Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-07-27

y
beer, Murray? It was the young
officer you insulted." But Murray's
only answer at the moment was
demand that Hunt shut up and let
him go to sleep.
The last thing Stuyvesant remenl-
bered before doing off was that the
smell of those journal-boxes was
getting worse. At two in the morn
ing, in the heart of the desert, the
conductor had made his way through
the train and remarked that, despite
that. unpleasant odor, every man Of
the recruit detachment was sound
asleep. In a berth next the door
the steward of the dining-car had
found room, and the entire car
seemed wrapped in repose.
Five minutes later by the watch
it was wrapped in flames.
Speaking of the matter later in the
morning, the brakeman said it didn't
seem ten seconds after he had pulled
before Lieut.. Stuyvesant, tall, slim
figure in pajamas and slippers, came
bounding to his aid.
The flames even then were burst
ing from under the steps and plat
form, the dense smoke pouring from
the rear door of the recruit car, and
coughing, choking, blinded stagger-
ing, some of them scorched and bis
tered, most of them clad only in
undershirt and drawers, the luckless
young troopers came cropping forth
and were bundled on into the in
terror of the diner. Some in their
excitement strove to leap from the
train before it came to it's humping
grinding halt. Some were screaming
in pain and panic. Only one, Hunt,
was dressed throughout in uniform.
The steward of the diner, nearly
suffocated before being dragged out
of his berth, was making vain eff
fort to shove a way back into the
blazing car, crying that all his money
was under that pillow. But it was
impossible to stem the torrent of
human forms.
The instant the train stopped, the
flames shot upward through the sky
light and ventilator, and then the
voice of Connolly was heard yelling
for aid. Selling blanket that had
been dragged after him by some he
wildered recruit, and throwing it
over his head and shoulders, Stuyve-
SAINT, bending low, dove headlong
into the dense wall of smoke.
The flames came leaping and lap
ping out from the doorway the in
slant he disappeared, and a groan of
; dismay arose from the little group
| already gathered at the side of the
track. Five, ten seconds of awful
suspense, amid then, bending lower
still, his loose clothing afire, his hair
and eyebrows singed, his face black
with SCOT and smoke and scared by
flame, the young officer came plung
ing forth, dragging by the legs a
PROSTATE, bowling man, and after
them, blind and staggering, came
Connolly.
Eager hands received and guided
the rescuers, leading them into the
diner, while the trainmen worked
the stiff levers, broke loose the coup
ling and swung their lanterns in
frantic signals to the engineer, far
ahead.
Another moment and the blazing
car was drawn away, run up the
track a hundred yards, and left to
| illumine the night and burn to ashes,
while male passengers swarmed
about the dining-car, proffering stim-
ulant and consolation.
Besides Stuyvesant and Corporal
C0n-n1lxr e1x
burned. Every stitch of clothing not
actually on their persons at the mo-
ment of their escape was already
consumed, and with it every ounce
of their soldier rations and supplies.
The men least injured were those
who, being nearest the rear door.
were first to escape. The men
worst burned were those longest
held within the blazing car, barring
one, Murray, whom Hunt had
| thoughtfully bound hand and foot
as he slept, reasoning that in that
way only might his guardians enjoy
like blessing.
Connolly had tripped over the roar
ing bully as he lay on his back in
the aisle. Stuyyesant had rushed in,
and between them they dragged him
to a place of safety. There, his
limbs unbound, his tongue Embossed,
Murray INDUCED in a blast of male
diction on the road, the company,
the government, his comrades, even
his benefactors, and then thought
fully demanded a drink. There was
no longer a stern corporal to forbid,
| for Connolly, suffering and almost
| sightless, had been led into rear
coach. But there was no longer
money with which to buy, for Fos
ter's last visible cent had gone up in
smoke and flame, and, scorched and
smarting in a dozen places, wrapped
in a blanket in lieu of clothes, the
dark-eyed young soldier sat, still
trembling from excitement, by the
roadside.
1t was three hours before the wreck
could be cleared, another car pro-
cured and the recruits bundled into
it. Then, as dawn was spreading
over the armament, the train pushed
on, and the last thing Gerard Stuy-
vesant was conscious of before, ex-
hausted, he dropped off to troubled
sleep, was that a soft, slender
hand was renewing the cool bandage
over his burning eyes, and that he
heard passenger say: 'That little
brunette-that little Miss Ray-was
worth the hull carload of women put
together. She just went in and
nursed and bandaged the burned men
lilo fhonnh fhax,I L.
brothers"
Certainly the young lady had been
of particular service in the case OF
Connolly and one of the seriously in
jured recruits. She had done some
thing for every man whose burns de-
served attention, with a single exceP-