Year: 1876




persons, in this manner: "Well,
Van, have you killed any to-day?"
The engineer replied, "No; but /
have been mad enough all day to
kill half a dozen if l could" =
Another friend, overhearing the
remark, cautioned the engineer a.
gainst expressing himself in that
way, for, as he said, somebody
might snap you up, AID, having
killed so many lately, it would
probably go hard with you" The
proprietor of the hotel then asked
him if he had kept an account of
the number he had killed there
and in California The answer
given was that he knew of sixteen
or seventeen, but when it got to
that number he gave up keeping
a record of the killing. In a re-
mote corner of the room sat a
gentleman with O white necktie
and having every appearance of
clergyman. He had been listen
ing attentively to the converse
tion briefly noted, and when the
engineer stated that he had killed
sixteen or seventeen and failed to
keep q record of future accidents,
he rose up in horrified state of
mind and exclaimed "Monsteri J
monster ! Landlord | am o minis
ter of the Gospel from Arkansas.
[ have heard and read of the g.
trocities of the West, and Of the
depredations of the savage lndi-
ans but | am now dumbfouhded,
and little did | think that | was
now among savages, or would
here meet with such monsters as
this man appears to be. Get my
baggage, and l will leave your
house at once and seek some Chris
tian gentleman who will harbor
me over night, and in the morn.
ing will leave this place where
such monsters are tolerated"


The reverend gentleman dis
played his Indignation with all
sincerity, bat was quieted some
what when the landlord explained
that the monster" was none 9th.
er than a railroad engineer, and
that the people killed by him
were killed by being run over by
the cars accidentally. The par
son was satisfied with the expla-
nation given, but was act pleased
much to see the gentleman make
80 light Of the matter of taking
human life. lie ieetured the par-
ty for a few moments, and con-
cluded by saying that he would
not Ratronize Company who
made 80 little of taxing a persons
life, even if by accid mt. The
next morning Van Buskirk jump
ed OH his engine and LETT the de-
pot at ten O'clock with his train.
As he approached a road crossing
near 'the outskirts of the village,
and for which he sounded his
WHISTLE, he saw two men in
wagon with what seemed to be an
unmanageable horse. They ap-
peared to te greatly frightened
and almost bewildered at the
sight of the approaching train, but
did not leave the wagon. Brakes
were called for, and everything
done that could be done to stop
the train, but before its speed was
checked, the horse threw himself
into the cattle guard on one side
of the crossing, dragging the wag-
on and its occupants after him. -
The locomotive struck them with
crushing force, killing one man
and the horse, and crippling the
other for life. When the engi-
neer looked out of his cab win
dow, to his great horror he bebeld
the lifeless form of the minister
who the night before had lectured
the hotel party for the levity with
which they treated such sad sub
jects as killing people, and who,
having refused to ride on the train,
had hired a conveyance to carry
him to his destination. This was
one of the saddests events of the
engineers lie. The minister s
friends lived close by, and his
body was taken charge of by them
and buried. The officiating cler-
gyman in his discourse alluded to
the hotel conversation, and his
las. words were, "Truly, Provi-
dence, Thy ways are mysterious"