Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-15
ST SAW THE ROBBERS. "

and our farm, 1 heard a train coming.
l was surprised to hear it slow down,
because trains always passed US with
out stopping. Then l heard shot,
another and another.
The ground rose between me and the
railroad, and the interval was covered
by trees. Just beyond the trees the
road passed through a cut. l ran for
ward to see what was the matter and,
coming to the edge of the wood, saw
that the train had been stopped by
robbers All was excitement, both on
the train and among those who were
doing the robbing. l supposed that
men were going through the cars hold
ing up the passengers, but they were
not. They had another object, which
soon appeared.
Standing above and beside the cut,
I could look right down on the engine,
the baggage and express car. A mask
ed man was in the tender, bending
over the side to take in what was go
ing on in the rear. Evidently being
satisfied that there was a hitch in the
proceedings, he called to one Of the
robbers to know what was the matter
and received a reply that the express
messenger had succeeded in locking
the doors of the express car Where
upon the man in the cab got down and
hurried to the rear.
The opportunity of a lifetime pre-
scented itself to me. Not that l recog-
nized it as such; it only occurred to
me that seeing and not being seen, a
locomotive before me and no one to OPP
crate it, there might be q remote posi-
bility of my running away with it and
giving an alarm. There was no one
at the forward end of the express car,
and If | could uncOuple the locomotive
| might get into the cab and put on
steam.
AS to uncoupling in that day the
old fashioned link and pin were used,
and if the car and engine were in posi-
ton to leave the pin loose l would
have no trouble in drawing it. l knew
nothing about locomotive except that
| | had seen engineers start their ma
| chimes by throwing back a lever and
| pulling on handle, the throttle.
| All this flashed through my mind
within a few seconds, and another con-
| tiugency doomed up. If / should fail,
/ IL the robbers should catch me before
| / got sufficient Roadway to leave them
| behind, 1 would be murdered. The
thought staggered me, but was so in
| fatuated by my scheme the chances
! seemed so many in my favor that l
/ was unable to resist the temptation.
/ 1t was doing the thing rather than the
thought Of any good that might come
| from it that spurred me on.
He who achieves success, though he
looks ahead instead of behind, rarely
! has that foresight with which remark
able men have been credited He
makes his start and pushes on in the
! dark. / made my start, but my calcu-
| lations were Immediately upset. / had
| scarcely left the wood before / saw
the robbers-there were several of
them-leave the rear end Of the ex-
press car and rush in a body to the
forward end, the end which | was to
! have uncoupled. / darted back into
hiding One robber mounted the plat
form and tried the door. 1t was lock
co. Another ran forward and seized a
tie which had been wedged in between
the rails a short distance from where
the locomotive stood and carried it II
the express car.
] had not noticed this tie and my
heart stopped beating as | realized tina
IT would have spoiled my plan and re
suited in my death. The robbers tool
the tie up onto the front platform o.
the express car and began an attemp
to use it to break in the door. Bu
the tie was six feet long or Whereabouts
while the distance between the tende
and the car was not as much. Th
consequence was that the robbers ha'
not sufficient space in which TO worl
with 1t. Nevertheless they perseyered
Another plan. far more desperate thai