Passaic City record., 1899-09-30

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moment, and then, as the speed of the
train did not slacken, said curtly, way
ing him away: Bridge watchman!"
A moment later our train sucked
through a deep cut, roared across
long bridge and swept up the slope to
the west.
s'Notice how that porter SHE'D when
the engineer answered the watchman's s
fag?" asked the manager.
"We had an experience, years ago,
with train robbers, and this porter
has never been able to live it down. l
was on the Hannibal and St. Joe at
the time" he went on, dividing his
glances between me, his cigar and the
speed recorder over the back window
He pressed the button again and the
porter responded instantly. The man
ager moved his thumb slightly and
the porter pulled the blinds.
The veracity of the speed recorder
had been questioned, and we had
been holding our watches on it be-
tween stations, but now lost all in
terest in the speed of the train OF the
reliability of the indicator.
When one of these interesting SOL
diers of the rail who has begun the
battle as water boy and who ends as
president of the road he has helped
to grade becomes reminiscent I al
ways listen, for he has lived volumes
of thrilling stories.
Out on the road the general man
ager delights to forget the busy grind
of the office, to watch the blue rings
rise as he smokes, to think, and (if, he
can trust you) talk over the exciting
incidents of the past.
This thing happened on Sun
day evening"" resumed the manager,
when the porter had teetered softly
down the side aisle that led to the
other end of the car. "About eight
o'clock heard sharp rap, rap on
the front door. I knew that the SER
want had just gone out, so stepped
to answer the knock. AS [ reached
for the handle the rap, rap was re-
peated with added earnestness. [ was
annoyed, for I had gone to some ex-
pense to have system of bells put in
the house, rather rare thing in st.
Joe at that time; but now to my
amazement the knob turned, the door
opened slightly and man lodged in.
Excuse me, Mr. Blank, said he;
I want to get in out of the glare of
that street lamp, and was not sure
that any one heard-pull that shade,
please, he said parenthetically
"'Now, thought I, here's an inno-
cent sort of crank so pulled the
shade on the parlor window. Still
my visitor appeared uneasy.
Would you mind stepping into a
room little further back?' he asked,
earnestly.
Certainly saidI. Come right
this way
my wife was in the sitting room
with the children, and not wishing to
disturb them I led my visitor into the
dining room where the gas was still
burning low.
Gas turned on the light my visitor
shrank back into the hall.
"'Pull that shade he said, and
when I had drawn the blinds he
stepped into the well-lighted room.
''For a moment he waited, as one
waits listening for expected foot
steps.
Presently he looked me full in the
face and said, frankly: I'm a rob-
ber'
"'Yes?
"'Yes, I'm a robber. We are going
out to Roy's Branch to hold up No.
tonight. We went out last Friday
night, but we mistook No. for IT.
Seventeen was late that night. When
we had discovered our mistake it was
too late, in fact the engine had al
ready passed us before we realized
that it was not the freight
"In those days." explained the
general manager, 'and for years
previous, we were constantly being
steered out against fake robbers. We
would learn that a certain train was
to be held up at certain time and
place. We would arrange to have de-
tectives on the train, post the engineer,
and IN nearly every case 1t would
prove to be false alarm. Plenty of
hold-ups there had been on other
roads, but on the Hannibal and st.
Joe, none"
"And how do you account for that?"
1 asked, my interest yeering for the
moment.
"Oh," said the manager, with a
slight wave of his hand, as though
the matter were scarcely worth ex-
planning, "Mrs. Samuels always had