AN HEROIC GATE-KEEPER AT A RAILWAY CROSSING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5575, 4 January 1879, Page 6

AN HEROIC GATE-KEEPER AT A RAILWAY CROSSING.

Amidst all the excitement and turmoil of the elections, the Parisians, and Indeed Frenchmen generally, ere finding tiroe to talk of the devoted heroism of Jcaa Plastic, a gate-keeper oh this railway line running through the Bive-de-CHer. His post was at a level croesingat one end of it, and on a recent night he was, as usual, on doty, expect* ing no evil, and very probably inclined to underrate the haxard of his position. At ail eylpts, it seems a train. unexpectedly approached him, and he had to use more than ordinary expedition to get bis gates shot in time. That on one side of the line he had already closed, and was hastening to bar the highway on the other. But this, through some miscalculation of . the moments at his disposal, he was unable td accomplish in time, and before he OOttld swing hack the heavy gate, the engine, goWg at an express rate, rushed by, knocking him down, and passing over his arm. Fortunately he did not faint with the pain and. shock, hut managed to get up on his though, horrible to relate, his left arm, cleanly amputated by the locomotive wheel, remained op the ground. His agony natuially was intense, and the horror of his situation was’intensified by the fact that his was. a lonely post, and that it was a considerable time before he could expect to be relieved* the chances being that he would have bled to death Ipog .before any succour couJd,amvo in the ordinary course' of evoots. His first impulse probably was to makehisway.as he beat' could to the nearest habitation and bate, his stomp tied tipj. but haquiekly remembered that* the post he occupied, left without a 'gite-keeper, would most probably be fbe seme of another andtndre' terrible accident: Instantly hiamindwas made. up. He would remain on duty at fcny risk t3l be died or was lettered; and ooyerfng .\»p^ ! hm.wounded arm as best he coUld,hie -prepared to go through hid terrible ordeal of duty. Eortmattriy, the driver of the that had mj nred jean Flantier had noticed the accident, and at the next station hadtold of what he feared was a fatal casualty some miles back on the lino he hadcome/along. Tbe station-master and someTporters >aA flora sat oaV to sm! if ■Bsisfauea wsa yefc of uf*, and: after an anxioustmnp along; the six-foot way, fearing each moment what ghastly sight would meet thffr eyes,had come on# poolof blood and the mutilated Ihab the brave gate-keeper had left where he ML A memept after Jean Flantier, knew that sucoourhacLunexpectedly come. His ton* way a]neat apologetic as he answered tbe atabiaa-maetec’* questions—- “ Tea, he was horribly wounded, and was suffering terribly j but he bastenod to assure bia superior officer Whadmot left h» poet a awmeat, and the tram jwrvioe had ’ been in nodanger.". Such is the; simple story of devotion to dutj r that, be lt found in Frenchmen or Bogiisbmen, orwboan not, [makes one s.blood tunqutokar, and one'a opinion ol *m »*ad wax fugbec and better- . The Far* papem amiOriliiwfor nOm* of the legion of Honour;lor JeanFlaatwr:* «d m* oafcordy “I thatitwouldbe well it wry membra of thatsomewhat volmninoos orderbod done as tp desccra his decoration.