wood tank and set out to |
hunt the bandits. 1t was an odd way to |
go to work, but the conductor considered |
it better than remaining at the run to be |
plundered, if not murdered by the band. |
The bushmen must have heard them COM
ing for they were sitting on their horses,
still as statues, when the old wood burner
came creeping round a curve, her links
and chains rafting like dray on cobble-
stones.
Haiti" cried the leader, and the en-
gincer hooked her over.
"What do you wantf" demanded the
conductor.
What have you got?" asked the bush
man.
The negro fireman must have seen the
humur of the mans reply, for he poked
his head round tho corner of the cab and
laughed laugh that seemed to come from
the very bottom of his bare feet. 1t filled
the forest and ripplcd away down the
wood like the song of a reaper reaping In
valley near the hills
"Fo' de Lawd, dat am funny, said the
negro, wiping his eyes.
Nothing that you can have, said the
conductor back at the bushinan.
Immediately the negro opened his mouth
and began to ripple again, but this time
! the flow of his mirth was broken by tbs
sound of muskcts. Bang, bang went tho
| guns of the marauders, and the negro,
| changing his laugh To IA cry of pain, fell
upon the deck and begged the brakeman
| to shoot him.
"I'zc done killed. Fo' de Lawd lzo
shot plumb frew dc hat.
"Then die, you crazy niger, shouted
the brakeman. Think I'm going to
waste load on your"
When tho conductor and the brakeman
had emptied their guns at tho gang, the
engineer opened the throttle and backed
away with the bullets rafting on his front
end and smashing tho glass in the cab
windows.
Upon arriving at Shady Rill they found
that only the tip of one of the Negroes fin
gers had been shot away, and when TIT
engineer had bathed the finger in black
oil bound it up with a rag and kicked the
negro three or four times the fellow was
; able to take his place at the furnace door
The conductor instructed the operator
, to rcport what had taken place to the army
officer in charge of the railway, and thoi
went over to the Shady Rill plantation t
warn the women there of the coming O
the bushwhackors He had been over ono
or twice for supplies, which were given, !
| not grudgingly, reluctantly, for how wcr
J these moor women, whose fathers ana nus
hands and brothers were down there wher
3. the steady, monotonous booming OF can
non spoke of danger and death, TO shli
upon the people of the northY THESE me
were come into the country the Wome
c were able to persuade themselves, to tax
r the property of the people and lay the coul
try waste. so now, when the conductu
lifted his hat in the presence OF the ven
!. cradle dame and her proud daughter u
women drew themselves up ana lookc
down upon him from the veranda.
eff they all no then soldiers, recko
they can't moren Kill Us, an If they a
"a southc n soldiers they nh southe n gents
>, men. So we might bcttah take Qua
chances with them than with you ALL WI
all not soldiers at all
"Neither are these soldiers They al
n bushwhackers and murderers. Come
10 beg of you, let me help you to escape.
At that moment the sound of inusketl
was heard from down behind the orchar'
and n moment later an old white hhir'
r. wench came falling round the house, roli'
T. nm the veranda steps and threw herself
the feet of her young mistress.
$50 de Lawd, honey she howlcd, =
wood fatty full O. Yankees. l fought ~
q dun been our folks, case oey dun nap
n blue clos, but mint dat fool Jim POKE !
head obeh dc fence an shout, 'Olt OUT
yeah o'chad, dey all bang loose at hi
d. an. TO- de Lawd dey dun tax he heart
~ An eat 1t right TO my ole eyes.
~ A negro can always be depended up'
TO supply the details in an exciting MARI
tive and to I'll in with bits OF pathos,
i'd the women, making que allowance w,
Congregations Of frightened negro ID
no doubt that they were now III gre
=, danger. -, III
IL "Shall we have time to dress, sun
asked the lady with hauteur that uho
the circumstances was pathetic.
"No. Fly for your lives, said the CO
ductor, for even as he spoke he saw &C
ed nile of men riding under the apple trees
of The women saw them, too, ana thro
OF inc on whatever lay in reach In tho W
lat of vraps hurried over to the train. 4
gh old Dcgrcss, still telling her story, we
hrs with the two women and helped them II
of the caboosc Now the two robbers ="
ed had ridden through the orchard saw
troinmen and Immediately opened IL
lily The conductor and the brakeman, walk
,rd backward, kept the desperadoes BACK, X
e's ing ,ne of their horses. just as the IRA
ies men reached the caboosc the conuuc
Ills was Al IT and fell near the rail. inc 7
Ills Of the band had come to tho rescue oil Tn
in comrades, and now the lead was raini
ter mon the side of the car. The brakcm
nes having dropped his gun, stopped TO MT
tn. conductor aboard, but he could not 90
g. ,bi. daiicate younp daughter OF