The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-05-31

1t was midnight in Spokane.
A blacl, locomotive, hitched to dark
day coach, stood in front of the Great
Northern station. The dim light of the
gauge lamp showed two nodding fig
ures in the cab. Out on the platform
man walked up and down, keeping an
eye ON the engine that was to cost him
cool thousand for a hundred mile
run. Presently a man with his coat
collar about his ears stepped up into
the gangway, shook the driver and
asked him where he was going.
"Goin to sleep"
The man would not be denied, how
ever, and when he became too pressing
the driver got up and explained that
the cab of his engine was his castle
and made a move with his right foot.
"Holdv cried his tormentor. 'Do you
know that you are about to lay violent
hands upon an officer of the law?'
NO." said the engineer, but I'll lay
violent foot up ag'in the crown sheet
of your trousers if you don't jump"
The man jumped.
Now, the chief dispatcher came from
the station, stole along the shadow side
of the car and spoke to the man who
had ordered the train.
A deputy sheriff climbed up on the
rear end OF the special, tried the doo",
shaded his eyes and endcavored to look
into the car.
'IIave you the running orders!" ask
ed the man who was paying for the en-
tertainment.
"Yes"
"Let her so, then"
The driver opened the throttle gently,
the big wheels began to revolve, and
the next moment the sheriff and one of
his deputies boarded the engine. They
was bound for.
1.-THE train," said the driver, tugging
at the throttle, 'is back there at the
station. I'm goin to the roundhouse."
When the sheriff, glancing back, saw
| that the coach had been cut off, he
swung himself down.
''They've gin it up" said the deputy.
II reckon what's that?' said the
sheriff. 1t was the wild, long whistle
of the lone black engine Just leaving
the yards. The two officers faced each
other and stood listening to the 1utter
of the straight stack of the black racer
as she responded to the touch of the
erstwhile drowsy driver, who was at
that moment laughing at the high sher-
iff and who would return to tell of it
and gloat in the streets Of Spokane.
The sheriff knew that three of the
| men for whom he held warrants We're
at Hitler, seven miles on the way to
Canada. This engine, then, had been
sent to pick them up and bear them
away over the border. An electric line
paralleled the steam way to Hitler,
and now the sheriff boarded Il trolley
and set sail to capture the engine, leav-
ing deputy to guard the special car.
By the time the engineer got the wa
ter worked out of his cylinders the troll
ley was creeping up beside his tank.
He saw the flash from the wire above
as the car, nodding and dipping like a
light boat in the wake of q ferry, shot
beneath the cross wires and knew in
stantly that she was after him.
| AL clCNlIlC CdI NOulu uOl De DlOW-
ing through the gloom at that rate
without a ray of light merely for the
fun of the thing. A smile of contempt
curled the lip of the driver as he cut
the reverse lever back to the first
notch, put on the injector and opened
the throttle yet little wider.
The two machines were running al
| most nenlr an6 noaix nom Tho trO1lo1,
cried, Missed and spit fire in her mad
effort to pass the locomotive. A few
stray sparks went out of the engine
stack and fell upon the roof of the rae
ing car. AT intervals of half a minute
the fireman opened the furnace door,
and by the flare of light from the white
hot tireboX the engine driver could see
the men on the teetering trolley-the
motorman, tse conductor, the sheriff
and his deputy.
Slowly now the black fier began to
slip away from the electric machine.
Now the men on the trolley heard the
wild, triumphant scream of the iron
horse whistling for Hitler. The three
directors of lie Roi had been warned
by wire and were waiting, ready to
board the engine.
The big wheels had scarcely stop
ped revolving when the men began to
get on. They had barely begun to turn
again when the trolley dashed into
Hitler. The sheriff leaped to the
ground and. came running for the en-
gine. The wheels Slipped. and each
passing second brought the mighty
hand of the law, new outstretched, still
nearer to the tail of the tank. She was
moving now, but the sheriff was doing
4 better. Ten feet separated the pur-
sued and the pursuer. She slipped
again, and the sheriff caught the cor
ner of the engine tank. BY this time
the driver had got the sand running,
and now as the wheels held the rail
the big engine bounded forward, al
most shaking the sheriff loose. With
each turn of the wheels the speed was
! increasing. The sheriff held on, and Ia