The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-10-05

tne street he saw my mouse, ana act.
ing upon the impulse of the moment
had come to tell me, for his father
liked me, he said.
''I tried to show him that if what
lie told me were trueI should he on the
train with armed officers TO kill or
capture the robbers, aud that in all
probability he would he killed.
"'Yos, he said he knew that
but the gang had taken an oath to
kill any man who 'peached, and if he
failed to show up on time at the
rendezvous they would go after him
and they would surely kill him, for
most of them had murdered men be-
fore.
"'Well, he said, presently, Il must
be off, and he held out his hand, say
ing good by.
II put him ont with faint sus-
picion that he was crazy, but it was
my duty to look after the company's
interests, and so | concluded TO call
the Chief of Police ana tell him the
story, and at least get his advice.
As l put the receiver to my ear ]
noticed that some one was talking
over a tangled wire that touched mine
at some point.
What?' demanded voice, and it
sounded rs il talking directly to me,
aud then came the reply: will II be
ahead OF No. 3 to-night?'
81 dropped the phone, stood back
and stared at it until my wife, who
had heard the wild story OF the bold
young robber, stepped to my side,
peered into my face and asked the
cause of my agitation. That brought
me round. | lied, mercifully, hur-
rieGly to her, called Central and
asked who had been talking. The
middle yards, she said. l asked to
be connected. The man at the phone
said lie didn't know who called
him. Somebody wanted to know if
IL would be ahead of No. 3 tonight.
[ asked whet answer would be given,
for ] had dropped the receiver when
the voice from the grave-.this shade
OF Jesse-had broken upon my ear.
Well, he said he had answered no,
adding the information that II, the
fast freight, which, according to the
schedule, should leave ahead of No.
3, was late.
"Now this talk of the telephone
seemed strangely coincident with the
tale of the robber, 80 called the Chief
of Police, asking him to meet me at
certain corner few minutes later. |
then called the Sheriff, and told him
to go TO the station, but to keep ont
of sight aud to board the first train
pulling out through the yards. My
next move was to tell the dispatcher
to hold all outgoing trains until | ar
rived l then instructed the yard
master to make up dummy No. 3,
and sailed out to meet the Chief of
Police.
Ny wife was frantic at my leaving,
and finally l was forced to promise to
return to the house when | had sue
ceeded in starting my little army out
to fight a hidden foe.
Into en- empty express car we put
an empty piano box for the sharp
shooters to hide behind, lighted the
lamps dimly in the day coaches, save
in the last car. This car we left dark
to resemble sleeper, and in it the
Sheriff, whom now put in command,
hid the bulk of his hastily organized
posse. A deputy sheriff aud II fear
less locomotive engineer, off duty,
were stationed in the express car with
rifles.
"lhe Sheriff and the Chief had
been laughing at my expense, butnow
as the train wss about to pull ont, and
began to give final instructions to
the trai.men, it dawned upon them
that was not to he numbered with
the slain.
81 was simply pointing the way and
pushing them out to do or die, or
Both. Now they began to chaif me.
was general superintendent, getting
good pay. ] was my duty to protect
the property of the company and the
lives OF its patrons, / was willing to
send the poor employees out to fight
robbers, and then return to the quiet
of my hearth. Well, altogether, the
picture was not one that | liked,
though drawn half in jest.
can the while, during the half
hour of which we made up the
train and arranged the details,
noticed this faithful porter fol-
lowing me like shadow. / wanted
him to go to the house and throw lit
tie dust in the tear.wet eyes of my dis
tracted wife, but he was nowhere to
bo seen. Well, would not go back,
so gave signal and stepped aboard.
'We had scarcely crossed the last
switch when in sneaked my shadow,
theporter, with an old-fashioned, muz-
zle-loading shot gun, The train ran
slowly along for little while and the
men in the car began to laugh at me
a9ein. aud as each other, at the porter
with the long shot gun, and the gen
eral job that some wag had put up on
us. Presently we heard the engineer
answer a flag: 'tootoot.
INSTANTLY the car grew as silent as
the grave. AS the wheels ground sand
and the train began to slow down the
Sheriff whispered to the men to keep
cool, aud not to fire until they were
sure of what they were shooting at.
Now the train stopped, The silence
was deathlike, save for the heavy
breathing of my shadow. For at least
q minute we waited breathlessly, and
then a voice out in the darkness said,
open up. Open up, the voice re-
| Dented bul there WAS no answer that