FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1517, 25 November 1886, Page 4

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.

The following story of an American reporter's las* despatch is taken from the St. Paul Pioneer 1 iesß. It says :—lt is not many years ago that Tony B—-, the attache of a Central lowa paper, now defunct, rode out from a Southern lowa city one fine' imbruing, perched daringly on the brake 6f a*flat car'thatf w«Y attached to a "wild freight," and loaded with iron rails. He had been in newspaper work for Bbout six years, and was thoroughly capable. To make the story short, forty miles out from the starting point the "wild freight," with a leap of mad'ness and a' terrible crash, went through a bridge, down sixty feet, and Tony sitting on the brake-beam. It was over in an instant. When tbe 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 box car—on his chest a heavy rail, his legs crushed—and dying. Beyond him lay a dead brakesman ; the engineer was lying under his machine, and by a larger boulder was tbe Chairman with a broken back. Tony was conscious, and when the conductor reached him he asked for paper and pencil. They were foutid in his pocketß. Unable to write himself, he dictated this, angrily ordering the men who had come up to let him alono : ««C— E—, Managing Editor Siar —, lowa:—Traihthrdugh bridge at —. Was on board and am hurt. Will send particulars at once.—T.B." A farmer was secured, who carried it to tbe nearest station. Then this boy, true to his duty and not flitiching before death aDd suffering great agony, and while willing hands sought in vain to release him from his position, dictated a "special" of 1500 "words to his paper. What he suffered no one can ever know. It wan with difficulty that he could breathe, and every gasp cost him a wrench of agony. But ha held death back down to tbe last few lines. u The killed were -—ri" ajd so on, ending with the name of "Tony B-—-, reporter." Ashe ended that bis eyes filled with tears, and he looked up wistfully to the conductor, who had written the telegram for him, and who himself could not ke6p his tears back. "Tell my mother," said Tony, "that 1 did my duty, and, boys, rush that ovei the wires for me. It's a 'scoop.'" It went over the wires all right, and it was a "scoop;" but before it was printed Tony was dead.