The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1901-11-14

after the row. aud for time II seemed
as If harmony and happiness might be
restored. II was all trick. however,
on the part of an infatuated. vain
minded youag wife on the one hand
and an unpfincipled man Of the werld
on the other. man who cared not
what wrecl, ae left behind him.
We We're Just leaving our western
terminus one morning when old Jim
received telegram. lie opened the
telegram with steady hand, read the
message without "A .tremor and then
twisted it up and lighted his pipe with
it. And yet | came to know that the
telegram told him that his wife and
Frazer We're clipping together and had
tickets for the day express bound
west. His imperturbability deceived
me, and | did not give the message
second thought. A man must have
nerves of steel to con n message like
that and never blanch. At noon, when
we reached Townsville, we got orders
to run to Bascomb's and there side
track for tile express. We could do 1t
with three or four minutes to spare.
Bascom's was not even a station, but
a siding half a mile long on the prairie.
and we must do our own switching.
For three miles beyond 1t was a
straight track. and then it went curry
ing and turning among the HILLS and
over brawling creek. When we had
come within a mile of the siding.
looked for Jim to begin to slow up but
he made no move. Half a minute and
he even increased the speed and when
| shouted in his ear he waved me back
We passed the siding at clip of %
miles an hour and gaining on that ev-
cry minute, and as l at last grabbed
wJim's arm he pulled a revolver from
his breast and motioned for me to
stand back. The man had not gone
crazy, he had not misunderstood his
orders, but what was he doing in thus
passing the siding? In run of three
or four miles we must meet the ex-
press. For a second l thought of at
lacking him with poker, but he look
ed over his shoulder at me with grim
me to jump. Then it occurred to me
that the train had got away from him.
and turned and sprang from the cab.
1t was soft prairie for the fall, but 1t
seemed to me that | turned over and
over 500 times before the breath was
finally knocked out Of my body. When
my senses returned, l heard the hiss of
steam and the shrieks and cries of in
jured men and women, and l had stag
gered along the track less than mile
when | came upon the frightful wreck.
The engines of the express and freight
had met head on, and 81 people had
been killed and 70 injured in the awful
smash. 1t was the most terrible rail
road wreck for score of years.
| helped to get old Jim's crushed and
mutilated body out, and l helped to get
out the crushed and mutilated bodies
of his wife and Frazer, but it was days
before | got at the true facts in the
case. Finding himself betrayed the
old man had deliberately brought about
the collision that he might have re-
venge on the guilty pair and be wiped
out at the same time. If he thought
of the innocent who would suffer as
well, he had no pity. lie must have
hated the whole world as well as those
who had directly wronged him. 1t
was an awful thing he did, but he of
fered his own life with the sacrifice,
and somehow | have always felt that,
even though he presented such a cool,
calm front to me, the fires of insanity
must have been blazing in his brain
every minute after reading that tele.
gram.