The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-07-02


barrels OF . half dozen shotguns. One Of
the gang, seeing Doc with the sherifs
party, made play for bis pistol, but the
sheriff showed his sbotgun yet nearer the
robbers face and said softly, Be quiet,
and be was calm.
The next day the father Of one Of the
gang, who was himself hard man, made
an attempt 70 kill the detective, and, hav-
Ing done his work, Doc departed. Friends
of the accused hired lawyer, who made a
beautiful picture Of these Innocent lads,
who had lived all their lives In this quiet
country town, and who had never been
guilty Of q wrong until they were encour-
aged and trapped Into 1t by the wicked
young detective. sN.
Alas for the criminals! One Of the gang
gave up to the sheriff, and by the finding
Of stolen goods and the property Of man
who had been murdered, they were all,
eaye the one who had weakened, sent to
Joliet, where they are still receiving their
mail.
Young Pippin's success in this now cele-
,brated oase won for him the full confidence
of the agency, and before he had reached
Chicago other important work was mapped
out for him, but to the surprise Of the
agency he refused to accept another as
signmeDt.
II could not beaS," he said to me, 'the
thought Of living whole life that was
lie; to appear always to be that which !
was not; to mix and ningle constantly
with the wicked of this world, in which
there should be so much happiness.
at Is great and important work which
ought TO be done, but IT is not for me-"
Returning to the west again, Pippin
entered tho service Of Uncle Sam as
postal oaesk.
Finding q letter in the mail marked to
me, he wyote on the, back of tho envelope:
"Ilello-Doe. r. NJ. s.. and knew then
that he was in tho railway mail service.
1t WAS some time after the receipt Of
this brief message that the meeting In the
sleeping cor, already yeierrsd to, occurred,
and 1t was during his many visits to me
at DOnyer that be related the detective
stoyiss herein 1saaN.
"HOw Is it," asked one day, "tbat you
are assistant superintendent Of the mall
service in the west WHEN you arc under 30
and new, compaiatiyely new, at the bust.
nees7" hr-r
Hard luck" snid Doc, smiling sadly.
coughing and Humping his chest.
Then it was that he began to tell me
some Of his experience In the postal car,
but he did not tell all. He was as modest
as he was honest and would not tell to me,
bis friend, the real tales Of heroisln in
which he was himsslf tho hero. He told
enough, however, to interest me and cause
me to ind out more from . mutual friend,
and to verify tho information by some OF
the records and correspondence which ]
was afterward permitted to see. found
TINT his loyalty, bravery and devotion to
duty had been warmly commended in au-
togrnph letters from tho highest officials
in tho mail service
It was indeed hard luck that brought
him promotion ard an easy place, which
hS could not have gained save through thd
kindness Of higher officials. He had been
in any number of wrecks, for many Of the
western roads were now at that time and
railronding was not safe ns it is now. Once
there was headend collision, in which
the wreck took fire. Doc was dreadfully
bruised, but he had nil his limbs, and as
the flames crept closer and closer to his
car he busted himself carrying tho mail
matter to a place of safety. When his work
had been completed and the flames lit up
tho canyon, they showed Doc lying upon
his mail bags, apparently dead. The train
men found him and soon restored him to
consciousness, for he had only tainted from
oyerwork and the pain Of bis many
wounds.
1t was nearly year before he was able
to take his run again. and this time his
route lay over tho Santa Fe system.
Ono night, when the train came rearing
down the canyon, tho engine jumped the
track, the mail Car went to pieces against
the locomotive, tho coaches piled upon the
pieces and tho wreck began to burn.
When the trainmen and passengers came
forward to look for the fellows up ahead"
they saw large and small envelopes sailing
out of tho burning debris, and they knew
ut once that the mail agent must be fast
in the wreck. The whistle valve had been
forced open, and now the wild, ccaseless
cry of the wounded engine drowned all
other sounds and made it impossible for
tho men to hear the cries Of the imprisoned
postal clerk. All this he knew, ard while
the hungry flames were eating their >Say
to where he lay he pulled the register bag
to him and began to shy tho valuable mail
out into the sage brush.
When tho steam was exhausted and tho
cry of the engine had ceased, there came
10 sound from tho enginclEen, for their
voices were hushed in death. A above the
sound of the cracking lames they could
hear Doc calling to them from his place
below the wreck, and the train crew
worked desperately, right in the very face
of the fire, to rescue tho unfortunate.
Gradually the voice of the prisoner grew
fainter and fainter, and before the rescuers
reached him it hushed entirely.
At last, just as they were about to givo
him up, as he was now apparently dead,
they succeeded in dragging Doc from tho
wreck, and to the joy of all he soon re-
viyed. He was yet alive, but had breathed
so much of the flames that his left lung
was almost ruined, and he was never able
to resume his place on the road.
1t was this unfortunate wreck md tho
story of his heroism that gave him the i'm
portant place of assistant superintendent
of the western division of the United
States mail service when he was rot yet
80 years old. twas the burn In his breast
TINT made him cough and beat his left
lung; that pinched his face and made his
eyes look larger than they were. He went
on silently-almost cheerfully-doing
what he could, but we who watched knsw
that the hidden scar he had there was
wearing his life away.
Not long ago returned to Denver and
meeting the chief clerk in the street asked
him abont Doc. had been wandering
over the face of the earth for nearly two
years and was behind the times, and now
rs my friend looked at me his face took on
u saddor shade and he answered slowly,
"Doc died six months ago. ICY Warman
In New York Sun.