The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-04-06
THE subject was railroad fares and

- ~
''Well. for my part" aid h shoe
drummer. costly as it is and If ,he
money came out of my w pocket.
! should always prefer to pay my
fare or walk. rather than try to beat
my way. / had "A little experience
ONE in riding cheap. and il was
enough : last me the rest of my
LIE. 1t happened about two years
aro. was stuck for Sunday in a
small junction town o far from.
Buffalo, and there l fell in with Tom
Collins. who's now in Wholesale gro
gcrics.
Dan said he, there's a big wreck
down the line. Shall we go and see
it?'
II was for IT.. of course. So Tom
went down in the railroad yard and
fixed ii with the conductor of a
~recking train that was about to
cave. Half an hour later we were in
the caboosc jolting down the line on
a 50-mile speed order. The wreck was
a bad one. Tom and / found all we
could do helping to get out the in
iured and looking up their property
with the detectives. and by the time
we got things into some kind of
shape it was six o'clock. Then we
learned that the wrecker wasn't to re-
turn until midnight. There was a
passenger train due at nine, but that
was TWO hours late. / was just pre-
pairing to settle down in the station
and go to sleep when along came a
freight. Let's take IT, said Tom.
Its a cinch. All you have 10 do is
to get into a box car and ride
This sounded reasonable. SO once
more | stayed. The train was moving
slowly because of the wreck. and we
stood by the track and watched for an
empty car. Pretty soon one came
along with the door open about a foot.
We dog-trotted along beside il and
managed to increase the opening wide
enough to climb in. and very shortly
we were bowling toward home about
ms easily and incxpcnsively as we
came II was a warm night. so Tom
and ] sat down in the doorway with
our feet hanging outside. The car
was pitch-dark inside. and it
didn't ride just like a sleeper. either;
but we weren't making any COM
plants. We sat there smoking and
chatting for some distance. and then
the moon came up and threw a patch
Of light onto the car floor behind us.
Tom had just started in to quote come
eulogy on the Queen of Night. when
suddenly out Of the dark rcccsses Of
the car behind us there came a voice:
"'Shut that door!'
I'VE pulled our legs inside the car
and started to our feet. Scared l GER
tainly was. and I doubt IL Tom was
any less SO; but he was the first to
speak.
Who are you?" he said. addressing
She darkness. There was no answer
Tor a minute. Then we could hear a
noise ms OF some one moving about in
me rear end Of the car.
We stood in the patch of light
from the door straining our eyes into
The darkness, when the voice came
again ''ands up, gents; you're Gov
ercd,'
Tom and | had both seer enough
81 y west to know what that meant.
30 we elevated our digits without n
word. There was plenty of light in
me doorway for the unseen director
% the proceedings to see that his
order was obeyed.
Now, gents continued the voice.
! must ask you to remove the watches
and money from your persons and lay
them in the light on The floor. one at
= time. Don't either of you attempt
70 pull a gun. however. for IL you do
my pals at the other end Of the car
nay forget themselves and shoot. Am
right Bill. Jim?'
Dead right came a second voice,
this one from the forward end Of the
car; then still another from nearly
The same direction affirmed: That's
what!'
There was no help for IL. Tom and
! were fumbling in our pockets for
our wealth. when suddenly an idea
came to both Of us at once
Needn't put IL all QUIT wills
pered Tom. and we ought to save q
east one Of our watcheA'