"FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH."

Dunstan Times, Issue 1298, 14 January 1887, Page 3

"FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH."

The following story of an American reporter’s last dispatch is taken from tho 'at Paul Pioneer Press. 'lt says:— It is notmauy years ago that Tony—, the attachi of a Central lowa paper, now defunct, rode over from a Southern lowa . city one fine morning, perched daringly on the brake of aflat car that was attached to a wild freight and loaded with iron rails Ho had been in a newspaper work for about six years, apd was thoroughly capable. To make the story short, forty miles out from its starting point, the 44 wild freight, ” with a leap of madness and a terrible crash, went through, down sixty feet, and Tony sitting on the brake beam. It was over in an instant. When the conductor of the train (the only one uninjured) crawled out of the wreck his eyes fell first on Tony, lying across the side of a dismantled lox car—on his chest a heavy rail, his legs crushed and dying, lieyond him lay a dead brakesman; ihe engineer was buried under his machine, and by a large boulder was the fireman with a broken back Tony was conscious, and when the conductor reached him he asked for paper and pencil They were found in his pockets. Unable to write himself, he dictated this angrily ordering the men who had come up to let him alone: —.‘C E , Managing Editor 4 Star, ’ low?- Train through bridge at —, was on board and am hurt. Will send full particulars at once —T. B. A farmer was secured who took it to the nearest station. Then this boy true to his duty and and not flinching before death, suffering frightful agony, and while willing hands sou-ht in vain to release him from his position, dictated a ‘special’ of 1.500 words to his paper. What he suffered no one can ever know. It was with difficulty that he could breathand every gasp c >st him a wrench of agony But death held him back to the last few lines. “ The killed were ———, ” and so on, ending with the name of Tony B . reporter, ” As he ended that his eyes filled with tears and he looked up wistfully to the conductor, who had written the telegram for him, and woo himself could not keep his tears back. 44 Tell my mother, " said Tony, “that I did my duty; and boys, rush that over the wires for me. Its a 4 scoop.' ” It went over the wires all right, aud it was a “scoop;“but before it was printed Tony was dead.