St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-03-04
A PAYMASTER'S RIDE
- [Original.1


to the Army Of the Cumberland at
Chattanooga. Wheeler's cavalry was
at that time anywhere and everywhere
between me and my destination, and
of course if we happened to meet any
of the dsaa chm ents it would be a great
gain to the COnfederacy and a great
loss to the United States. There were
bands of guerrillas roaming about,
though not formidable to a guard of
soldiers, but it was the presence of
Wheelers cavalry in the region we
had to pass that decided the pay de-
partment to send the money secretly
and without a guard, which might be
overpowered by superior numbers.
l reached Nashville safely and de-
posted the safe containing the money
in the bank. In the evening it was
taken out through the back door, sent
to train of freight cars standing in
the yard of the Nashville and Chat
tanooga railroad and slowed away I'M
der the coal in the locomotives tender.
There were but half dozen cars, and
these were empty. Tim Sullivan, an
enlisted man in the til Ohio infantry
and locomotive engineer who had
been running on the road since the
capture Of the country and knew the
track well, was to carry me through.
He was recommended as perfectly re-
liable, and as l did not care to trust
any one else with the secret l DOTTED
my uniform, put on pair of overalls
and acted as fireman.
When we pulled out of the Nash
vile station, the locomotive headlight
showed several men standing together
beside the track watching our depar
ture. Sullivan looked at me, and when
1 asked him if anything was wrong he
replied, Dunno" The truth was he
suspected our secret was out. | felt
very uncomfortable and wished my su-
periors had not sent me without
guard. However, we were in for it
and must go forward.
A weeks rain had ceased and left
clear sky, bright moonlight night,
so that we could see almost as we'll as
in daytime We had no sooner left the
outskirts of Nashville than Sullivan
put on enough steam to run at for
ty miles an hour - big time for a
southern railroad in those days, espe-
cially through a hostile country. We
did not meet an obstacle or SuSpi-
cious circumstance till we had passed
more than half our journey, when we
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 mile Of
the decline when a brakeman climbed
on the tender and shouted;
There's a train behind, comm like
lightnin'."
"How do you know" asked Tim.
"Seen it in the moonlight
"See headlights"
"There amt no headlight. It's
freight cars; must have broke loose"
well, there's switch at the bottom
Well have to make it before they
catch u.s."
He hooked up to the first notch and
threw the throttle wide open. The en-
CINE made jump, and before we could
say Jack Robinson" we were tearing
down the grade at sixty miles an hour
We hadn't far to go, but the question
was whether the locomotive would
stick to the rails. She swayed and
pitched and shuddered and shook like
ship in gale. We shot over bridge
and out where we could look behind
and there was the cursed train coming
like the wind.
"How far to the switch?' l asked.
"'Bout two mile and half"
'Will we reach it in time"
Dunno"
We were now on a straight track and
could see the switch light at the little
station at the foot of the grade and the
moonlight cleaning on the rails
straight as pair of arrows for miles
beyond.
whats that standing ON the track
near the top of the grader asked.
Tim put his head away out of the
cab window and looked When he took
it in, his face was as white as the
snow. He said in hoarse whisper:
ut isn't standin' on the track. It's
comm for us
Great heaven! What does it mean
a train behind, another in front"
"Some ones bound to smash us up.
There's no engine on either train.
They've caught us in this scooped out
country and give us the choice of bein'
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 it. We're
done for"
Just then above the rattle there was
a sound behind us as If hill had top
pied over, and, looking backward, we
could see tons Of mud and stones pour
ing over the rails. In about a minute
there was crash, and the coming
freight cars were piled in heap at
the landslide. The rain had loosened
bank, and we had shaken it off.
"Any chance now at the switch" l
asked.
mot unless they have left one end
unlocked, which they haven't"
Tim reversed his engine as he spoke
and whistled down brakes. We came