ON THE TRAIL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 27, 15 August 1868, Page 5

ON THE TRAIL.

I am a police superintendent in a Targe iron-making town, and for upwards of twenty years have had the care of a papulous colliery district. The peculiar avocations of the people supply ample disguise for criminals in hiding. Who, would look for a runaway clerk In the black face and coal-stained garments of a collier, or in the guise of a laborer in the iron shed ? It may be assumed, therefore, that many a strange incident has come under my notice in the course of so j long a service, and some of these I may occasionally present to the public. One in particular I remember well, as practically illustrating a remark made in the "Times" on the conviction ' of Muller, that crimes of a conspicuous character are generally committed by the class that is the least suspected. I was called one evening to quell a disturbance between several colliers and a party of Irishmen. The colliers, it appears, maddened with drink, had assailed the latter, driven them into a dwelling, and would speedily have killed one or more, but for the opportune arrival of the police. The night afterwards, I received a note from the railway authorities that a coal-train had been thrown off the line by some miscreant or other, who had placed sleepers along the rails. Knowing" that colliers s working at a distance invariably returned by these trains, and remembering the struggle of the night before, I at once concluded this to be an attempt at Irish revenge, and pursued my investigation accordingly.

A few nights after, another coal-train was thrown off the rails, as, in the former case, however, without harm to the men ; but this second attempt spurred rAe on, so that certain suspected persons were speedily in custody. But I soon found that these were not "my men." It is useless for me to expatiate on the unerring signs by which innocence invariably asserts itself. The Irishmen were "violent in their cups, but most certainly- incapable of the atrocious act of which they were accused.

Scarcely had a week passed when the whole neighborhood was thrilled with horror. At a distance of twelve miles from the town where I live, there was another town, to which our tradesmen resorted in numbers every Wednesday to market. In the evening, the last train, as usual, bore its numerous passengers to % their homes. Tt was summer-time, and merrily they dashed along the rugged bank of a mountain-river, winding in among the hills. But soon the picture was changed ; turning a curve in full career, the engine left the rails, - and cutting deeply into the embankment, rolled on its side, fortunately having continued just a sufficient time in progress to break the shock of the carriages. There was an awful' cry of lamentation, a wild medley, a hurried scene ; men and women seeking 1 to clamber through the ! opening above the locked doors, too intent on personal safety to think of anything else. Most were bruised, and all were frightened. While messengers were despatched to the nearest station, others searched along the route for the cause of the mishap. It was soon found. The scene of the accident was a- curve, and the rail nearest the river had 6een forcibly removed. The miscreant — for it was soon seen that a villian's hand had been there — had fortunately been ignorant of mechanics. He had t&ken up the rail by the ravine — for I have omitted to mention that there was a steep precipice at this point— and naturally thought that the train, with its load of human life, would have tumbled over. The rail next to the river was the " safe*' one, and so the engine simply ploughed along towards the 3carp of the mountain.

When the details of this lucky escape" reached me, I felt that my reputation was at stake. This was evidently Number Three of the diabolical attempts of the same hand. The first inquiry made was : Who drove the train? and one or two questions of a similar character put me in possession of this important fact, that the driver of the train and the driver of the coal-engine trains at the time the trucks were thrown off, was one and the same person. "Now, then, for the driver," said I, and I marched to his lodgings. I found him a quiet, inoffensive sort of young fellow, not a likely man to have a malignant enemy. He was unmarried, and somewhat fresh to his duties on the line, he not having been in the position very long. We at once touched on the subject of the accident, but I found he was quite at sea as to the cause.

* f Have you an enemy," said I, '"'or any one who entertains any malice against you ?" No ; he thought not. " You are unmarried, I believe ?" Yes ; He was. " Courting, perhaps V I suggested.

He confessed to the soft impeachment

" Have you any objection to tell me who the lady is?" inquired I, for we police-officers are sometimes obliged to override delicate scruples. He mentioned the name of* a young woman residing at a farmhouse six miles down the valley, and within half a mile of the scene of the accident. I drew a long breath", but kept my own counsel.

" Oh, so the damsel lives there, does she ? Now, has she any other sweethearts besides yourself V

He thought there had been one, a carpenter ; but, quoth the driver, complacently smoothing, an incipient beard : " She has no lover new but me."

v Where does this carpenter live V

" About half a mile from tho farm," he answered ; and with that I. left, fully satisfied that I was on the trail.

The morning after, and at the scene of 3 the accident, I had found a large thick stake, cnt evidently from the adjoining wood. This hid been used to prize up the rail from the sleeper. Examining it minutely, I saw that it had been cut recently, and that with a notched knife. So, with this idea uppermost, I started on the mission, and after a nleasanfc drive, reached the little hamlet where the carpenter lived. The district wa3 very mountainous and rugged ;' and as I mounted the winding road towards the house, I could hear the monotone of the river near wjhich so .narrow an escape had taken place. Yonder was.the scene. Was the criminal here? The door was soon opened to my knock, and by the carpenter himself, a cool, self-possessed young man, who seemed to read my errand in a moment, yet asked me what I wanted, without the change of a muscle. I entered his little room, and told him I had a suspicion he could enlighten me on the cause of the railway accident. tfffltf No, he couldn't ; He had heard o^^H like the rest. - - -J^^H " Would he aHow me to search hir^^^| Certainly ; and forthwith Y^^^H articles were in my hand. On hii^^^^H son, I found two pocket-knives, el^^^H which wflnld have served to cut thej^^^H As I pause i a moment, and heldjM^^^^M my hand, he heedlessly observedf^^^^^H knife" (pointing to one) "I^^^^^^H into my pocket this morning^^^^^^^H rally keep it at home.'-' I^^^^^^^^f knife ;~~thc blade was nQtchf^^^^^^^^^k ing up from the article to^^^^^^^^^H [ caught his" eye. We kn^^^^^^^^^^^H thought in an instant ;^^^^^^^^^^H panied me tranquilly cnc^^^^^^^^^^^^A At the trial, the knife^^^^^^^^^^J dence ; various corroboratifi|^^^^^^^^^J fi ed the jury of his guilt : he was^^^^^^^^H and sentenced to seven years' rraßJ^^B tation. It turned out afterwardstha^B he loved the farm-girl, and was, incited 1 by jealousy to the act which ao nearly caused so frightful an accident. For all I know, the driver still dwells in single blessedness, for the maid is still a maid 5 as rosy-cheeked as ever, and, it is said, waiting for the carpenter's return ! -