Passaic City record., 1899-09-30

of my hearth. Well, altogether, the
picture was not one that I liked,
though drawn half in jest.
"All the while, during the half
hour of which we made up the
train and arranged the details,
I noticed this faithful porter fol-
lowing me like shadow. I 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
be seen. Well, I would not go back,
50 gave signal and stepped aboard.
"We had scarcely crossed the last
switch when in sneaked my shadow,
the porter, with an old ld-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
again, and at 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 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, and 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
minute we waited breathlessly, and
then voice out in the darkness said,
Open up Open up, the voice re
pooto1 hJ1i fboro uoc no oncwa, th of
we could hear. Open up and they
began to beat upon the door of the ex
press car with the butts of their guns.
Still the men inside were silent. Open
up, or we'll blow this car to pieces;
we've got dynamite on the door SILL
t'By this time we were all afoot in
the darkened car, waiting develop
ments. Now the two men in the ex.
press car, preferring fight to dyna-
mite. slid the door open and lodged
back behind the empty piano box, ex-
pecting the robbers to jump into the
car. At that moment the stiffness was
disturbed by what was probably the
accidental discharge of a rife outside.
The Sheriff and few of his followers
dropped to the ground to deploy in the
darkness. A deputy peeped out at the
front end of the last car, still dark,
and Immediately became target for
the robbers, who could see him out
lined against the sky, while they re-
NAMED in the darkness below. /
reeped out at the rear end just in time
to see man near the steps aiming at
the deputy on the front of the car.
A shot from another robber caused
me to dodge back. Running
through the dark car I told
the deputy where the man was hiding,
and just at that moment bullet cut
an upper half crop from the officers
ear. [ tip-toed back, caught a glimpse
OF the man and banged away at him
through the window. Being anxious
to know whether I had hit him I put
my face to the window and peered into
the night. Suddenly heard a scuffie
among the coach seats, felt strong
man seize me from behind and crush
me to the floor I could not turn my
gun upon my assailant, for it was
rifle. Bang went the robbers gun
again, and the window was shattered.
AS went down I heard the voice of
my captor, right at my ear: 'Fo' de
Lawd sakes, Mistah Blank, keep away
from dat windeh, for dat robber blow
yo' head clean off wifi dat cannon O.
his
'"That was the voice of the porter,
and he had pulled me from the win
dow in time to save my life.
"By this time the firing grew pretty
general. In the confusion, and while
I held the attention of the robbers
rear guard, the deputy with the smart
ing car crawled under the car, and
when the robber stood up to shoot at
me the deputy located him and the
two men fought it out under the win
dow. In few seconds the robber lay
dead. Now only two of the gang kept
up the fight. Seeing that they were
surrounded and hemmed in against
the train they called out to the Sheriff
and surrendered.
"The battle had lasted probably not
more than five minutes, but it had
been q life time to my family, who
could hear every shot distinctly.
81 gave orders to pick up the dead
and wounded, and with our three
prisoners hastily backed into town.
"The wounded man died shortly
after our arrival at st. Joe.
'The informer, of course, turned
States evidence, and so went free, but
that was all that remained of the orig
inal gang of five, four of whom were