The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-10-10
A WAR TIME STORY.
An 0skaloosa Mans Experience In
Railroading.

The Sunday Magazine has put the
adventure of well-known Oska-
loosa resident n new dress, and
retells the story of Col. Redmon in
the following interesting way:
John T. Redmon maintains stout
ly that he is the only locomotive en-
gineer, living or dead, who ever ran
an engine upside down. He mad his
reward; for he read his own obituary
in the newspapers and also dtscovere !
many things about himself and mis-
ancestors of which until that time he
had been unfortunately kept supreme
ly ignorant.
1t happened In war times when Red
mon had the John Kilgour ut was be-
fore the says when they began 10
number engines like convicts), and
ran on what was then the Little
Miami railroad out of Morrowtown,
Ohio. On the morning of July IA,
1863, he was at this place, forty miles
east of Cincinnati, with a passenger
train behind consisting of baggage
car and five coaches filled with three
hundred recruits who were % be con
veyed to Camp Dennison, twenty!six
miles west 1t had been arranged to
| start the train at 600 a. M; bus just
before that hour the president of the
| railroad, whose home was at Morrow
town, received information that Gen.
John H. Morgan and his band OF Con
| federate rough riders were in The vi
cinity, which would make the trip
exceedingly perilous.
At first he declined to allow the
train to proceed, but after some heat
ed arguments with the officer who was
in charge of the new men he gave a
reluctant consent.
All went well for the eighteen miles
to Loveland, where the double track
to Cincinnati began; but at this point
they learned that the telegraph wires
had been cut and that it was regard
ed as certain that Morgan and his
president declared that the trip mus
end; 1t was, he said, nothing less
than criminal folly to think or con.
tinuing. In this opinion he was sup.
ported by leadig citizens Of Lovelaiid
who were positive that the line be.
tween their town AID Camp Denni.
son must have been cut.
But the neadstrong ecruiss, anxious
to reach camp and become real sold
ieTs, would not hear of delay; they
gathered round the official, alternate
ly appealing and insulting. he was
accused of cowardice, and tanned
WITH being rebel at heart. At last
in despai he decided to shift the re.
spo1sibility by passing 1t on to the
engineer. If Redmon cared to make
the trip, he mad permission to do so
but the president would not order HIM
to go to what most probably would be
| death. 1t was not a very pleasant
position for the engineer; but he was
accustomed to take risks, and amid
the cheers of the recruits he gave the
word for all to get aboard. Naturally
| courageous and determined to see the
end of the adventure, the head OF the
railroad clambered into one of The
coaches and the hazardous journey
was resumed.
| Four miles farther on, at a point ap.
propriately known as Danger Cross
ing, they encoultere3 the raiders. A
volley of shots caused the engineer
and fireman to drop TO the footboard;
but steam was not shut off and they
went by the crossing at full speed
The recruits were still cheering tor
Redmon when the train rounded a
curve a quarter of mile farther on
and plunged at this terrible pace full
into collection of ties and T rails
which had been placed in cattle
guard
| The engine was thrown off the tracK
and landed squarely upside down r.
almost exactly the reverse position
to the way in which it had been head
ed. 1t continued TO run continuously
while steam lasted, and Redmon lay
helpless underneath during the whole
of the time-hence mis- boast. While
he was seriously hurt, his injuries
were not likely to prove fatal; but his
fireman, Conrad Cullenan, who lay
doubled up beside him, had oee-
killed instantly The recruits were
made prisoners and the train was sci
on fire and destroyed by the confei
i crates. The one person to escape
was the president of the railroad, who
made his way across the fields tt
Camp DennisCl, where he reported
that all had been killed.
A few days later Redmon, rapidly
recovering in confederate field hos
pital. was handed copies of the Gin
cinnati newspapers which contained
yoluminous and more or less accurate
| reports of mis- feat and more rather
than less inaccurate sketches of hi.
career.