Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1892 — He Wanted His Fruit. [ARTICLE]

He Wanted His Fruit.

The author of ‘ ‘The American Siberia” - tells the following story of a one-armed, convict in the south, whose duty it was to couple cars on the railroad: One evening he was standing on theend of the first flat car, pin in hand r ready to make a coupling when theengine should approach closely enough. He was holding some oranges, and his* attention was somewhat divided between his duty and the safety of his fruit. Theengine was not backing in but coming pilot first, and when the coupling bar struck the socket the shock threw the man off his feet. He fell between the two, and before the engine could be stopped it struck him, doubled him togetfler and ran over his body, lifting the truck wheels quite off the track. There he was, wedged into a ball sustaining the whole enormous weight, and the pilot was canted over him at an angle of 45degrees. The captain of the gang supposed theman to be dead, and it was with no hopeof saving him that he shouted to the convicts to pry up the engine at once. They ran at the word. Beams were thrust under, the great mass of metal was raised by main force and the man was pulled out. To the amazement of every one he stretched himself, felt his. limbs and body, slowly regained his feet and said: “Whar’s my oranges?” <