The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-05-23

It SAW THE AGENT LOOKING AFTER ME-"
a dead Confederate soldier he'd seen
in the woods, and asked him to get
me his clothes. They were nothing
but butternut, but there was a brass
belt buckle and some other things with
as well as a uniform.
81 started to travel nights and lie hid
among the niggers In daytime. In the
morning after starting, when the dawn
was breaking and l was looking about
for a retiring place, l came upon
railroad station. A locomotive was
standing on a side track coupled to
two or three empty freight cars. The
fire was burning low and there was
some steam on. judged that the en-
gineer and fireman had arrived not
long before and turned in either in the
station or in one Of two or three
houses that were scattered about.
II lived near railroad yard as
boy and used to get the engineers to
let me run with them. sometimes flr-
L
about locomotive / got up into the
cab, opened the furnace door and saw
that the fire was nearly out calcu-
lated the possibility of getting a ride
northward on the machine. but I'd
have to fire up before trying it. l
was pretty desperate and ready for
any risk. So / dropped one lump of
coal after another into the fire box.
not daring to make the noise of shov-
cling 1t in. I worked half an hour at
this, and concluded that whoever was
running that engine must be pretty
sleepy. for no one appeared to inter-
fere with me. l should have raked out
the ashes. but / didn't dare do that,
for the noise 1t would make. Pretty
soon the steam began to make noise
escaping, and l didn't dare defer my
departure any longer. uncoupled the
box cars, mounted the cab and made
as noiseless start as possible.
my heart was beating wildly, keep
ing my eye to the rear, but when l
came to a turn around a rise in the
me l gathered courage and let her go.
/ got over some five miles in about
fifteen minutes, when stopped and.
taking a file from a tool box In the
cab. climbed a telegraph pole and cut
the wires. This was to keep any one
from heading me of.
Considering that wore butternut
had pretty fair show to pass along
the road without being stopped-that
is If no telegram had been sent to
stop me before I'd cut the wires-and
l didn't think any one would suspect
Yankee had stolen the engine Aft
er 1 had passed the first station I
wouldn't likely be called back or stop
ped by telegraph. If could have a
free road l wouldn't fear getting on,
but all those southern roads had but
single track in those days. and would
have TO stop and switch to let trains
go by.
"Flve miles from where l started I
passed a small station. IL was still
early, though 1t was broad daylight,
and no one was up and about. / knew
by this that no Information about me
had got through-at least to this point
from the one where l had taken the
engine l pushed on. but stopped aft
er going few miles to rake out the
cinders. When this was done knew
would soon get steam enough to go
as fast as the roadbed would permit,
which was not very rapid, for there
had been no work done on it since the
war commenced, and 1t was very
rough. So long as I had stopped l
concluded to do some more cutting Of
the telegraph wires, and, climbing
pole, nipped them again.
ain a few miles more / came to an
other station This one was open. /
slowed up and called to a man inside:
Bring me time table, quick
HE took a soiled table from his
pocket and handed it to me.
"'Anythipg comingT l asked.
you'll meet No. at b. he replied.
"'Next stationr
"'Next but one
my CAuC NAaNA at bAC ACAbk
"'Yes. What you dom runnin' wild
this wayT
Government business was my re-
ply as rolled away.
II glanced at the time table and
found the man was right. In two
miles there was a station. Three miles
further on was B. resolved to go to
the next station. get on side track
and wait. soon covered the two
miles separating me from 1t, got on to
the switch and in ten minutes pas
senger train went by. / saw the con-
ductor leaning out and looking back
at me, but he didn't seem to think It
worth his while to inquire what was