VOL. XtV. jSTEW BLOOMFIELD, PA., TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1880. NO. 39.
THE TIMES.
In Independent Family Newspaper,
It PUBLISHED 1TBRT TUESDAY BT
F. MORTIMER & CO.
TERMS I
INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
One vear (Postage Free) tl SO
lx Months " " 80
To Subscribers in this County
Who pay In Advance, a Discount of 25 Cents will
be made from the above terms, making
subscription within the County,
Whcti Paid in Advance, $1.25 Per Tear.
- Advertising rates furnished uponappll
eatton.
What a Woman Did.
BARSTOW'S SIDING is a small
station on the G. B. and Western
Hallway, and located out on the prairie
at the edge of a bit of scrubby woods.
The little village of Barstow is about a
mile from the Btatlon, and to reach It
one has to take a rough road through
the woods. The line at this point is
perfectly straight, and reaches to the
horizon in both directions. These facts
are essential to a right understanding
of the events that took place at the
station one night about a year ago.
Old Bam Brltton, station master, sat
by the stove in the middle of the switch
house idly looking at the dull-red coals
in the ugly stove. His daughter Mary,
about nineteen, sat by the little tele
graph apparatus near the window that
looked out down the line. By the aid
of a lantern she was reading a stray
newspaper, the Iron Trade Beview, a
strange paper for a girl to read ; but it
belonged to a dear friend, and some sin
gular pictures had interested her greatly.
She did more. She read and listened.
Rot a thing stirred in the dull, bare
little room save the restless sounder on
the table. The incessant clatter of the
machine fell on her ear and yet she
heard it not. Elm City was talking to
Centreville, forty miles off, and every
.word was spelled on her sounder. Yet
she heard it not, for her mind was alert
to catch another sound.
Her father had let fall the paper he
was reading. He could not read, for a
bitter disappointment kept his mind
harrassed and troubled. How long was
this default of payment to the employees
of the railway to continue ? The last
month's wages had not been paid, and
another month had nearly passed. The
line needed repairing. The trackmen
had complained that very day that new
and better tools were needed and that
more ballast was wanting.
Suddenly, far away on the sea-like
horizon, arose a star. The young girl's
eyes were on the paper, and yet she saw
it rising. She looked out of the curtain
less window and watched the star grow
ing bright. It did not seem to rise, but
to grow big with brightness. It Is not
for love to sit and gaze. It must act.
She rose, and in silence went to one of
the great iron switch bars and stood
with both hands clasped about the han
dle, and gazing down the line, where
the star had become a flame.
Then came a far away sound through
the night. She pulled the bar forward ;
far down the track the switch moved in
the dark, and a great green eye became
red. Up the line in the opposite direc
tion, another green star suddenly turned
red.
Samson Gilder sat on his high seat
with one hand on the throttle-valve,
gazing steadily ahead. A constellation
of green and yellow stars had sprung up
in bis horizon. Jack Cinder, his fire
man, on the other side of the engine,
had given voice to the monster as it
panted along on its way. : Ah I one star
had flashed red. The engineer blushed
and smiled in the dark, and pulled the
throttle-valve. Then came a push and
ajar as the heavy freight train rumbling
behind pushed against the engine. The
motive power had ceased, and the im
mense momentum of the train drove
the idle engine swiftly forward. The
whistle spoke to the men behind, and
they gladly pulled the brakes, and the
train entered the siding. The head-light
threw a lurid glare on the switch-house,
and by the light Samson saw a young
girl by the track. She was dressed for
rough weather, and wore a red hood
that was not lovely. To Samson it was
lovely In the glow of the great lamp
against the sky. It may have been the
peculiar effect of the light, it may have
been love, for love has finer eyes than
unloving mortals.
They came into the switch-house
together; she smiling and happy, he
pleased and gratified, yet with a shade
of care upon his face. In his hand he
held a new tracklayer's bar, such as
may be used to draw spikes from ties.
He spoke to Bam Brltton pleasantly
about the weather and then said :
" There's a bar for the section-master.
I bought it myself. The company seems
to be too poor to give its men fit
tools"
" To say nothing of our wages,"
added the old man, roughly.
" Oh, father, why do you harp on
that V The company has a great deal of
property. It will surely pay us our
dues."
The engineer placed the bar against
the wall by the door and then turned to
Mary. She led him away to her little
desk by the window, and there they sat
down together. Presently Jack Cinder
and one or two of the train men came
and sat down by the stove. The con
versation among the men for the first
few moments had a local flavor and
needs no mention. Then it branched to
a more important theme the overdue
wages. Even the lovers discussed the
matter, and after a few words they
stopped abruptly. Tears were in the
girl's eyes, and she turned away and
gazed out the window at the great glow
ing head-light.
Then one of the brakemen said :
"And the president is racing around
the country in a drawing-room car.
He's coming up the road to-night on a
special car, and everything has to give
way to his train."
" I wish he might get tumbled into
the ditch," said a deep voice that startled
them all.
"Oh, Samson, how can you say
that ?" said Mary's tremulous tones.
" Because I'm mad. Here we can't"
He stopped and the girl blushed scarlet.
" The president can make excursions
over the line and disarrange time tables,
and yet we are two months waiting for
our pay. I think "
He stopped and looked toward the
door; a hideous creature stood before
them a tramp, foot-sore, hungry and
homeless, had found the door unlatched
and wandered in looking for shelter.
The station-master let the man come in
and stand by the stove to warm himself,
for he was very cold, and the talk was
continued in whispers.
Suddenly there came the sound of a
distant whistle. The station master
looked at the switch bars to see that all
was right, and Samson Gilder rose and
said :
" That's William's train. I'll go out
and wave him a friendly light."
The sound of the approaching freight
train came nearer, and the engineer
took the lantern ' from the desk and
went out. The others fell into silence
as the rumbling train crept past the
door. The young girl stared at the
head-light in sorrowful silence, hoping,
thinking, wishing.
Taking advantage of the noise, the
tramp shuffled away toward the door.
Just as he reached it he looked hastily
around the room, and then slyly took
up the tracklayer's bar and vanished.
His presence had been a burden, and
they paid no heed to his departure. A
moment after the door opened, and
Samson Gilder entered.
" The special is in sight, boys. We
must be off," he said.
The men reluotlantly went out to
their train, and the lovers met to part
at the door. Her eyes were bright with
ill-suppressed tears.
It seems so very long to wait and
all for a little money."
" I know it, dear ; yet when the com
pany do pay us we shall have all the
more."
Nearer and nearer came the great yel
low star that bad sprung up in the
horizon. From far came the long wail
ing sound of the express whistle. The
lovers beard it, and held each a tighter
clasp. The tracks before the door began
to sing. The monster came on in a
frightful fury. Sparks shot up in
fountains from its stack. The ground
quivered, the windows shook.
Ah 1 a despairing scream from the
whistle. An earthquake V
Some one rushed past the girl. She
clasped the door for support, not know
ing what happened, and looked out into
the gloomy night, stunned and terrified.
There was nothing nothing save a
vast cloud of dust, white and ghostly.
Ah I a gleam of light. It shone through
the curtain of dust as it drifted before
the wind. There were hurrying foot
steps, cries for help and groans. The
dust disappeared, and the end of an
overturned car stood out in the bright
light. The wreck grew in horrid pro
portions. Ah ! it was on fire.
It is a peculiar feature of American
life that new and unexpected circum
stances are always met and controlled
by a spirit of organization that creates
out of the men and material, at hand
the mastery of events. In half an hour
after the first crash, as the train left the
metals, the frightened passengers were
comfortably housed In the empty cars of
the freight train. A car-load of lumber
had been despoiled to make seats for the
whole and beds for the injured. The
freight engine on the siding was used to
drag the wreck away on the up-line,
and its tank-water and steam had been
used to put out the fire. In an hour the
freight engine, in charge of the express
people, started away with its dreary
load, the well In the forward cars, the
Injured on beds of hay robbed from the
freight in the next cars, the dead last
of all.
Darkness and silence fell on the lonely
way station, and, save where the black
wreck lifted its mangled bones against
the sky, there was nothing to mark the
disaster except the pale faces of the
men who gathered around the stove in
the switch-house. For a long time
nothing was said. There are times
when speaking seems impertinent.
Events become too big for words. At
last one of the men spoke and said :
" They did say it was the president
who was killed in the forward sleep
er." Mary Brltton glanced at Samson Gil
der. He was silent and self-absorbed,
and his face gave no indication that he
heeded this remark. At that moment
the door opened and Jack Cinder came
in, bringing in. his hand a new track
layer's bar. He brought it to the light
and held it before them all.
" Do you see that, boys V I found It
under the broken sleeper. It's a new
bar, and"
The men looked at the bar a moment
in apparent indifference, and said noth
ing. The keener feminine mind sprang
to intuitive conclusions. Her thoughts
leaped from a terror to defense in a
minute of time.
" It was the tramp. He stole the bar
and wrecked the train."
" Mebbe he did, and mebbe he didn't.
This I do know. Samson Glider was
a-wishlng the president into the ditch.
This is his bar, and he was out on the
line just before it happened."
The coroner's jury called to consider
the death of Thomas Starmore and
others, killed at Barstow's Siding on the
night of the 24th of February, met at
the switch-house and heard the evidence
of the persons who were known to have
been present at the time of the disaster.
Even the tramp had been captured. He
was seen prowling in the woods near
the line, and had been caught by the
section-master and his men. Every
one said the tramp did it, but the tramp
had in his hand another bar, just like
the one found under the train. He
admitted having stolen the bar from the
railway company. He had seen the
disaster from the woods, and had run
away, lest he be caught. After some
time he had- come back to find the bar
he had dropped In the woods in his
flight. He had the bar with him when
caught. He could prove all this, be
cause the bar was rusty from lying In
the snow. ,
The reporters of the Centreville papers
who were present called Mary Brltton
to the telegraph that a message might
be despatched. One of them placed a
paper before her :
"A tramp has been found who admits
having stolen the bar, but it is plaiu
that he did not use It. : All the evidence
goes to show that the engineer wrecked
the train, out of spite to the president."
These words Mary Brltton sent off
by wire to the whole United States,
while her lover sat near, already iu the
shadow of advanolng calamity. The
operators who read off these words iu
distant cities heard every word distinct
ly, little knowing the terrible trial under
which they were despatched. Never in
after life did she forget that message.
" Gentlemen," said the coroner, "this
case seems to warrant me in referring
the whole matter to the grand jury for
further examination."
Weeks passed, and then the trial came
on at the court-house at Centreville.
Samson Gilder had been committed to
answer a charge of wilfully wrecking a
train.
Mary Brltton lived years in those few
weeks. She could not believe that Sam
son bad committed so great a wrong.
Yet everything was against him. Track
layers' bars were abundant enough. He
could easily have found one about the
place, and with it have drawn the spikes
from a rail. Her mind went backward
and forward over this a hundred times
in search of something to. prove him
innocent. She still attended to her
duties at the station, sending and re
ceiving messages. One morning, as she
sat thinking bitterly of the sorrow
which had invaded her life, her eyes
fell upon an old newspaper fallen under
her desk, the Iron Trade Beview. She
picked it up, opened it, and turned to
the second page. Ah 1 why had she
forgotten those pictures I Strange black
figures, etchings of iron, nature-printed.
Given this slight clue, her mind leaped
to a brave resolve. She would bring
science to her lover's rescue ; how, she
could not tell. She had a vague idea
of what might be done, and, asking her
father to attend to the telegraph, she
ran hastily out on the line and down
the road toward the village. Stopping
at a certain little house, she found a
young girl who was a good operator,
and at once hired her to take her place
at the station.
Before night she had taken every dol
lar she had in the world from the sav
ings bank, and was on her way to the
city. The cars seemed to drag too
slowly. Why had she lingered so long
and Samson in danger '(
The day of the trial came on. All
the testimony that we knew and much
more of less importance had been offered
by the prosecution. The defense set up
the previous good character of the pris
oner, and that seemed all that could be
said. Mary Brltton had given her testi
mony early in the trial ; she had more
to say, but was not yet ready to speak.
All the morning she had sat in the
crowded court-room, watching the clock
and waiting for one brave defender to
come to her assistance. At the last
moment she spoke to the counsel and
asked for a slight delay. There might
be yet other witnesses. The defense
began to talk against time, and a mes
senger was sent to hasten the lagging
aid.
The knight arrived. A pale, thin
faced young man in glasses appeared
and demanded to give his testimony.
Behind him came a mysterious array
men with strange tools, lanterns of sin
gular construction, bars and rods of
iron, and a number of gentlemen who
seemed to be prosperous merchants an d
manufacturers. There came also a Ger
man Jew and a farmer from Barstow's.
The young man spoke to Mary Brltton
with the utmost deference, and she con
sulted him for a moment and then pre
sented him to Samson's counsel.
There was a slight murmur of surprise
at this demonstration, and then Samuel
Mayer was duly sworn. He testified
that be was an expert in metals. He
had examined the bar found under the
wrecked car, and was prepared to prove
that though it was used in wrecking the
train, it was not the one purchased by
Samson Gilder. With the permission
of the court, he would like to have the
room darkened, and with the aid of a
lantern he might project some nature
printed pictures of the iron used in
making the bar.
The prosecution objected. What scien
tific jugglery was this ? The old lantern
dodge familiar In cases of forgery. The
court overruled the objection, and the
young man produced some pieces of
cloth, which bis assistants spread over
the windows till the room became quite
dark. A gas jet was lighted, and in the
dim light other men set up a screen and
llme-llght lantern as for lantern projec
tions. In a wonderfully short time
there appeared on the white screen a
strange figure a cloud or blotch of
blackness.
Samuel Mayer then testified that at
the request of Miss Brltton he had
planed one side of each of the two bars
till a smooth surface had been obtained.
A portion of this surface on each bar
bad then been etched with acid, and
from this etching had been obtained
nature-printed copies of prints In ink.
This well-known method of etching
gave prints showing the disposition of
the particles of the metal and also its
quality. These etchings and a number
of others taken from other bars and
rods made by the different iron makers
of the country, had been photographed
for lantern projections, and, with the
permission of the court, some of these
would be exhibited to the jury. The
projection now on the screen was from
the bar purchased by Gilder and stolen
by the tramp.
Every eye was fixed on the singular
picture on the screen, and a murmur of
applause filled the room. Suddenly the
picture was removed and another put in
its place. It did not require much atten
tion to show that this represented an
entirely different sort of metal.
" This, gentlemen," said the young
man, "is a nature-printed etching from
the iron bar found under the car. I
have compared these two etohings with
a number of others obtained in the same
way from bars made by all the iron men
in the country, and I find this one cor
responds exactly with the etchings of
the Moorlow Iron Company's metal.
My assistant will place a sample of the
company's iron beside this."
At once, another picture sprang up
beside the one on the screen. The two
were alike.
Another witness took the stand the
president of the Moorlow Iron Com
pany. He testified to the facts of the
experiments and to the results that had
been obtained.
Another witness was called the buy
er of the railroad company. He testified
that the company had never used the
Moorlow Company's iron. The bar
Gilder bought had been obtained of Boss,
Duncan & Co., of Pittsburgh, from .
whom the railroad bought all its tools.
Another etching was projected, then
another. The two were exactly alike.
"The picture on the right," said
Mayer, "is Ross & Duncan's iron. That
on the left is the etching shown first,
and obtained from the bar purchased by
Gilder."
The judge rapped smartly on the desk.
This applause could not be permitted
again. The daylight was readmitted
and the picture faded away. Photo
graphs of the etchings were handed to
the jurors and the various samples of
iron from which the etchings had been
obtained were exhibited.
Samson Gilder sat with face averted.
How could he deserve such love V It
was too divine a gift. Why had he not
known of the mastery of mind and will
that could accomplish such results, and
all for him? He did not deserve so
great a blessing.
Some one else was testifying. A
farmer living at Barstow had passed a
man on the road, just before the acci
dent, who muttered to himself:
" I'll have my revenge whoever may
suffer."
Abraham Samuels testified that he had
bought the old Junk and refuse from the
wreck, and had found a coat much torn,
probably belonging to a passenger. In
the coat was a part of a threatening
letter addressed to " John Morley."
" He was killed in the wreck," said
Mary Brltton, eagerly.
"Silence I Let the witness proceed."
This letter threatened John Morley
with death for some past Injury, and
warned of Impending disaster. It was
signed "Fred Smythe."
There was a sudden movement at the
end of the court, and every one turned
to see what it meant. A man was push
ing roughly out of the seats, as if
eager to escape.
"By sixty I" said the farmer from
Barstow, " that is the feller I saw Jest
afore the smash."
. .,
" It was a remarkable case," said the
judge to his colleague, after the trial.
" The woman must have been a person
of extraordinary mind to have planned
the scheme, and to have won all those
scientific people over to her side. I
understand she had no money, and
could pay them nothing. SYomen will
do anything for love."