Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-06-05

ter mechanic sprang ut each other In
q silent fury No man dare say where
1t might have ended had not Fred Nor
man staggered between them with his
hands up-but the blood was gushing
from his mouth.
It was pretty serious business. They
caught Kim as he fell. and the boy lay
on Blackburn's arm limp as dead
wire. Nobody thought after they saw
that hemorrhage that he would ever
live to have another. was scared sick.
and never saw man so cut up :.
Doubleday. Blackburn was cool in Il
second. for he saw quicker than others.
and he knew there was danger Of the
little dispatcher dying right there in
his tracks. Blackburn stood over him.
as much mt home facing death as he
was in Il fight or in dispatcher's
chair. He appeared to know Just how
to handle the boy to check the gush
and to know just where the salt was
and how to feed II. and he had Double
day telephoning for DIR. Carhart and
me running to a saloon after chopped
Ice In jlffy. When anybody was
knocked out Blackburn was as regular
n nurse. as ever you saw. Even switch
men, when they got pinched. kind OF
looked to blackburn.
That day the minute he got Fred into
Carhart's hands there was Freds
trick 10 take care of. and nobody, OF
A)urse. but Blackburn to do 1t. He sat
/, and picked up the threads and held
them gill noon, then Maxwell relieved
him. Doubleday was waiting outside
when Blackburn left the chair. | saw
him put out his hand to the night dis
hatcher. They spoke a minute and
went out and up Third street toward
Fred Norman's room. 1t was u gloomy
day around the depot. Everybody was
talking about the trouble and the way
It lal begun and the way 1t had ended.
They talked in undertones, little groups
IN corners and III rooms with the doors
shut. There wasn't much Of that In
our day there. and 1t was depressing.
I went home carly to bed, for / was on
nights, but the wind sung so, even IN
the afternoon, that ! couldn't quiet
down to sleep.
We were handling trains then on the
old single order system. mention this
because In no other way could this par
ticular thing have happened. but there's
no special point In that, since other
particular things do happen all the
time, single order, double order or no
order system.
The wind had dropped and there was
lust q drizzle Of rain failing through
the mountains when got down to the
depot at Z o'clock that Sunday evel-
ing. l don't know how much sleep
Blackburn had had during the day, but
he had been ut Fred NOrman's bed
most Of the afternoon with Doubleday
and Carhart, so he couldn't have had
much. About half past Z Maxwell sent
me over there with note and his storm
coat for him, and the three men were
In the room then. Boylike. l hung
around until II was time Cor Black
burn to take his trick, and then he ana
Doubleday and I walked over to the
Wickiup together.
At suudown everything was ship
shape. There hadn't been an engine
failure In the district for twenty-four
hours, and every hand car was run
ming smoothly. Moreover, there were
no extra sections marked up and only
one special OH the division card-a the
atrical train eastbOund with Henry lrv-
ing aud company from Frisco to Chica-
20, The Irving special was heavy, as
It always is. That night there were five
baggage cars. u coach and two sleepers.
am particular to lay all this out just
as the night opened when Blackburn
took his train sheet because sometimes