Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-03-29

oui WINS scut IISt W Il, anu, Us i
have said, I'LL communication was shut
off after 8 o'clock. Then started for
the railway station. This was about
half n mile from the post Office and
well outside the town. AS hurried
along l thought, with fresh dismay,
that this would also prove fruitless
GRAND, for the last train to Silkmin-
ster was the $50 p. m, by which
have mentioned, the postmaster nj.
ways travelled nearly $50 miles down
the linc.
| Should I wait till the morning and
telegraph? | remembered that the of
flee did not open till o'clock. l had
by this time reached the station. or
course it was all shut up and all the
lights were out except those in the
signal lamps for the night express. 1t
was now half past eleven. Was there
no hope?
AT this moment my eye caught
light in the signal box, about n quarter
of a mile up the line. l could see the
signalman in his box, the outline of his
figure standing out against the light
within. looked ut my watch. The
down express from London was al
most due. | would make Il rush for
that signal box and compel the occu-
pant TO put the signal against 1t and
stop it. III WINS a desperate game but
only get that train to stop for an in
slant and all would be right. BY get
ting into it | could reach Silllminstcr
in the early morning. and what cared |
! for any notion the company might take
I II saved my friends son? If the sig
mailman refused TO pull back the levers
the strength born of desperation would
enable me to master him and then re-
lax them myself. All this flashed
across ME in an instant, and clam
bered over the ratings on the side of
the station and found myself on the
line.
Even as reached the rail the sem
aphorc signal that was near me let
4 fall its arm. and the red light changed
into brilliant green. The express
was signallcd. Would there be time!
dashed along over the rough sleepers
towards the signal box. 1t was very
dark, and stumbled over and over
again. had cleared half the dis
lance when heard the omnibus roar
ahead. and in Il few seconds could dis
tinguish the distant glitter of the en-
ginc's head lamp bearing toward me-
The train was just over a mile from
me, rushing on ut express speed. With
a groan l calculated. Too late.w
\ AT that instant my eye fell upon Il
& .t, II.
of the track. looming grimly through
+ the darkness. 1t reSembled a one
armed gallows with Il man hanging
from 1t. For moment | thought it
must have been a fearful fancy con
iurcd up by the thought of Eenthursts
dreadful fate, but Immediately | re-
4 membercd that this strange looking
appartion was none other than small
mailbag suspended from n post-in
fact. part of the apparatus by which
a train going at full speed picks up the
mails. The express train that was
coming had postal car attached to it,
4 From the side of the car IL strong
rope would be laid out, catching the
bag l saw suspended before me.
mad and desperate idea took pos
session Of me- Fortunately am Il
small man. The bag hung Just over
my head. ! jumped at 1t, seized ii,
drew myself up parallel with it, held
it firmly at the top, where it swung
by Il hook, and drew my legs up so
as to present rs small Il compass rs
possible. Then 1 waited. 1t was but
| n few seconds, but it seemed hours.
heard the roar of the approaching
train. Then the engine dashed past
me. There was wlir aud rush.
and all was dark.
When 1 came to my senses was
lying on the floor of the postal van.
| Two men in their shirt sleeves were
busily engaged i'll sorting letters at
II rack. | felt bruised and stiff all
over, and found that my left arm
was bound in sling made out of Il
| handkerchief.
1 Where are wc|' asked.
They turned around
"Oh, you've come to. have you?"
said one of them Now perhaps you'll
give an account of yourself. Its prcc.
ious lucky you're here at all. let me
tell You, for if you had been a taller
man we should only have got part of
You in the net. AS it is, you've got
Your collar bone broken. We've tied
it up bit"
told them the motive that had
prompted me to take the desperate
step had done. They piled IL guam
tity of mail bags on the floor and
made me a rough sllakedown.
a little after three we drew up at
Silkminstcr station. There was n DO
liccman on the platform, and l mt
once told my story to him, the result
being that we drove around to the
Jail and insisted upon seeing the gov
ernor OF course he was deeply in
tercsted in what | had TO tell them
and ut once made arrangements to
stop the execution. The home secrc.
tary was communicated with by
means of special wire. Fortunately
he happened TO be in town, and after
couple of hours of anxious suspense
reprieve was received from him
WELL" said the governor, II don't
know which | ought to congratulate
most Mr.. Fenthurst or yourself, for
you have both had Il most narrow es-
cape
Little remains to be told. l soon
identified the condemned man as the
person whom | had met OH the train.
he also turned out TO be the son OF
my old friend, as l had fully expect
ed After the due formalities he was
discharged. Suspicion having strong
ly attached itself to his name, how
ever, until about Il fortnight after
ward the real murderer was discov.
cred and captured. Charles Fen,
tllurst and myself became firm friends
and although | was fearfully shaken
and upset for II few weeks after this
adventure | never regretted the night
on which | was picked up with the
mails-Strand Magazine.
Tabby Mediyiyus