The conductor went forward and found that the engineer had refused
to handle his engine because Hartshorne was his home and the crowd had
threatened to kill him if he hauled that load of "slaves of Pullman" any
further. When Major Sharp heard of it his little grey eyes snapped and
he growled out:--
"Won't pull this train, eh! Well, damn him, we'll make him pull it.
Here, Mr. Brainerd, you take some men and go forward and make that
engineer take us through these yards. If he refuses you know what to do
with him."
Do? Well, I reckon Jack knew what to do all right enough. He took
Sergeant Fealy, a veteran, and three men and went forward. The engineer,
a little snub-nosed Irishman, was at his post with his fireman, a good
head of steam was on, but nary an inch did that train budge. A big crowd
of men and women stood around jeering and laughing at the plight of the
bluecoats. Pushing his way through the crowd, Jack climbed up into the
cab closely followed by his little escort.
"Sergeant Fealy," he said in a voice loud enough to be heard a block,
"get up on that tender, have your men load their rifles, and shoot the
first d----d man that raises a hand or throws a missile.
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