The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-25
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A TRAMP,S PREDICAMENT.
Fairly Pasted to the Forward End
of Flying Car.

VI n ASAh9 OaNs
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
F. M. Rugg, travelling passenger agent
of the Burlington Route, was in the city
yesterday, and told a story about a tramp
who recently rode on their fast express.
The story is a remarkable one, but Rugg
declares it is absolutely correct.
1.-The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
Railroad recently put into service very
fast express train" said he. 1T leaves
Chicago at 10 o'clock in the morning
reaches Omaha at 1850 the same night,
and Denver the next day at 1870 p. m.
Nearing Omaha, after crossing the Mis-
souri, River bridge, there is a stretch of
twenty miles staght. The other day
there was a tramp waiting at the end of
l. the bridge on the Nebraska side, hoping
to ride from there into Omaha on the
platform of the baggage car. But he
made a miscalculation. There are no
platforms on those baggage cars. They
come out flush like a box car. In the
darkness the tramp didn't notice this.
He swung on board the tank of the 10
connective, worked his way over the coal to
the rear and jumped down, expecting to
light on the platform which wasn't there.
1t had taken him a few minutes eau
tiously to reach the edge of the tank, and
by the time he had got to the jumping-on
place the train was going at its regular
gait, only a shade or two faster.
1.-THE engineer realizing that this was
the place to make up little lost time, had
pulled her out just little. She got to go
ing, and going good. She was doing her
incest and gracefulest when that tramp
jumped.
Now a curious thing happened. Every
one has seen an amateur magician put
dollar coin on the fiat palm of his hand
and move the open hand so swiftly
through the air that the coin didn't drop
off, and the magician pretended that 1t
wasn't there, just because it didn't drop.
Well, that was what happened to the
tramp. He was like the coin against the
fiat palm He rested against the blank
front end of that baggage car like fly on
a window pane. There wasn't anything
below for him to stand on or anything
above for him to hang to. He was Just
held there, as l say, by that force which
came from the fast forward motion of the
train. Below him there was space and
car wheels. 1t was pretty ticklish posi-
ton. No wonder the fellow roared and
shouted and said many pious things
he knew how, and said them very loud. OF
course, he understood that when the train
began to slow up for the Omaha yard that
force would diminish and he would drop
down and be macerated
well, he was a lucky tramp. Just as
they were passing Bellevue, four miles out
of Omaha, the fireman heard him and
hurried back and saw him. He was
qulck-witted fireman, and yelled to the
engineer not to shut off just yet, and,
reaching one of his long pokers over he
caught 1t into the clothes of the hobo and
tried to pull him off and into the safety
of the tank. But he couldn't bulge him.
Then he got to reasoning, and he caw
they'd have to shut off and ease down be-
fore the adhesive force Of the speed would
ret the man be pried off. The engineer
slapped on the air and threw her over.
and after two miles of easing they got her
to pace that admitted of loosening the
fellow.
"The tramp says that he never before
experinced such quick service and cour-
teous treatment at the hands of any rail-
road"