Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-07-14


ed on preventing the japanese doing
any damage to the line and stopping
the transportation of troops. But al
though the Major and his staff were
sentries and patrols were doubled,
daring little Jap almost wrecked a
troop train, which would not only
have meant the death of hundreds OF
Russian soldiers, but would have
hopelessly blocked the line at a time
when Russia was hurrying every
available man to the front. How
Major Chicherine saved the train from
destruction and thwarted the Japanese
plot forms one of the mot thrilling
episodes of the war
For some time the Major had been
uneasy in his mind concerning one OF
the Chinese cooles-Cho-ting- Spies
were everywhere, and one evening
while waiting for another troop train
to come through, the Major confessed
to the station master that he believed
the coolie was really young Japa-
nee engineer whom he had met five
years previously at the Japanese En-
bassy. in Berlin.
To the amaZement of the Major he
noticed, while talking to the station
master, the stoker and the driver OF
huge engine which had helped to
being a heavy transport train in, and
which was standing ready for any
emergency, turn their backs to the
engine, stroll off, and sit on an ada
cent wall to smoke.
1t was quite contrary to the regula-
tons for them to leave the locomotive
when ready to start. A lever pressed
by an unthinking or malicious person
might put the great machine into mo-
ton and change it in an instant into
a fearsome monster, scattering death
and devastation down the line. the
Major was angrily striding toward
the men, when suddenly a little man
emerged from underneath the engine
and sprang up nimbly on to the foot
plate. Quick as lightning he had
pressed over the starting lever, ana
with the same rapidity was down
again and had disappeared under the
carriages of an empty train.
Even while the Major shouted and
rushed forward the great engine,
snorting and kissing, began to move
ahead, before the amazed engine driv-
er and stoker could make out what had
happened. IT'S that william. Cho-ting-
fu!' yelled the Major, as he drew his
revolver and fired to give the alarm.
Madly he rushed to the telegraph
room to alarm the military guards on
along the line, but to his horror dis
covered that the telegraph wires had
been cut.
"A fearful picture arose before my
imagination" said the Major, when
describing the incident afterward.
THE runaway engine was under
strong pressure; the reservoir was
full of water; there was plenty of coal
in the furnace, and if Cho-ting-fu un-
derstoOd anything about this engine
as the cunning spy undoubtedly did
he must have opened a tap through
which flowed thick liquid substance
produced from petroleum, and largely
used in Russia for heating locomo-
tives. Therefore, the fire would be
kept up and the engine would rush on
ward, tearing through long tunnels
and over miles of rails, to meet the
crowded troop train coming the other
way. A terrible collision would take
place, the line would be hopelessly
blocked, and the death roll must needs
be frightfnul."
Suddenly an idea flashed through
the Majors mind. He rusned to a
second reserve engine which had stood
behind the one started by the spy.
The driver seemed to understand him
without a word, and, pressing the
lever, the engine, tender foremost,
moved rapidly out of the station and
disappeared into the night in chase OF
the runaway. Working as he had
never worked before, the stoker
shoveled on coal. and soon they were
tearing through the night at a pace
of so versts Gust over so miles, an
hour. Mile after mile they covered,
straining through the gloom to catch
the first glimpse of their quarry,
Suddenly the Major was attracted
by a cry from the driver AS they
rounded a curve. In the distance the
white light at the back of the runa-
ways tender swung into view.
Everything now depended on cool
ness and dexterity,' to quote the
Majors own words. while the
stoker piled on yet more fuel hur-
riedly explained my plan to the driver.
AID climbed out on to the coal stacked
zip in the tender, endeavoring to bal
ance myself as the flying leviathan
thundered along the track, swaylng
dizzily from side to side. The dis
lance between the racing engines dl-
minished sensibly Presently it was
only a hundred yards; in half a min