El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-16
STOPPED THE FAST MAIL
That She Might See Her Dying
Child.

lost his life in ST. Louis last week while
saving his infant son from death by
Burning, is the devotion of y mother in
Chicago, who, in order to be at the
bedside OF dying child, defed the re-
gulations of q powerful railroad corpo-
ration, and risked her own existence to
achieve her tender mission. 1t was no
little thing accomplished by Mrs. Ma
than Allen. She did what the railroad
officials, in cold blood, had refused to
have done for her, and she did that
which her grief-crazed husband had
given up as an impossibility. She flag
ged and stopped the flying Green Bay
Express, which runs out OF Chicago on
the Chicago and Northwestern road.
So long as the Green Bay Express
has been 10 service it had never been
tagged before. Nor had there ever
been as fragrant and as successful
violation of rigid rules of the railroad
as that forced upon the engineer by this
agonizsa and desperate woman. Her
act was heroic.
Station Agent LANG of the North
western road at Evanston, q suburb OF
Chicago, had been appealed to by q
gentleman and lady to flag the Express
which passes Evanston about 3 o'clock
in the afternoon. He had noticed them
previously walking anxiousIy up and
down the asphalt paved platform of the
little stone depot. They were in great
distress evidently, for the lady's eyes
were swollen and red and the tears
were being kept back only by great eff
fort. The mans face was firmly set
with an expression of hopeless sorrow.
As the moment for the arrival of the
train approached they became more
and more impatient and finally asked
the stationmaster If the train was on
time.
"That train is always on time" re-
piled the official. sit never loses a
minute, and makes only few stops.
It does not slack up even going through
Evanston"
All the known instruments and me-
thods of torture could not have brought
to the faces of the suffering man and
woman expression of more unutterable
dispair. The woman moaned in sub
dued tones of heart-breaking grief.
The man stood as though one stunned.
Recovering himself, he managed to say
hoarsely:
1--WE are Mr.. and Mrs Nathan Allen
of Kenosha, Wis. We have just re-
ceived telegram that our child is dy-
ing at home We must get there be-
fore the little one passes away. Will
you not flag this traip.'
The station agent answered that
tagging the train was out of the ques-
danger his position, but it would be of
no avail. He said that other attempts
had been made to flag the train, but
no attention was paid to them. The
approach to Evanston was on a steep
upgrade, and the stoppage of the train
would entail q delay of several minutes
which to carrier of the United States
mails, would mean the loss of thous
ands sof dollars on account OF counec-
tions missed in the Northwest. When
Mrs Allen heard these words che
wept and rung her hands and Mr.. AL
len implored that an attempt be
made. At length, he prevailed upon
Laing to wire Division Superintendent
Lawson in Chicago for permission to
order the heavy mail train stopped.
1t was fast nearing the time for the
Laing touched the wire leading direct
ly into the superintendeDt's private
Office twelve miles away, and as rapidly
as he ever sent q message before. ex-
planned the situation. AS the key
clicked back the answer without a
seconds delay. Lsing called out the
words to the pitiable man and woman
The message ws.s:
"Much as we would like to accom-
modate, it will cause too heavy a loss
to the road. 1t is absolutely impossi-
BILE to consider tagging the 3 o'clock
fast mail at Evanston
Mr.. aud Mrs. Allen walked silently
out of the telegraph Office to the plat
form. The next train to pass Evans.
ton for Keposha was not due for four
hour leter. Ere that time their child
would probably have passed away
without the gentle kiss and solacing
caress of either parent. Too deep in
his sorrow even to speak words OF com
fort to his wife or to notice her actions,
Mr.. Allen stood against the wall
of the depot with his head sunk
upon his breast. Presently he was
aroused by the raueus scream of a
locomotive and the janglipg of the
warming bell on the platform. He
turned to speak to his wife, but she was
not at his side. He looked to the north
end of he long platform. In the great
fear which overcame him at what he
heheld he forgot for the moment the