Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 April 1893 — HELD UP BY HORNETS. [ARTICLE]

HELD UP BY HORNETS.

A Swarm of These Feats Demoralize a Truluload of Feople. I have had just ono experience of bciug hold up by traiu robbers. It was at tho hands of somo Texas gentlemen, and iu company with a good-sized train loud of fiery Southrons and mild Eustcrn folk, and I well remember how tho sand sifted out of the boot heels of tho whole crowd, and wo sat or stood or crouched and cowed like helpless, scared iufants under cover of two medium sized Winchesters. But I was aboard a train in Mexico, that was held up and gono through under circumstances of horror and terror that wero beyond anything I havo heard of or imagined. Wo were running along smoothly through tho State of Coahulln ono wretchedly warm day last full, when just as eutored a patch of woods the brakes wero clapped tight on and tho train stoppod with a jerk that shook us up considerably. Tho idea of train robbers seemed instantly to striko every one, and there was a hurried secreting of valuables. But it wasn’t to bo that kind of an invasion. Tho decayed trunk of a big tree had fallen squarely across tho track. It was too big to take chances on thrusting it aside by charging it with tho pilot, so the train hands and some of the passengers started with a rope to drag it out of the way. Tho rope was fastened round the stump, there was a long pull all together, and then a frightened howl and a wild break by everybody for the cars, every man threshing his arms in tho air like a windmill.

“Hornets!" howled the burly brakeman who headed the rush, as he hurled himself into tho first car, incontinently slammed tho door in the face of the others, and dived under a seat. I happened to be on the platform of this ear, and got in just uhend of him. Probably half a dozen passengers wero iu tho cars, tho rest having stepped off to investigate tho trouble. All the windows were open, and in a few seconds the traiu wus in possession of several hundred big Mexican hornets, tho wickedest thing on wings, with business ends like u dose of future puuishment administered with a .live wire. There were at least three hornets’ nests in the decayed tree, and the hauling of the tmln hands brought out the inhabitants. There was a moment of gaping surprise, then a chorus of howls, and every man and woman left in the cars tried to crawl beneath the seats, pullings coats, cloaks, anything over thoir heads. Not forty train robbers, nor a whole tribe of hostile Apaches, could have inspired such demoralized terror. The conduotor, with rare presence of mind, headed the crowd who nod hauled on the tree, shouting. “Break for the baggage car,” and, os only the ono door of that car was open, the score or so of passengers, once bundled in, were comparatively safe, although hopelessly prisoners. The hornets buzzed angrily, or maybe gleefully, outside «nd about the smothered passengers in the coaches, and all was a burning blank.

But wo couldn’t stay there, yet wo daren’t turn out and fight them. Finally, so I heard later, the fireman volunteered to face the horror for us. Tying his blouse around his head he ran forward, tied the rope, still fast to the tree, to the pilot, jumped on the engine, and started her back with a lively jolt. The tree wua dragged almost clear, and the rope broke. But the fireman was having too warm a time to try further experiments, so he kept her running back at a mighty gait. The hornets either flew out or blew out of the windows, and, after running back a couple of miles, he stopped the train and coaxed us out, a sore and sorry crowd. But we couldn’t go back; and we couldn’t stay there; and we were loath to take further chances with the hornets, which wo imagined to be lying in wait for us up the track. Finally all the windows and doors were closed tight, the engineer shut himself In his cab. and we went plunging ahead. He said the pilot struck the old tree and sent it flying skyward, enveloped in a cloud of hornets thus dislodged from smashed nests. But we were out of range and sight in a few seconds, and slid past the next way station at a paco that brought the sleepy Mexican* to the platform in amazement. An occasional howl during yet another hour or two told the discovery of a lingering hornet in the cars, and w-hen we reached the next village we bought up the entire stock Of ointments, oils, and soothing salvc3 in the single drug store, and the train was a surgery for the remainder of the day.— [St. Louis Globe Democrat.