The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-11-10


dsvs WRECKED the Csrs-1Asessssed so
Dass Trsis.
From forty to fifty Of the peace
fully behaved soldiers who had
been mustered out In Asheville
waited peacefully last Saturday AZ
tsrnoon 1t the railroad station until
the time drew near for the Murphy
branch train to start when peace
fully they boarded 1t. Hardly had
the wheels Of the train revolved q
dozen times than q startling meta
morphosis took place In the erst-
while well-behaved ex-soldiers.
They had complete possession Of one
car. In the other were several pas
sengers whose hair will grow gray
long before they forget that after
Moons Wild ride.
"Whoopw % yelled big fellow just
as the train started out Of the Ashe-
Vile station. he was waving a
bottle Of corn whiskey In one hand
and branishing a revolver in the
other. Then he aimed his
revolver at . car window and
sent six bullets crashing
through tho pane. As If it had
been . signal, pistols were every
where drawn and bullets few out
Of the car window as though 1t were
. fortress In action. People stand
ing:on the station platform heard
balls whistle past their ears. AS
told in Sundays Gazette q young
nnDpoe.sa V.,0S al NJ In Tho
Conductor Russell thought then
that this outburst of exuberance
was over. 1t had but begun. Re-
volvers were reloaded and, as the
train passed q lonely place the ex-
soldiers turned their attention to
the car. One drew a big knife and
slashed the plush seat covering in
to ribbons, another stood up in his
seat and deliberately kicked a mir
ror to pieces.
Conductor Russell made stand.
~ can't allow this," he cried.
"You've gone too far. Stop this
row."
A chorus of laughter was the
only reply he got.
"Hadn't q chance ter shoot Span
iards n certainly got ter shoot
somethin'," said a burly Murphy
man as he lifted his pistol and shot
q lamp globe into smithereens.
Bang! The other globe was smash
ed.
The riotous fever had struck the
other car. The passengers were
huddled in q corner of the cal
frightened for their lives while
pistol shots rang deafeningly fol.
lowed by the crashing Of glass and
splintering Of wood. Smoke envel.
oped the cars Interior In an Opaque
maze. In both cars the rufflains
were slashing the plush seats
kicking them down and acting like
demons of destruction.
The supply Of ammunition seems
to have been 1nexhaustible, as was
also, beyond doubt, the supply O
corn whiskey. From Asheville t.
Murphy the shooting and drinking
continued without intermission.
The reckless fellows stopped a
nothing. Some swarmed about thu
engine cab and cut the whistle
cord. The train crew were helpless
against 50 many and we're glaC
enough when the train reached
Murphy to have escaped with theil
lives.
! Conductor Russell as the traiI
reached Waynesville threatened tt
sidetrack it for the night, but som'
of the ruffians threatened to burr
it If he did, and having plenty o
evidence that they we're capabl'
of doing 1t, he ran the train to tn
terminus of the route.
The train was brought into tn
station yesterday. One of the car
will have to go to the repair shop
Both vehicles look as though luna
tics had gone through them usini
axes. A conservative estimat
places the damage at $3.50. Fo
this the railroad company has n
redress; the men had been muster
ed out Of the army SO that Uncl
Sam, would hardly consent to foo
the bill.