Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-05-28

"HN o"~o "a ~ W siiSCLhAby. uo lISl
arrived eminently suitable, dark ant
cloudy and with very little wind. I tray
eled down by a previous train to Rugby
where / proposed to join the mail, which
fortunately for my purpose, halted ther,
some eight or nine minutes.
Rugby is not a particularly busy station
at any time, and this was another argu
ment in It's favor from my point of view
When the mail ran in, l gave a swift glanc,
at the a to see if my quarry was OF
board. Yes, there he was, leaning idly
against the off door watching the porters al
they hastily loaded and unloaded the hug
postoffice hampers.
That much assured, when nobody wa,
looking. l took the opportunity to drol
down behind the van and walked alone
the otfside to a carriage about the center
of tho train which / had noted as being
practically empty.
Now was tho time for rapid action. ]
took my drill from my pocket, fitted it to-
gether and commenced to bore a hole in
the pipe leading to the brake cylinder un-
derneath the vehicle. Tho drill was good,
and l had soon made a neat little hole.
But l must be quick, or the engine would
come on, and then the fraud would be- dis
covered.
I selected one of the plugs. BY extraor-
binary good fortune it fitted without any
further shaping to speak of, and in less
time than it takes to tell / had driven it
firmly home. A little packing and a smear
OF backlead over the place, and / defed
any n to detect 1t.
The whole operation had not taken more
than about four minutes, and at its COM
pletion l quietly opened a door and STEP
ped into an empty compartment. A mo-
ment or two later the engine backed on to
the train and commenced to elbow up"
the vacuum.
10 my great relief, the joint stood the
ordeal well, for the guards whistle blew,
and we were speeding %northward without
anything untoward having happened.
The next hour I passed as patiently as I
could under the circumstances, and shortly
before reaching Tamworth took a good
pull at my brandy flask to steady my
nerves for what was to follow.
A brief stay at that place, and once
more we were on our way. The critical
moment had come. l got out of the car
riage on to the footboard. Nobody who
has never tried this on an express train
can have any idea of what it means.
had to cling with might and main to
Withstand the fierce current of air created
by the rushing of the train, and for the
first few minutes q deadly sickness pos
sessed me, and l dared not move.
But If l would DO successful I must re-
gain my nerve quickly, for this was child's
play to what I had set myself to do. Hold
ing on with one hand. l managed to take
another pull at the brandy and gradually
the dizzy sensation departed, and I became
more accustomed to my novel situation.
Now for the ordeal. Gently I lowered
myself till l lay fiat along the board, and, |
although there was then more physical |
discomfort through the strain being all on
one arm, my head was better, as the draft
was less fierce.
had made two little scratches on the I
pipe just above the plug, and, leaning
over, l soon discovered these by the aid Of
my tiny electric lamp.
l had calculated things to a nicely.
When employed or the line, I had many
times worked a slip carriage and had q
pretty accurate idea as to how far the train
would run when l had admitted air into
the brake pipe by the removal of the plug.
You do not, Of course, need telling that
brake is applied by letting air into the
pipe.
Those few minutes seemed an eternity,
the time there was the risk that q
Bignalman might see me, and then the
game would DO up, and / should get Is
years for my pains. I knew the line well
and watched field after field slip by until
| thought We never should arrive at the
point I had fixed upon as the one at which
10 withdraw the plug.
We were getting nearer now. Another
jhree ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS! I leaned
and gave the wood a sharp push. The
air rushed in with a gurgling sound, and
;hen came the sharp bur-r-r Of the brakes
the tires.
As had expected, the driver instantly
perceived the drag and applied his own
brake. and we pulled up not 30 yards from
The spot I had selected. l dropped on to
the ballast, listened intently u second or
jwo and then walked with stealthy feet to
he van.
Again my Judgment had proved reliable.
You rarely find a guard get out of his van
III the offside-the habit of jumping on to
he platform Is too strong. He had de-
cended, and ! could hear his footsteps go.
ng away from where I stood. The mes.
enger had his head out of the window,
ooking after the retreating guard. |
Noiselessly, ! opened the off door of the !
an, and, before he realized what wal hap
had one hand to his mouth to pre-
emit any cry, and with the other held o
andkerchief, which I had previously sat f.,
rated with the anmsthetic, to his nose. 1t
'as all SO sudden that he could offer no
esistRnce. The ehloroform did Its work
peedily and In a second or two he was In :
A very slight search gave me what I was b
tter, and l slipped through the hedge and
own the road with the exulting knowl. q
1ge that I had done one of the neatest
ita of work In my career. \
Had Braggs carried out. his share Of the s
I gave the agreed signal softly.
lear on the still night came the reply, O.
nd very shortly I was in the trap and wei
ere speeding rapidly away. Il
Twenty miles we put between us and v
,e railway before we deemed it prudent to
and then we returned to town by a v,
rcuitous route, after turning the horse p
stray and upsetting tho trap In a ditch.
employer was highly elated and gave W
) an extra $50 for the neat way in which A
affair had been managed. You may
that We considered a change Of air Vi
and / did not return to the coun-
y until 1t had been pretty nearly forgot.
n except by those most intimately con.
rned. London Tit Bits.
wa IL 2