The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-06-04

uous, L rehilZeu that IL was the nOrIf
bound passenger train that stood upo
the siding. How the sam Hill di
you get here? ! asked the engineer.
"'Why, came in my engine he re
piled. Where's No. 23-isn't she il
yet? / had orders to run through +
y, and expected to see No. % side
tracked here. Not seeing anything OF
the siding. l pulled up to investigate
What's up?'
Didn't you smash into 23T
gasped.
"'Sure not he replied. WHATS tn,
matter? Did you strike your heady
MY heads all right replied
'Twenty-three passed her in a blaze o
glory some time ago, and If you didn'
see her, where is sheT
Come, man. cOaxed the engineer
get word along the line and find on
when she is due. / don't want to sta,
here all day
But / tell you she passed here
insisted, and in despera ton | rushed
to the key and pounded off an inquiry
to the fellow south of me as 10 y'heth
err % had passed.
THE reply staggered me. He an
swered in the negative.
Where's that trainT / shrieked
1t passed here at Z 30 / persisted.
"Just then the rear brakeman came
running up the track with cap in
his hand. Found this down the track,
he said. That's old Jim Bludsoe's
cap; and If his cap is here, he must
have passed here himself
"'That's So rejoined the engineer.
But what am I going TO do? 1 can't
hang around here any longer
swell, l wired to the northern end
for instructions. and got word to send
the passenger along. Then the word
went over the line to the next station
south to send out a searching party for
the missing train. The track between
my shanty and the next one south was
closed to traffic pending the arrival Of
the searching crew. In due time they
pulled in on hand-car, and reported
that they has seen nothing of the miss
ing train. 1 wired the information to
headquarters, and asked for instruc-
tons.
"'Open up the road for traffic and
send men on foot to make a thorough
search for that train; we need it, came
the answer.
II did as directed, and sent the
searching party down the track. Told
them to spread out on either side Of
the track and work along until they
found the wreck, for l felt sure it
must have run off the track some
where.
after they had been gone about
fifteen or twenty minutes, and l had
rGked my brain for a solution of the
matter, 1 heard a whistle away off
In the distance. It sounded low. ap-
pearing to come from the south.
There was nothing due at my place
for an hour or so so thought at first
II was a relief party coming up to
help solve the mystery. but as the
sound continued. and did not get any
louder, concluded that, whatever 1t
was, 1t was stationary.
"The sound kept up for about ten
minutes and then stopped. 1 waited
For about half an hour. and then / saw
one Of the searching party returning
On the run. In the meantime head
quarters had been hammering me for
news Of the engine.
when the special courier arrived,
he was winded; so saw II was no use
.rying to pump anything out Of him I'M
ii he got through with his breathing
when he got his bellows working
gain, learned that they had found
lin Bludsoe and his train about three
niles down the road. about q mile and
| half away from the track. Several
# the cars were standing on end, but
he engine and the balance Of the
rain were right side up. scattered
'ver the face of the virgin prairie.
'The searchers had heard the whis-
lie. and proceeded to investigate.
hey had found the wreck as reported,
With old Jim standing in the cab,
cared, wild-eyed and battered"
How the heck did they get therer
sked the watery-eyed one.
well, they couldn't get anything |
ut Of Jim. He seemed plumb locoed.
When 1 sent In my report over the
Ire they sent down q lot Of experts
D try and salvage the train. Jim
ludsoe was the only living critter left
( the crew.
"They figured that the cyclone had
aught up to the train on Its wild
'hirl down the track, picked ii up
oddly. like blooming airship, and
arried 1t across the country to where
was discovered. This was verified
y the crew, who came straying in
Ike lost sheep from the prairie
hlther they had blown.
ut was learned from them that the
,gineer had developed a crazy streak
'me time before passing my station
nd chased the fireman out Of the cab.
hat explained why they gave my sig
n the go-by. However, Jim Bludsoe
ever had to answer for his crazy act.
II the last heard of him he was a
dippy domicile, quartered In an up
)lstered boudOir."
"And what became Of the locomO-
70 and cars fo innuirad tho uratarr- |