Maguire, who was billed as "Cora Ashleigh," was generally played
in "old woman parts." And she played them well. Her two
grandchildren, Tommy and Nellie, occasionally had small parts in the
plays. Mr. Switzer was the comedian, and, opposite to him, was Pepper
Sneed, the "grouch." Wellington Bunn seemed always to have a
grievance because he had not made a success in Shakespeare.
Pop Snooks was the "Old Reliable" property man of the company, and
what he could not manufacture in the way of "props" at short notice
was hardly worth mentioning.
The company of moving picture players and the other train passengers
found a scene of desolation awaiting them as they alighted. But it
was not as bad as might have been expected, and no one had been
killed. In fact, no one was hurt, save the fireman and engineer of
the passenger train, and they only slightly.
What had happened was this: A freight train, on a siding, had overrun
a switch, and one of the cars encroached on the main line tracks. The
passenger engine had "side-swiped" it, as the railroad term has it.
That is, the engine had struck a glancing blow, and had been
derailed. The baggage car, directly behind the engine, had been
smashed, but a quick survey on the part of Mr. Pertell showed that
the company's baggage had not been damaged.
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