Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-09-13
THE MISSING FREIGHT.
BY HAROLD NAEMANSSON.

i'll signalling the train to Dalabeke.
"On arriving at Kalakoka we found
the station deserted. We then went to
TompSins' house and found him III
bed. On rousing him. he stated that
fast freight Number Forty-Six most
certainly passed through kalakoka on
time, and distinctly insinuated that. If
Dinliins didn't see it pass through
Dalabeke. Dimkins must have been the
worse for something-perhaps liquor.
Mr.. Dimkins hotly resented this
imputation. and the two men were
fighting before we had an opportunity
to interfere The Kalakoka police
man unfortunately happened to be near,
and rushing up, began clubbing us all,
under the impression, l suppose, that
we were an organization of bandits
about to make raid on the village.
After an extended period of general
misunderstanding. alteration and per-
sonal injury, the tumult was stilled,
and we all returned to the depot. Here
Dimkins wired st. Louis. only to be in
formed that fast freight Number
Forty-SiX had left that city on time
and that nothing unusual had tran
spired.
las nothing could be made of it we
started back along the tracks to Dala-
beke, where we arrived without Incl
dent of any kind. Part of the railroad
ran through a wood which was fenced
off by posts and barbed wire. The rest
of the way the railroad ran through
open prairie.
1T was ridiculous to suppose that
fast freight train could have utterly
disappeared between Kalakoka and
Dalabeke and the only probable hy-
pothesis seemed to he that TOmpkins
was mistaken in some way in suppos-
ing that the train had passed Kala-
koka."
Thus ends the doctors narrative.
The next morning it became evident
that fast freight Number Forty-Six
had in some way disappeared. Chica-
go. however, took it as Il joke. The
newspaper reporters went down to
see Tompkins, who had seen the miss
ing train pass KalakOka. They
plagued and eXasperated him to such
an extent that he resigned his position
in disgust a Chicago paper printed
Il funny article in regard to Tompkins.
entitled. THE Freight That Didn't Ma
terialize.' The Federal Express com
pany's representative called Oh the
president of the Il. X. & G. s. X. II.
and was Informed that freight Num-
ber Forty-Six had not yet left st.
Louis. The Federal Express com
pany's representative expressed his
satisfaction and inquired when fast
freight Number Forty-Six had not yet
left st. Louis. The Federal Express
company's representative expressed
his satisfaction and inquired when
fast freight Number Forty Six would
leave st. Louis, because she had
SD.0W in currency aboard. and thu
Federal Express company was anx-
ious
The president of the r. II. & G. s.
X. Il. answered that the $4,000 was
all right, and that the disquieting
rumors We're nonsense. Then he
wired st. Louis that fast freight Num-
Der FortySix must be found at once.
st. Louis replied that they would inn
mediately put on Il tracer. and there
after maintained silence.
AT Crescentville, Illonis, there were
sensational do.ngs. The bank had just
managed to hold It's own for the day
by the method of taking an unpre-
cedentedly long time over doing every
hi .l..,
came there were certainly over 300 eX-
cited clients of the bank waiting their
turn to withdraw their money, and
these people camped In the street for
the night. making all kinds of treats.
and vowing all kinds of vengeance
against everybody connected with the
bank II they should not be paid
promptly the next morning. The off
GERS and employees of the bank stayed
inside and did not venture out.
About 1 o'clock in the morning an
extraordinary thing occurred. 4 posse
of men rode into Crescentville, well
armed and wearing masks. They
rode straight To the bank, were adj
mitted after a short parley, and did
not come out again.
But ut nine In the morning the bank
opened its doors. and the run began
anew with great desperation. De-
positor after deposltor was paid OF un-
til scarcely any We're left and the peo
pie stood around and talked about it,
There seemed To he no end to the
banks resources. and at last Il large
AMI influential customer exclaimed -
THE bank is all righ. aud we are
pack of fools, ! am going to de-
posit my cash again.
There was IL murmur of approval.
nnG then everybody began Ia laugh.
Right after the influential man fol
lowed long line of people desiring
to re-deposit the money they had only
just withdrawn. such Il day of busl-
ness the creseentviile bank never had
before, and IL is not at all likely ever
to have again. An enthusiastic meet
ing was held at the Masonic hall that