Year: 1859

From the Philadelphia Press.


In returning from Philadelphia about
the middle OF August, ls4S, the cars
were crowded, and my companion in the
same seat l found out TO be locomotive
engineer, and in the course of our con.
yersatlon no made the remark that be
hoped he had run his last trim on q loco.
motive. Upon making bold to ask his
reasons he gave me the following story.
and since then | have found it out 10 be
strictly true:


"Five years since, was running up-
on the New York Central Railroad. Nv
run was from B. 1t was the
lightning express train, and was what its
name denotes, for it was fast. | have
seen her throw her six-feet driver so as to
be almost invisible to tho eye. But to
my story.


"About half milo from tho village
of B there is nice little cottage
but few feet from the track. AT that
time a young married couple lived there.
They had one child, little boy about
four years old, a bright, black-eyed, curly
headed little chap rs ever you saw. l
had taken great interest in the little
fellow, and had thrown candy and oran-
ges to him from the train, and l was
sure TO SEQ him peeping through the fonoe
whenever my train passed.


"One fine, sunny afternoon we were
behind time and running fast; we did not
stop ut B -, and | was to make
up one hour before reaching r
We came up at tremendous speed, and
when sweeping around the curve, my eye
following the track, not over two hund-
red feet ahead sat the little fellow, play
ing with a kitten which he held in his
lap. AT the sound of our approach he
looked up and laughed, clapping his little
hands in high glee at the affrighted kit
ten rs it ran from the track. Quicker
than the lightning that blasts the tall
pines upon the mountain-top, whistlcd
down brakes and reversed my engine,
but knew it was impossible to stop
Nobly did the old engine try to save
him. The awful straining and writhing
of its iron drivers told but too plainly of
the terrific velocity we had attained.
was out of the cab-window and down on
the cow-catcher in flash. The little
fellow stood still. | motioned him off
and shouted; his little black eyes opened
wide with astonshment, and merry
laugh was upon his lips. l held my
desperate attempt TO catch him, 6Gc ffls
sed, and as the little boy passed l heard
the feeble cry of 'Motherp and the for
ward trucks crushed his body TO atoms.


90, God, that moment / may live,
sir, to be an old man, but the agony of
that moment can never be erased from
my memory. The cars stopped some
rods from the spot, and l ran back as
soon rs possible. His mother saw the
train stop, and fearful foreboding flash
ed upon her at once. She came rushing
frantically TO the spot where we stood
never shall forget the look she gave me
rs she beheld her first-born a shapeless
mass. would have given my whole ex-
istenco to have avoided that moment. |
have seen men, women and children
mangled and killed; l have seen all this,
but that little innocent boy, as he look
ed up into my face, and was killed al
most in my arms, unnerved me, and
from that day / made solemn vow
never to run locomotive any more.


"That young mother is now in the
Utica Lunatic Asylum. From the hour
her boy was killed reason had left its
throne" lie stopped and wiped the
tears from his eyes, and said, "You may
think il weak in Inc to shed tears, but L
can't help it." "No," l replied, "but
think it noble; and sir, would to God
every man had n heart as large as yours"


| have often thought since how few
are those who give passing thought TO
the man of strong nerve and stout arm
who guides them through darkness and
storms, with the speed of the wind, safe
ly to their journeys end. They do not,
for a moment, turn their attention to the
iron monster that is dragging them for
ward, with fearful velocity, to meet
friends and relatives. They do not real


ize that the man who guides the fiery


monster holds their precious lives at his
command, and that the least negligence


on his part would cause sorrow and


mourning in thousand homes that arc


now waiting the return of tho absent
| loved onaS