, 1902-12-25
A PAYMASTER,S RIDE !
tOriginal.1

to the Army of the Cumberland al
CHATTANOOGA. Whceier's cavalry .was
ut th;.t time anywhere and everywhere
between me and my destination, and
of course if we happened TO meet any
of the det.chments it would be II great
gain to the C~onfederhcy and Al sreat
loss to the United States. There We're
banCs OF %suerrillas roaming about.
though not formidable to IL guard of
soldiers, but it was the presence of
Wheeler's cavalry in the region we
had to pass that decided the pay de-
partmert TO send the money secretly
and without IL guard. which might be
overpowered by superior numbers.
l reached Nashville safely and de-
posted the safe containing the mOney
il the bank. In the evening it was
taken out through the lack door, sent
10 Il train of fret: lit cars standing in
the yard of Ii Nashville and Chat.
tanooga railroad and slowed away u,i.
der the COIL in the locomotives tender.
There were but half Il dozen cars. and
these were empty. Tim Sullivan, an
enlisted man in the til Ohio infantry
and a locomotive engineer wIo had
been running on the road since the
capture of the country and knew tue
track well. WAS to carry me through.
He WAS recommended us perfectly re.
liable. and as l did not care to trust
any Il else with the secret ] Coed
my Uniform. put on u pair of ovCralls
and acted as fireman. - s..f
When we pulled out of the Nash.
vile station. the locomotive headlight
showed several men standing together
beside til" trnc,; watching our dCpar
ture. Sullivan looked ut Inc, and when
l asked him if anything was wrong he
replied, Dunno" The truth was he
suspected our secret was out. felt
very uncomfortable and wished my SUI.
periors had not sent, me without n
guard. However. we were in for 1t
and must go forward.
A weeks rain had ceased ard left u
clear sky, Il bright moonlight night.
so hat we could see almost as well as
in daytime. We had 10 sooner left the
outskirts of Nashville thai Sullivan
put on enough steam to run at for.
ty miles an hour big time for q
southern railroad in those days. espe.
cially, through Il hostile country. We
did not meet an obstacle CT Il suspi.
cious circumstance till we had passed
more than half our journey. WHEN VIZ
began to go down grade for several
miles. with the prospect of having to
do as much up grade after reaching
bottom. We had made about II mile Of
the decline when Il brakeman climbed
on the tender and shouted:
"IlCrp'S a Train IpIiuI pn,,in, II-a
lightnin'."
"I!ow do you know as,;cd Tim.
Seen it in the moonlight"
"Sec Il headlight:"
There aiu't no headlight. Its
freight cara; must hnve broke loose"
We'll, there's a-switch at the bottom
Well have to make 1t before the,
catch u.s."
He hooked up to the first notch arc
threw the throttle wide open. The EN-
CINE made IL jump. and before we could
say Jack Robinson" we were tearing
down the grade at sixty miles an hour.
We hadn't far to 20. but the question
was whether the locomotive would
stick TO the rails. She swaycd ard
pitched ard shuddercd and shook like
a ship in Il gale. We shot over a bridge
and out where we could l3oi behind.
and there was the cursed train coming
like the wind.
GLOW far to the switch?' l asked.
"'Bcut two mile and II half"
"Vyill we reach it in time?'
Dunno"
We were now on Il straight track and
could see the switch light ut the little
mt the foot Of the grade and the
moonlight cleaning On the rails
straight as Il pair of arrows for miles
beyond.
Whats that standing on the track
the top of the grader I asked.
Tim put his bead away out OF the
cab window and looked. When he tool
it in. his lace was as white as the
snow. He said in II hSarsc whisper:
at isn't standin' on the track. Its
comm for us"
Great heaven. What does it mean
n train bclIi:d, another in ~front?"
"Some ones bound to smash us up.
There's no engine on either train.
They've caught Us in this scoSp2d out
country and give us the choice of bcln'
crushed from behind or in front"
But we may reach the switch in
time to avoid both"
"Whoever's done this job has been
smart enough to lock the switch SO
that no crowbar will open ii. We're
done for"
Just then above the rattle there was
n sound behind us as If Il hill had top
pied over and, looking backward, We
could see tons of mud ard stones pour,
ing over the rails. In about Il minute
there was II crash. and the coming
freight cars were piled in Il heap Mt
the landslide The rain had loosencd n
bank. aud we had shaken 1t OF. u.
ANY chance nov at the sw!tch?" l
asked.
Not unless they have left u end
unlocked. which they haven't" .
Tim reversed his engine as he spoi:c'
and whistled down brakes. We came
to a stop wlthlu1a quarter Of Il mile Of