Connecticut western news., 1909-10-28
THREE MEN IN AN
 EMPTY BOX CAR
THEIR TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES
Beinu the Narrative of a Trio of We'll Known Persons and a Great Biz Bottle Filled With What Looked Like Either Whiskey or Cold Tea.


 Either Whiskey or Cold Tea.
 Three men, we'll known to everybody, had narrowing experience Saturday afternoon, which they will doubtless vividly remember for many moon. About four o'clock on the afternoon before mentioned they were seen to stealthily approach a side-tracked box car in the rear of the Ives and Peirce mill. They, appeared to be slightly under the influence of liquor. Notwith- standing that fact, they carried what looked exactly like large bottle Of whiskey. It was either that or tea
 We'll, the trio clambered into the freight car and were lost to view. Pres ently along came railroad man, whom we might name, but won't, since this IS a narrative without names, other than those necessary to describe locations, and so forth. He had evidently seen the men enter the car and, quietly approaching, slammed the door shut and bolted it before the occupants realized what had happened. Then the railroad man walked on down the tracks, whist ling unconcernedly. But the three men in the car did not take matters so un- condernedly. AS a matter of fact, they were slightly perturbed; and further, as a matter of fact, their perturbation grew with the succeeding minutes. They immediately began to pound on the door and yell like a band of Indians or collegians. Here, l-let me out, l shayr' "Open that door!" "Hey, hic, mister, let ush out, pleash, hic, won't you These and like expressions emanated. in whining tones, from the interior of the car. However, pound as they would, there was nobody to hear or, rather, there was nobody who evinced a desire to help. The men ill the car would yell, Justify, for several minutes; then their guttural cries would die dis
 mally and mournfally and all would be quiet, save for the rattle of a wagon or the chug chug of an automobile along Railroad street. They kept up these intermittent pleadings until about five o'clock, when a man who lives up Bragg street way. walking down along the tracks and hearing them, paused. He listened near the door and, evidently recognizing the men by their voices, decided to let them stay in the box car and sober up. Wherefore, the man did not pay any heed to them; but. wearing one of those Quaker Oats smiles, walked on up the railroad. The men whinned, spasmodlcally, throughout the after noon; but finally, this same man, com ing back down the tracks, and hearing the walls of the incarcerated three, suffered a change of heart, for what did be do but open the door. Perhaps he thought that Canaan would lose the aforesaid citizens, if they were carried away in the car. We'll, now, say, if . you could a seen that trio come out of . that car, it would have convulsed you with laughter. We're laughing yet. Twas a veritable circus. The men looked as if they had been pursued by demons. Their faces were drawn and blancned with fear and they shook like so many men with chills. Their eyes bulged big and fearful. So frightened were they Ger else ill such great haste to get home to supper), that they didn't stop to carefully lower themselves tC the ground-they fell out. But, as is so often the case with men who use all excess of rum, they did not seem tC suffer any injuries. Picking themselves up as best they were able. they glared
 in wild and frightened maDner. first at one another and then at the man who had liberated them; but not a word did they say to him. It may be that they were to frightened to speak-I dc not know. All that they evidently thought about was to make their escape from the vicinity of such a horrible experience as had just been theirs. Yes that seemed to be uppermost in theil minds. Perhaps their benumbed brains registered vague idea that some terri ble power would put them back in the car and close and lock the door. No they did not thank the man who had been kind enough to help them out o1 their predicament; but hiked away just as fast as ever their faltering feet could carry them. It really is pity that the booze fighters were let out of the car for it was picked up by local freight train and borne westward during the night. Had the men been carried tc Poughkeepsie, it would have had ten dency to sober them up bit; and who knows but what 1t would have made