People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1893 — Thrilling Experience of L. W. Henkle. [ARTICLE]

Thrilling Experience of L. W. Henkle.

The following account from the Stafford, Kansas, Republican, relates the thrilling experience which befell L. W. Henkle, Jr., who. in company with his father and brother, was enroute to California: On Friday night while near a way station in Kansas named Partridge Mr. Henkle noticed his youngest son leave his seat and walk forward in the car. The car was cold and Mr. Henkle thought the boy had merely gone to the stove to warm; but he went there himself soon after, but his son was not there, and a search of the train failed to find him in any of the cars. A passenger had noticed the young man walk hurriedly out of the car, bareheaded, and it was concluded that the boy had walked off the car, in his sleep, while the train was running at full speed. Mr. Henkle and his other son stopped off at Stafford, where telegrams were sent back to Hutchinson, one of the principal points of the road, and a search engine was sent out from there, to look for the lost boy. At Stafford, at midnight, word was sent among the Odd Fellows es Mr. Henkle’s great distress and many of the brethren at once repaired to the depot to offer him their sympathy and assistance.

The searching engine reached Stafford after 5 o’clock Saturday morning. It had powerful lights, front and rear, and had run very slowly and the men had scanned every foot of the way for 30 feet on each side of the track but had seen nothing of the missing boy. Mr. Henkle and his son took the first train back to Partridge, some 20 miles back, andon alighting the first person they saw was the lost boy, walking up the street towards the business portion of the town. He had walked off the train when asleep. He had probably been stunned by the fall and when he came to, the train was not in sight. Alone on the bleak prairie he knew not which way he had been going but his first thought was to reach a telegraph office, to communicate with his father. He was much bruised up, his head and face scratched and his back hurt some, but no benes were broken. He walked to Abbyville, a way station, but found no operator. Then fearing he was going in the wrong direction, he walked back to Patridge, 6or 7 miles, but also found no operator there. Finding he could do nothing till morning, he walked out a short distance, found a straw stack and slept under the straw until morning, then went back to Patridge and was looking for a store to buy a hat when his relatives found him. His escape from death, or serious injury was indeed marvelous. Mr. Hinkle and his sons resumed their journey westward on the next through train.