. Capturing a locomotive: a history of secret service in the late war . y, All right, boys;let us go now. There was nothing in this to attractspecial observation ; but whether it did or not was nowa matter of indifference. The time of concealment waspast. We rose, left the cars, and walked briskly to thehead of the train. With the precision of machinery,every man took his appointed place. Three cars backfrom the tender the coupling-pin was drawn out, as theload of passenger-cars would only have been an in-cumbrance. Wilson W. Brown, who acted as engineer,William Knight as assistant, Alfred Wil
. Capturing a locomotive: a history of secret service in the late war . y, All right, boys;let us go now. There was nothing in this to attractspecial observation ; but whether it did or not was nowa matter of indifference. The time of concealment waspast. We rose, left the cars, and walked briskly to thehead of the train. With the precision of machinery,every man took his appointed place. Three cars backfrom the tender the coupling-pin was drawn out, as theload of passenger-cars would only have been an in-cumbrance. Wilson W. Brown, who acted as engineer,William Knight as assistant, Alfred Wilson as fire-man, together with Andrews, mounted the engine,Knight grasping the lever, and waiting the word forstarting. The appointed brakesmen threw themselvesflat on the top of the cars. At a signal from Andrews,the remainder of the band, who had kept watch, climbedwith surprising quickness into a box-car which stoodopen. All was well! Knight, at Andrews orders,jerked open the steam-valve, and we were oflF! Beforethe camp-guards or the bystanders could do more than. A LOCOMOTIVE AND TRAIN CAPTURED. 71 turn a curious eye upon our proceedings, the train wasunder way, and we were safe from interruption. The writer was stationed in the box-car, and as soonas all were in, we pulled the door shut to guard agaiustany stray musket-balls. For a moment of most in-tense suspense after we were thus shut in all was that moment a thousand conflicting thoughts swej)tthrough our minds. Then came a pull, ajar, a clang,and we were flying away on our perilous who were on the engine caught a glimpse ofthe excited crowd, soldiers and citizens, swarmiug andrunning about in the wildest confusion. It has beensaid that a number of shots were fired after us, butthose in the box-car knew nothing of it, and it is cer-tain that no one was injured. A widely-circulatedpicture represented us as waving our hats and shoutingin triumph. Nothing so melodramatic took place. Themoment was t
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Keywords: ., bookauthorpittenge, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookyear1885
