Detective Bob Bridger — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

8 z DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. The fellow was a wild eyed greenhorn, and Dan hustled him out on the platform. A few moments later, like the persistent darky in the negro minstrel sketch, the same man entered again. Again Dan hustled him out, and again he returned. His third entrance so exasperated Dan that, seizing up a poker from the coal-box, he rushed upon the intruder as ~ if to strike him down. The unfortunate immigrant, crazed with terror, has- tened forth to the platform and sprang from the train. The train was rushing at the time through a rocky cut at a fifty-mile-an-hour gait. The ill-fated passenger struck the left bank of the cut, and bounding back under the iron wheels was cut to pieces. Barely had Dan ended telling of the sad affair when the engineer blew for Maysville station. Here dwelt a gang of roughs who delighted in beating the conductor out of a ride when they could. The train having stopped, discharged, and received its passengers, started ahead again at Bridger’s signal. He, as usual, entered the first coach, and throwing the glare of his lamp in the passengers’ faces, proceeded through in quest of tickets. He was thinking intently the while of Dan Colgate’s tale regarding the German immigrant who on the night pre- vious leaped from the train and killed himself. — Near the middle of the coach a tall man lay spread out upon two seats, and sound asleep. He was a boss raftsman, and was returning from a trip down the Alleghany River to Pittsburg, on a lumber raft. The man wore a soft black hat, and had so placed it as to completely cover his face. One of the tricks of the Maysville roughs was to thus hide their faces, so that the conductor might think them sleeping through passengers and pass them by. On lifting the man’s hat that he might see his features Bridger touched his hand. Perceiving who the passenger was he passed on, leaving the man still sleeping. When he had passed half way through the second coach he had occasion to turn about, and thought he perceived some one rushing from side to side, in the darkness, upon the platform. As the train was nearing Pittsville station he supposed <a comicbooks.c ss. ‘ , . " . :.. +. i , ry “ } eo Ff NE a4 tg “ale he . te ‘ bs ° >