Q. Where were you engaged in the latter part of last May?
A. Flagging.
Q. On what train?
A. I wasn't flagging on a train; I was a track flagman sent back to keep the trains back.
Q. At what point were you?
A. Near Mineral Point tower.
Q. Was that on Thursday of Friday?
A. Friday.
Q. Well, now, I wish you would state whether anybody gave you a message to carry, and if so, who gave it to you, and what was in the message, and who you took it to.
A. I don't know what was in the message; it was in an envelope; Pickerel, the operator gave it to me (he got word from South Fork), and he told me to take it down to "AO" tower. The first one at 12 o'clock, the foreman took that, and then I went up, and brought another one down, and took it down to the operator.
Q. Who did you deliver it to?
A. Robert Shade, the operator.
Q. You don't know what was in either of them?
A. No, sir.
Q. What time did you take the second one down?
A. About three o'clock.
Q. Did you take any other dispatch that day?
A. No, sir.
Q. They just asked you to take those two down there, and you did it?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What do you know about a washout near Mineral Point that morning? Was there a w ashout [sic] there?
A. Yes, sir, right above No. 6 bridge. About 9 o'clock as near as I can tell you, the track commenced to wash out.
Q. Were you up there?
A. I had passed there.
Q. On the train?
A. Walking. About 9 o'clock, the telegraph poles were laying d(o)wn, and the track commenced to wash out, and when I came up from taking the first m(e)ssage down (I ate my dinner first; I suppose it took about 20 minutes) the whole thing in there was washed. --- [sic]
Q. You say it commenced to wash about 9 o'clock?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What time did it get through both tracks, do you know?
A. After 12 o'clock when I came up.
