El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-26
LINK AND PIN.


north with a heavy stock train. wher
rounding one of the short. SHARP
curves in the mountains. the engin-
eer discovered on the track ahead OF
him. five Mexican poems. They were
coming towards the train and although
the intervening distance was short
they had plenty of time to get of the
track. even If they had not heard the
whistle that. was sounded as we en-
tered the cut,
There seems to be something in
the makeup of the average peon that
eliminates all fear of engines or cars.
The majority OF them seem to have
not yet realized that the iron horse
must be given the right of way. Even
in perfectly open country they will
stand or walk on the track while the
| engine eXhausts every pound of air
and staem in a vain endeavor to stop.
only tohave them. just as the engine
| is almost upon them. step on and
laugh at the engineer as with pale face
he PUSHES past. cursing tnem for their
abominabie carelessness.
This party was of just that kind.
1ney made no effort to leave the track
until il was 100 late for two of them
Although the moment they were dis
! covered the engineer applied the
brakes and reversed theengine. il was
running thirty miles an hour when il
struck the MexicanS and hurled them
against the rock wall OF the cut. The
engineer jumped across the cab. gave
one glance at the motionless. bleed
ing forms where they had dropped.
then returned to his seat and. opening
the throttle. hurried on. II was liv-
ing death for every man on that train
to stop and we knew it.
he M ha ffaf IN
was side-tracked. the fire knocked out
OF the engine and the crew separated
and made for Uncle Sans domain. Ii
they got out at all the engineer and
fireman came by way of Eagle Pass.
Myself and two brakemen. started for
FL Paso. ! boarded a passenger train
and the brakeman hid away in some
loaded freight cars. At Bermejello
513 miles from Ell Paso. the brakeman
the train | was riding on. came to me
and said. They're after you. old man.
better take to the roof and l will steer
them off If ! can IL was raining in
torrents, but in spite of that / climbed
to the roof and rode there for over a
hundred miles.
When the train arrived at Jiminez
l was so chilled and wet that l had to
have help to get down I went into
the baggage car and the baggage mas
ter gave me a drink of hot coffee and
told me he had a place made for me
behind pile of trunks. but before |
could get into it. the captain of rural
police came into the car and the price
of his silence was all the money / had.
After he left the car / got behind
the trunks, but 400 miles is long way
to ride in one position and besides l
got hungry. The baggage master said
he had a lunch for me and | crawled
out to get it. at Ortiz. only to run into
the arms of another policeman. who |
took my watch and overcoat before he |
would consent to let me go on. When |
l crossed the river at Ell Paso | had |
just enough Mexican coin to get n Is
cent supper. This to show for ten
months work.
You may wonder why such con-
ditions exist and why we are compelled |
to run to escape punishment for some
thing not our fault. / do not know.
but ! do know that escape is the only
way to avoid punishment in such cas-
es. No one seems TO understand it's or
igin. but there is a law in Mexico that
reaches these cases and it is most Wig
orously enforced.
"A notable case in point is that En-
gineer Williams who remained in Jail
in VeracruZ for over four years without
having a hearing. and he only came
out of the filthy hole when his friends
carried him out for dead. He had cut |,
the legs off a peon who went to sleep
under the cars while they were stand
ing on a siding.
During the first month in Mexico |
about over every railroad in
the republic looking for a good job. but
in no place did l find as good con-
1itions or rate of pay as prevail in the
United States. Do you remember what
Phil Sheridan once said about Texas?
He said If he owned Texas and hell. he
would rent Texas and live in the other
place. That's just the way / feel about
SPARKS FROM THE ENGINE.
Edgar. the 25 year old son of F.
Voelcker. formerly agent for the G. H.,
1t San Antonio, died at his home in
hat city Saturday night
Mrs. J. e. Hancock. of Joliet. H., is Z
visiting her sister, Mrs. J. A. Spellicy.
n this city. Her husband is one of
he leading physicians of Joliet
William Oliver. master mechanic of
he White Oaks route. returned to his
tation at Alamogordo this morning
ifter a few days in FL Paso on business
Three Mexicans were taken of the ]
Pacific train this morning un- {
Ter the rules of the contract labor law. 5
md deported Them to Mexico. They &
lad started west to work on the rail s
Dads.
j. Mcmillan. district passenger agent ,
q