The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07
AT SHADY RILL.
An Incident or RaiirondinE and Bushwhack-
iuE In Is0o.

tuH " lbbS.
All day the train had boon waiting at Shady
Rill for orders. Once in a while the engineer
would ask the brakeman to cut him off, and ho
would racc up and down tho track In order to
pump her. for there were no ~injcctors on tho
locomotives in 1862. All day the conductor sat
| in the caboose, where an operator was working,
expecting orders to back away, for tho Johnnics
were getting tho better OF the Sanks. Once.
| when the engineer went down the track into the
| pine forest, he saw q band Of oushwhackers riding
lelsurely through the wood In tho direction Of
! Shady Rill. These were not men Of the North nor
yet of the South. They were marauders. muir
dcrers, masquerading as soldiers, and equally
dangerous to each army. The engineer told the
conductor what he had seen, and, taking II
couple of muskcts and one Of the brakeman, the
Captain put himself into the wood tank and set
out to hunt the bandits. 1t was an odd way to
60 to work, but the conductor considered it
better than remaining at tho run to be plum.
dered, II not murdered by the band. The bush
men must have heard them coming, for they
were sitting on their horses, still as statues.
when the old woodburncr came creeping round
a curve, her links and chains rafting like a dray
on cobblestones.
"Halt!' cried the leader. and the engineer
hooked her over.
what do you want - demanded the con.
ductor.
What have you got r. asked the bushman.
The negro fireman must have seen tho humor
OF the mans reply, for he poked his head round
the corner of the cab and laughed a laugh that
seemed to come from the very bottom Of his
bare feet. 1t filed the forest and rippled away
down the wood like the song of a reaper reaping
in u valley near the hills.
+ do Lawd, dat am funny" said the negro,
"Nothing that you can have" said tho con-
ductor back at the bushman. =
Immediately the negro opened his mouth and
began to ripple again, but this time the flow Of
his mlrth WAS brokon by the sound OF niuskets.
Bang! bangl went the guns OF the marauders,
and the negro. changing his laugh TO a cry, OF
IFS done Killed. Fo' de Lawd, rs shot plumb
"fhcn die. you crazy Niger" shouted the
brakeman; think I'm going 10 waste a load on
When the conductor and the brakeman had
empsidsd TIN bhe i6r guns AZ snd th be E ian vine tine engineer tSs
SSp piIeta r ras ins0s on his aaf front SaSH end n AND smashing ma.a ing
the glass in the cab windows. -,
Upon arriving at Shady Rill they found that
only the tip of one of the negro's fingers had
been eshos sh ,h. SaWss. o. and h,. when eI, the bo,n engineer ! eel had had
a rag, and kicked the negro three or four times.
the follow was able to take his place at the fur
The Conductor instructed the operator to re.
port what had taken place to the army officer in
charge Of the railway, and then ,wentover to the
Of the coming of the bushwhec kers; He had
been over once or twice for supplies, which were
We're these poor Women. whose fathers and hus,
bands and brothers were down there where the
steady, monotonous booming of cannon spoke OF
danger and death, to smile upon the people OF
the North These men were como into the
themselves. to take the property Of tho people
ana lay G9antry waste; SO now. when the con
e srstis d iitsss a ms h ssr in p 1as SRfdGs snsS. or t the We So !,
men drew themselves up and looked down upon
If they an No'thc'n soldiers, I reckon they
cant more'n kill us. and II they ah Southe'r
m%1sht be TAX a take soo oaaS cS Esnstsm With So Them en-
than VII you all, who ali not soldiers at all
whackers and murderers. Come, l beg of you
At that moment the sound of musketry wa
heard from down behind the orchard, and
moment later an old white.haired wench cam,
falling round the house. rolled up the verand'
steps and threw herself at tho feet of her young
",Fo. DC Lewd. honey. she howled. "de WOO
our folks. case dee iun hab on blue clos. bu
mint dat fool jim poke his head obeh de fcnc,
: : bang loose at him., an. TO- tho .Lawd, doy dun TAX
5 he heat out an eat It RICH To- my ole eyes"
n A negro can always be depended upon to sup
, ply the details in an exciting narrative. and t
fill in with bits of pathos. but the women. max
u frightened negro. had no doubt that they wer
= "shail we have time to dress. sub \" asked tn,
8 lady with IA hautcur That, under the circum
t stances, was pathetic.
NO; ny for your lives" said the conductor
" wi "
ing under the apple trees.
The women saw them. too, and, throwing OF
whatever lay in reach in the way OF wraps. hur
= riet over to the train. The old neRress. still
telling her story. went with the two women an
helped them into the caboosc. Now the tw'
robbers who had ridden through the orchari
SAW the trainmen and Immediately opened fire
The conductor and the brakeman. walking back
ward, kept the dosperadoes back, killing one o
their horses. Just as the trainmen reached tn
cahoose the conductor WAS shot and foil near tn
rail. The rest OF the band had como to tn
rescue of their comrades, and now the lead wa
raining upon tho side of the car. Tn
brakeman. having dropped his gun. stoope
} to lift the conductor aboard. but he could NOT d
II. Now this delicate young daughter of tn
South, seeing the danger in which these mer
her enemies. had voluntarily placed themselve
for her sake and her mothers, lcaped to tn
ground and, with. her white hands that ha
never lifted anything heavier than a ridin
whip, helped the brakeman to lift the limp forI
of the conductor into the car. while the bullet
rainod around her. When they had laid hiI
upon the, locker, the young woman lifted hi
head and held It in her lap. and so, as the engin
d backed away. the conductor died.
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