The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-04-30

Tor nVe years, put in years service
In India, and had a whack at the
Transvaal insurrectonists as volun-
teer, only to settle down at last, as a
telegraph operator at Rocky Forks, a
telegraph station between Omaha and
Sioux City. 1t was my business to
transfer messages between the two
places, and to connect with points fur
Their along.
The next station, fifteen miles fur
ther up the road, was Dismal Point,
and here Tom Brown, my Oldest and
truest friend, operated Tom and had
roughed it all over the world together,
and when we settled down here it was
to be near each other
One day Tom teegraphed down to
me that he would meet me at Rocky
Forks next Tuesday for days shoot
ing. He said he would come down on
the O'Clock train in the morning and
wait for me to get off at noon. After
that we would go up into the hills and
shoot along the points of the ravine.
liked nothing better than days
outing with Tom, and | quickly licked
back word that he could rely on me
next Tuesday, as that was my day off.
The following day there came mes
sage through Omaha that the United
Express would ship $12,0O0,000 in bull
lion over the road to Sioux City the
next Monday night, and that the train
would pass through my station, Rocky
Forks, at S:15 in the evening | tele-
I A1,f Il al I Il
then | opened up the instrument and
asked Tom if he had received his mes
sage yet. He said that he had, and
would look for the train seventeen min
utes earlier at Dismal Point
That day and the next | passed in
my usual way. Sunday was unevent-
full and would have seemed long, ex-
cept for the constant ticking of the in
strument, which was kept busy send
Ing messages about the important ship
ment to be made the next day. Mon
day evening at 80 | looked at my
watch. THE train will soon be along"
| said Il guess | viii call up Tom,
and see If he knows where it is"
| called up Dismal Point, and Tom
answered
'The express train is one station up
the road,' said he, land is ahead of
time. 1t will wait here five minutes.
Ill let you knsn as soon as it leaves
here. Tomorrow"
There was sudden pause In the
ticking and then a strange hand sent
the message, THAT is ALL"
/. I 90 IIaJ nm nNOp, r,o I,,,+ ,1;1 =. =
answer. l kept calling, but no re-
Spouse came, and l thought that the
wires had become entangled.
l waited for the express with its
$12,000,000 in bullion until $40, but 1t
did not arrive Then / telegraphed up
road to Tom, but there was no answer.
waited five minutes longer and tele-
graphed again, but still no response.
1.-The wires must be down." said.
l walked out upon the platform and
looked up the road. To my surprise
saw in the distance an engine coming
toward me, slowly swinging down the
track. AS it came nearer l saw 1t was
empty, and as it passed me l board
ed 1t.
Reversing the engine, started back
W the road. | went with such fire as
could get up, back to Dismal Point.
Here, in front of the station, stood the
express car, rifled of It's contents.
Across one of the trunks the express
messenger lay dead. The engineer and
fireman We're so badly stunned that at
first | thought they, too, were killed,
I ...rI,A 4.
back into the life of the former. He,
poor fellow, was too dazed to speak,
and | lifted him into the car. thankful
that he was alive.
When l stepped into the little alton
where Tom always sat, an awful sight
met my eyes. There sitting at the in
strument with his back to the door, was
my old friend, a dagger sticking
through him, and fairly pinning him to
the table. | grasped the wooden han
die, and pulled it out with all my
strength, only to receive his cold body
In my arms.
Well! they never found out the rob
beers of the train. The engineer had
been struck from behind, and could re
member nothing; and after waiting
only long enough to see my old friend
buried, l resigned my position at Rocky
Forks, and struck out again. But on
Toms grave, back in the woods at Dis
NAL Point, put a shaft of wood, and
on 1t carved these words: Living,
will pursue you to the end of the world
Dead, l will come back to you"