midnight
The fact is I did n't think straight until we were halfway uptown , speeding toward the railroad freight-yards in O'Connor 's car . The fresh air at last revived me , and I began to forget my cute and bruises in the renewed excitement . We entered the yards carefully , accompanied by several of the railroad 's detectives , who met us with a couple of police dogs . Skulking in the shadow under the high embankment that separated the yards with their interminable lines of full and empty cars on one side and the San Juan Hill district of New York up on the bluff on the other side , we came upon a party of three men who were waiting to catch the midnight `` side-door Pullman '' -- the fast freight out of New York . The fight was brief , for we outnumbered them more than three to one . O'Connor himself snapped a pair of steel bracelets on the thin man , who seemed to be leader of the party . `` It 's all up , Pitts Slim , '' he ground out from his set teeth .