DEAD MEJV'S SECTION.
BY J. PERCY BARNITZ.
(Copyright, 1901, by tJnliy iory Pub. Co.)
Section Four was tho longest Dectlon
on tho Third Division of the C. and J.
Railroad. It was bo long nnd so many
fatalities had occurred on that stroteh
of road, that tho mnnngoment decided
to call It tho Mlddlo Division, think
ing thcrohy to oscanc tho odlotia name
of "Dead Moil's Section," which It was
called by -railroad men tho country
over. Hut call It what thoy would, tho
managoniont could not frpe that par
ticular portion ot tholr line from tho
gruesome appellation.
Tho suctions on tho C. nnd J. arc
not eight or ten-niilo stretches of
track, ns Is tho case on Enstorn linos,
hut Instead a hundred and flfty-mllo
stretch Is the usual soctlon on this
Important link In the "Groat Trans
Continental Route," anil which tra
verses the Lono Star State from tho
lied lllver to tho Rio Oratidc.
Henry Fortune waa made division
superintendent at Folgor, tho tormlnus
of Section Three, and tho hondqunr
fors for tho new Middle Division. And
ho said always, that It was anything
hut good fortune when ho was pro
moted to that position, for until his
nppolntmont at Folgor ho had never
known that tho cup of life could be so
full of trouble.
Freight brnltemcn only with fow
(exceptions wore tho olios whom Death
ooomed to slnglo out an his victims.
And tho majority of those who wcro
killed met their deaths by falling bo
neoth tho cars whllo tho trains wore
running eastward hotween Grogson'H
and Warm Springs.
BccaiiBo of tho '"hoodoo," which rail
road men said was on "Dead Men's
Section," It wna almost Impossible to
secure rcpulahlo omployes for tue
freight service of tho operating de
partment ot tho Middle Division. Ah
a conscquenco tho personnel of tho
freight trainmen on that division was
composed lltornlly of the scum of tho
earth. And, therefore, It Is not to bo
wondered nt thnt tho life of Honry
Fortune, superintendent, whs not a
happy one. Tho dlfllcultlon ho experi
enced In handling the polygonous
freight crows wero loglon; but thoy
woro ns nothing compared to tho de
pressing fact that in splto of all pre
cautions Death held tho Mlddlo Divi
sion in n firmer grasp than over.
Although tho Mlddlo Division passed
through a land of weary desolation,
which, with Its fllnt-llko soil; its
boundloas, unbrokon monotony of
plains, wan enough In Itaclt to dopress
tho spirits of almost any man, yet tho
superintendent never for a moment
supposed thnt any of Ills men com
mitted suicide.
Tlioro wcro but fow men In his em
ploy that did not uso liquor. Hut
liquor could hardly bo hold account
able for tho atrango fatalities on "Dead
Men's Section." Other trainmen em
ployed on tho division besides freight
brakemon drnnk Just ns hard, and yot
thoro woro no moro accidents among
them than usually occur on tho ordi
nary railroad.
Ono night In early January tho
"Mexican Flyor" was wrockod botweon
Warm Springs and Gregson'a, Tho
niporlutondciit accompanied the
crocking trnln to tho scono of tho dis
aster. It was a wretched night. A
heavy storm of Blcot and rain beat
down with chilling forco on that bar
ren wnato of land, and llonry Fortune
made It ills llrst duty to soo that the
passongcra woro taken to Grogson's,
and Micro mndo as comfortablu
as posslblo In tho mlsorablo udobo
building bearing tho nnmo of "Tho
Ranger's Rest."
Tho proprietor ot this squalid hos
telry ot tho Texas plains was it singu
lar Individual, llo waa a tall, lank,
sinister-looking hnlf-brecd whoso
.beady eyes soouiod to glow with n
mnlfgnnnt pnsalon, A Homt-muto, ho
was miablo to nrtlculnto Intelligibly,
but could understand perfectly all thnt
wa3 said to him. Thoro waa something
about tho man thnt fascinated Henry
Fortuno, ns ho watched his shitty, cat
llko movomonts, whllo dispensing tho
vllo, yollow-Iooklng whisky over his
bar to tho.motloy crowd of cowboys
gathered iu tho foul-sniclUng, enrth-
proprlotor of "Tho Ranger's Rqjt," was
at tho bottom of It
Tho injured man waa takon to tho
hospital nt Tomploton, where he was
Interviewed by Henry Fortune.
"Yes, Mr. Fortune," said tho brako
man, "I did havo a drink nt Carlos'
placo Just before wg pulled out o'
Uiogson'a tho whole crow had a
drink, for that matter. Hut I don't
think It was tho whisky Hint uffectcd
mo leastways It never did other times.
It was Just like this, nonr as I
can remember. 1 was walking nlong
tho top o' a lot o' box cars towards
tho front o' tho train, when all nt
onco everything Hoemod to shlno like
gold. Then It changed to white, and
I felt that I must run run ns fast as
I could. Felt frightened like. And
thon I couldn't help mysolf anymoro,
and ran till r fell from tho trnln."
Rut Henry Fortuno was obdlirato in
his belief thnt the sinister-looking
muto wns to blamo for tho mortality
among his brakemon, desplto tho fnct
that ho hnd not one scintilla of proof
to that effect, and employed a prlvnto
dctectivo agency in Chicago to work
on the case.
Tho detective sent by tlurngoncy to
the Mlddlo Division assumed tho role
of a freight brakeman. For iwo wooks
ho roportcd "no progress," nnd then
ono night ho, too, foil a vlotim to tho
"Dead Men's Section," much to tho
NAPOLEONIO ROMANCE.
"Dummy Carlos."
floored barroom. Why It was tho su
perintendent could nover toll, hut In
tuitively tho conviction was suddonly
forced upon him, that in some way
this evidently treacherous man was
connected with tho mystery of "Dead
Men's Section."
ThlB opinion, onco formed, grow
stronger In tho mind of tho superin
tendent ns tlmo pnuscd, nnd whon,
somo weeks after tho wreck of the
"Mexican Flyer," it brakomau tumbled
botweon tho cars ot hla train a fow
mllea cast ot Grogson's. and by good
luck was but slightly hurt, ho sot about
to investigate tho accident, on tho
assumption that "Dummy Carlos," tho
"I couldn't help myself, nnd ran."
disgust, mortification nnd disappoint
mcnt of Honry Fortuno.
When tho dctectivo ngency was in
formed of tho death of tholr operative,
and learned that he had met the pe
culiar and mysterious fato of so many
brakemon, thoy becamo moro deter
mined thnn over to sift tho occurrence
to tho bottom, and sent sovoral of their
beat men to tho section of the country
betwocn Qregson's nnd Warm Springs.
In tho latter part of February
man claiming to bo a buyer of cattlo
for n Chicago packing houso, put up
at "Tho Ranger's Rest," nnd, on the
pretext of nwaltlng tho nrrlval ot Im
portnnt lottors romalned for soveral
dayH at tho llttlo hotol. Ho saw that
whenovcr a crow of freight trainmen
patronized tho bar, Carina would In
variably placo two bottles of liquor
upon tho counter, pushing a square
bottlo In front ot whero ono or more
brnkemen stood.
Ono day whon tho opportunity of
fercd, the pseudo-stockman filled sov
oral flasks from tho bottles of liquor
standing on tho uholvos beneath tho
bar. The3o woro sont to Chicago for
analysis, nnd a fow wooka later "Dum
my Carina" waa awaiting trial In th
Jail nt Tomploton on it chnrgo ot pol
aonlng, and the mystery of "Dead
Men's Section" hnd boon solved.
A curious story was brought out nt
tho trial of tho vindictive half-breed;
n story too long to hero tell In detnll,
but which waa substantially as fol
lows: Tho analysis ot tho liquor In the
sovoral llnaka showed that It waa all
of tho sainu cheap brand of whisky,
but tho contents ot ono Uask was
found to have boon heavily stooped with
tho woolly loco weed, commonly called
crazy weed, a plant nutlvo to tho
Orcnt Plains rcglon.and which cniiBca
much dniuugo to tho stock of ranch
mon. Tho action of this poison on
man In smnll doses Is to enuso u short
period ot hallucination or mania, ac
companied by defective eyesight, dur
ing which tho nffoetod porson Is seiz
ed with nn Irreslttlblo dcslro to run,
It was tho administration ot this de
coction to tho brnkenion of the Mld
dlo Division thnt had caused thorn to
run nlong the ears of tholr train and,
bolng unablo to soo where thoy woro
stopping, lnvnrlably fall to their
deaths.
Carlos ndnilttod tho fact that eight
years back, whon tho C. and J. was
llrst built through that region, ho was
boating hs way on a frolght train
from GrogBon's to Wnrm Springs,
whon ho was dlscovorod by two brake
men who throw him from tho train.
Until that time ho had boon possessed
of his full powers of speech, but ho
wns so sovoroly Injured about tho head
that tho portion ot tho brain controll
lug tho vocal cords becamo In tlmo nf
footed, nnd ho llnully lost the power
to artlculato plainly. Tho Indian In
his nature becamo aroused, and after
ho opened "Tho Ranger's Rest" near
tho railway station at Grogson's, ho
determined to become revenged on all
freight brakemon running eastward
from that point. Ills dovlllsh, savage
cunning led .him to ubo the loco weed
as tho best means to secure thnt re
vcugu. as ho waa familiar with its of
feet upon tho cnttlo and horses which
roamed tho plains of Texas. Ho was
doclared Insano by the Jury which
tried him, and ho was sont to tho state
asylum for lusano criminals for life.
Ilovr St. I.otiUiin IMmincM to Kcicuo tho
I)noil Kiiinror.
Was an nttempt over made to spirit
Nnpoloon awny from tils heartrending
imprisonment on tho Island of St.
Holena? What was there In tho dim
story which comes out oftho romance
of tho Louisiana domain a century
after It pasied Into the possession of
tho United Slates that Monsieur Glrod,
a wealthy planter of Now Orleans in
trigued to rescuo tho Incarccrnted
omperor?
Those aro tho strange questions
prompted by tho story told by Mrs.
Carrlo Jcnklna Harris. Mra. Harris
says that sho dlscovorod the basis for
tho belief that an expedition to rescue
Nnpoloon was fitted out on tho coast
of Louisiana, near New Orleans, nnd
wna only nbandoned when tho newn of
tho dethroned monarch's death found
It3 way to tho vast Louisiana territory,
which he had coded to tho United
Stntos nlno years beforo.
From manuscript In tho Congres
sional Llbrnry nf Washington Mrs.
Harris says sho discovered indisput
able ovldonco that Monsieur Glrod, a
rich planter nt Now Orleans, whoso
loyalty to tho deposed emperor of tho
French amounted to a pnsslonnte do
votlon, built a ninuslon on tho old St.
Louis street In thnt city, fitted it up
elegantly and kept It ready for tho oc
cupancy of n distinguished guest. To
his moat Intimate friends it in said
that ho Imparted the secrot that a
king was to dwell there.
At the samo tlmo that M. Glrod com
menced this house he bought a atanch
ship, enlisted n number of soldiers and
sailors and drilled them to scale rocky
battlomonts. Tho object of tho expedi
tion was a secret one, but curious
talcs wcro related of It after tho ncod
for its mission had faded awny.
Everything was mndo ready for tho
suddon and swift snlllng of.thQ frigate,
which hnd been mnnucd with guns and
other warlike equipment. Three days
beforo tho dato set for Iho vessel to
put to sea news of Napoleon's death
was received In Now Orleans. Tho ex
pedition was, of course, forthwith
abandoned, nnd a chronic melancholy
took possession of his energetic nnd
dovoted champion In Louisiana.
Did tho deposed emperor know of
this effort to frco him nnd bring him
to this foremost city of tho great do
main his hand had signed nway to tho
Western Republic? Is the question she
nska. Sho concludes that It Is rcason-
nblo to suppose that ho was Informed
of this expedition nnd was prepared to
co-opcrato with his American friends.
Ho was a comparatively young man
whon ho died, nnd It Is suggested thnt
If his life had been spnred nnd ho had
landed In tho Crescent City ho might
have mudo ns many. changes on tho
map ot tho Western Hemisphere ns
ho did on thnt of Europe. Tho French
Canadians, especially In Montreal,
Quebec and Nova Scotia, would havo
rallied to his standard. Thousands of
French citizens of tho young Repub
lic would have done tho same. It is,
according to Mrs. Harris' thinking,
ouo of tho "what might have bcon
done" questions tho world can ask.
Fine
College
Two now society hulls have been
added to the already long lb, at Yale.
Both of the now halls, whllo built by
Shefllold Scientific School societies,
havo followed out tho plan of tho aca
demic department, nnd nro tightly
scaled and vlndowless structures, built
of the most "secret" typo. Tho moro
Imposing of thoso two new buildings
la that of Rook nnd Sirakc, ono of tho
leading Shefllold school fraternities.
Tho other Is known ns tho Tombs, nnd
deserves Its name. Roth structures
are a depnrturo for tho scientific
school, thnt has up to now built its
society halls after tho Harvard model,
The building of thoso two society,
halls has raised much comment at
Yale, where there haa been lately a
movemont for club housoi Instead of
tho time honored secrot socloty halls.
Yalo undorgrndiiatos, however, cling
to tho old stylo of society hall build
ing, and tho two latest additions to
tho list seems to show that tho club
houso idea has not yot bocomo popu
lar Vassar collogo has been enriched by
two buildings, completed within the
last yonr. The Now Englnnd building
is so called because It waa contributed
by tho alumnae from tho Now Englsnd
rooma for the preparation of mate
rial. Over the nmphlthentor below Is
tho physiological department. As tho
largo two story windows throughout
tho building nrc nlno feet wide, it will
bo aeon thnt tho north front contains,
In n length of only eighty-four feet,
forty-fivo feet of glnss, an Important
foaturo In a building designed for this
character of work.
Tho exterior of tho structuro la of
Indiana llmestono and red brick. Tho
departments will begin tholr work In
this building nftcr Christiana.
A bronzo tablot In the cntrnnco hall
will bo surmounted by a bund holding
Ilrltaln' Flntinrliil Htrongtli.
A good deal of misplaced sympathy
Is halng wasted upon England In tho
bollof, or, perhaps, hopo, that tho Doer
war has brought tho nntlon to flnnn
elnl ruin. Much moro reasonablo Is
tho attltudo ot ono of tho leading Gor
man newspapers which congratulated
Great Ilrltaln tho other day upon
tho caso with which sho Is carrying on
the South African war, with an ex
pcndlturo that has already reached
J500.000.000. It said this war would
havo ruined Germany or nny other
European nntlon, and tho Gcrmnn ed
ltor wns light. Tho British people
would havo made short work of a less
Intrnctablo enemy thnn tho Doors, but
what other Iiuropean country could
hnvo manned and pnld such armies
and whoso efforts would havo beon
mndo oi a rising scale all tho tlmo
In spite ot discouragement? John Hull
bus nlwnys beon a staying flghtor, and
that he will continue fighting until,
In Lord Mllner's phrase, the Rocr
country is burned out, there Is hardly
any doubt.
iu. uniioiovitcn, mo noted econo
mist, snya tho Loulsvlllo Courier-Jour
mil, touched upon Great Ilrltnln's fi
nanco In his annual publication recent
ly Issued In Paris, and warned tho
world that It was not likely to go to
the second placo or stay there. Gor
many was a country that thought It
could supplant England In tho mar
kids of tho world a couplo or so of
years ago, but though Germany has
no war sho Is In far worse lndustrlnl
and nnnnclnl condition that the tight
little Island across tho chnuncl.
planning to have roomy, open clubs
rather than sealed up buildings. Both
halls nro among tho finest nnd most
romarkablo at Yale, and havo receiv
ed much attention since they wero
erected this fall.
Book and Snako chose for their slto
tho corner of Grovo nnd High streets,
on tho squaro diagonally opposite tho
flno Bonlor socloty building ot Scroll
nnd Key. It Is an Immense marblo
building, built closely on Greek lines,
and Is said to bo tho purest copy of
tho Greek that oxlsts In this country
today. It stands on tho samo block
with tho mammoth new dining hull,
and Its doors open on tho cntrnnco to
tho Grovo Street Cemetery, which Is
Itself a samplo of pure Egyptian. Tho
Book and Snnko houso Is by nil odds
tho handsomest nnd most costly of nil
Yalo private structures. There Is not
n single silt or window In Its ninsslvo
white walls, and Its root Is solid also,
not n ray of sunlight entering through
nny part of tho walls or roof. Yet
during tho daytlmo It Is flooded with
sunlight, by means of n unique ar
rangement. A marblo shaft has been
sunk In tho ynrd whk'luis open to tho
sunlight. At tho bottom nro fixed mir
rors that rcllect the sunlight Into
tho building through the floor, filling
tho groat structuro with light all day.
It Is said to be tho only contrivance
ot the kind In tho country, nnd la at
tracting much notlco from architects.
Tho Tombs stands in Templo street,
south of Grovo street, nnd Is much
THE BOOK AND SNAKE HALL.
A now fraternity houso nt Yale.
states, who desired to supply tho col-
lego's need of greater spaco for tho
department ot biology.
Tho building faces north, nnd con
tains on tho first floor four large cdr
ner laboratories for mineralogy, geol-
ji piece of Plymouth Rock, which haa
been given to tho building.
Tho Swift Inflrmnry, given by Mrs.
Atwater of Poughkeopsle, In memory
of hor father, Mr. Swift, besides con
taining wards both for general cases
NEW-ENGLAND BUILDING.
Built by Now England Vassar College Alumnae.
ogy, zoology, and. botany. In tho
ronr 1b an nmphlthcntrlcal lecture
room, not shown from tho point of
view of the photograph, in tho center
is a largo stair hall, lighted overhead
1
IS
Wrtltlnil 1.1 ri In Siimittrii.
Tho woman of Sumatra hove llttlo
to complain of. Before tho nuptlnls
tire celebrated the husband Is com
pelled to settle n marrlngc portion on
his wife, and In caso he is legally sepa
rated from her ho can neither nllnn-
nto this portion nor touch any of the
property bIio may have brought Into
tho marrlago contract. Married people
llvo In sopnruto houses, tho husband
visiting tho wlfo in tho evening. Tho
boys llvo with their mother until their
fourth blrthdny, when they take up
tholr residence with tholr father. Girls
romnlu with their niothor until they
marry, which thoy do nt an early age.
When a woman becomes a widow sho
plants u flagstaff at her door, from
which n Hag tiles. That flag Is of Im
portance to tho widow's fato, for so
long as It remntnt untorn by tho wind,
sho Is compelled by otlquotto to re
niuln unmarried. When tho first lit'
tlo rent In tho flag appears and l
may he tho most minute sho Is froi
to uccevt tho llrst suitor who offers."
Detroit Frco Press.
THE TOMBS.
A new fraternity hou&9 nt Yalo that desorves Its name.
slmnlor In architecture Its sldo walls I nnd lined with museum cases. The
aro of brick, but tho front la In tho wholo front of tho second floor is oc
most ancient of Egyptian Btyles. Tho cupled by a biological laboratory
masslvhncss ot tho ornamontntlon on eighty feet long, and In connection
tho front ninkcB a striking appearance, with this nro lecture rooms, ofllces and
and for isolation, provides a number
of privato bedrooms, and tho parlors,
ulnlng rooniB, etc., necessary In a tem
porary college hospital of this char
acter. It is Colonial In stylo and, be
ing situated In a retired part of tho
grounds nmong tho trees, it offers an
nttrnctlvo retreat for convalescents.
Tho Illustrations nnd descriptions
aro from tho Now York Tribune.
Mrs. 1.1 Oniclnlly Ilnul.
Very few pcoplo nrc awaro that, that
most weird of oriental statesmen, who
for so ninny years not only guided
tho destinies of China, hut was, to nil
Intents and purposes, tho truo ruler
of thnt strango country, hnd, In his
enrller life, n rather uncanny domes
tic oxporlonco ot tho Enoch Arden
typo, though It was one of his wives,
nnd not hlmsolf, who played tho part.
It scorns that Mrs. LI Hung Chang,
In somo mysterious way, disappeared
one flno day, and, after making all in
quiries and allowing a reasonnblo tlmo
for her reappearance, without nny re
sult whntovor, It was decided that sho
was officially dofunct, nnd all wont on
as usual In tho LI household until,
without any wnrnlng, tho missing lady
suddonly turned up nnd prosonted
horself nt tho front door of hor hus
hnnd's pnlace.
Sho reckoned without her host, how
ever, na LI would havo nono of hor;
and, as ofllclally dead sho was, so of
ficially dead she must contlnuo to be.
Somo churches mako vory successful
burial clubs.
Tho Archbishop of Canterbury say3
that England Is suffering from defec
tive grammar.
A rag merchant, who works up ev
ery shred and art and end Into pew
creations. Emerson.