The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-17


fifteen winters and bleached with the sun
Of fifteen summers. But to this day they
hang there in their walnut frames. the
original orders, just as Bucks scratched
them Off They hung there in the dis
patchers' offices in the new depot. But in
their present swell surroundings Bucks
wouldn't know them. IL was Harvey Reyn-
olds who took them off at the other end
of the wire-a boy in a thousand for that
night and that minute The instant the
words flashed into the room he instructed
the agent. grabbed an ak. and dashed out
into the waiting room, where the sheriff.
Ed Banks. sat with his prisoners. the cow
boys
Ed" cried Harvey. there's a runaway
train from Ogalalla coming down the line
in the wind. If we can't trap IL here. it'll
knock SO into kindling wood Turn the boys
loose. Ed. and save the passenger train.
Boys, show the man and square yourselves
right now. / don't know what you're here
for; but believe it's TO save So. VIII you
help?"
The three men sprang to their feet. I'd
Banks slipped the handouts of in trice.
Never mind the rest of it. Save the pas
senger train first" he roared. Everybody
from Ogalalla to Omaha knew Ed Banks.
(which way? HOWE cried the cowboys,
in lather of excitement.
Harvey Reynolds, reckoning as he ran,
rushed out the door and up the track. his
posse at his heels, stumbling into the gale
like lunatics.
Smash in the Toulouse door," painted
Harvey they neared IL.
Ed Banks seized the AK from his hands
Pick up that tie and ram her." he cried,
pointing to the door. "All together-now."
Harvey and the cowboys splintered the
panel in a twinkling, and Banks, with a
few clean strokes cut an opening. The
cowboys, jumping together. ran in and be-
gan fishing for tools in the dark. One got
hold OF a wrench: the other pick. Harvey
caught up a crowbar. and Banks grabbed
a spike maui In a bunch they ran for the
point of the curve on the house track. Ii
lies there close to the verge OF a limestone
bluff that looms up fifty feet above the
river.
But it is one thing TO order a contract
opened, and another and very different
thing to open it, at in the morning on
Dec. 25 by men who knew no more about
track-cutting than about logarithms. Side
by side and shoulder to shoulder the man
Of the law and the men out OF the law.
the roughriders and the railroad boy. pried
and wrenched and ciawed and struggled
with the steel While Harvey and Banks
clawed at the spikes the cowboys wrestled
with the nuts on the bolts OF the fish,
plates II was battle. The nuts wouldn't
twist, the spikes stuck like piles. sweat
covered the assailants, Harvey went into
frenzy. Boys, we must work faster
he CRIED tugging at the frosty spikes. but
flesh and blood could do more.
There they come-there's the runaway
train-do you hear IL? I'm going 20 open
the switch anyhow" Harvey shouted.
starting up the track. Save yourselves"
Needless Of the warning. Banks struggled
with the plate-bots in a silent fury. Sud-
denly he sprang TO his feet. "Give me the
maui" he cried.
Raising the heavy tool like a tack-ham-
mer he landed heavily the bolt nuts:
once, and again; and they flew In a stream
like bullets over the BLUM The taller cow
boy bending on his knees. raised yell.
The plates had given. Springing 10 the
other rail, Banks stripped the bolts even
after the mad train had shot into the
gorge above them. They drove the pick
under the loosened steel. and with a pry
that bent the crowbar and a yen that
reached Harvey. trembling at the switch.
they tore away the stubborn contact aad
pointed the rails over the precipice.
The shrek Of a locomotive whistle cut
the air. Looking east Harvey had been
watching 59s headlight. She was pulling
in on the siding. lie still held the switch
open 10 send the runaways into the trap
Bucks had set, II the passenger train failed
TO get into the clear: but there was a min
ute yet-a bare sixty secondhand Harvey
had no idea of dumping ten thousand dol
lars worth Of equipment into the river
unless he had 10.
Suddenly up went the safety signals from
the east end. The l0l was coughing nolsily
up the passing track-the line was clear.
Banks and the cowboys. waiting breath
less. saw Harvey with determined lurch
close the main line contact
In the next breath the coalers. with the
sweep OF the gale in their frightful velocity.
smashed over the switch and on. rat
Ting whirl OF ballast and a dizzy clatter
OF noise. and before the frightened crew OF
50 could see what was against them. the
runaway train passed-gonei
II wasn't going TO stop here tonight"
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