A railroad "dick," as they were called, arrests a man for "hoboing" in a freight yard.  The security officer handcuffs the man to a grab-iron on a box car while he goes to call for transportation to the county jail.  Grab-irons are the iron steps on the side of freight cars that flagmen use to get on and get off moving trains.

The engineer is unaware that the suspect is securely cuffed to his train.  He begins switching cars-back and forth-parking freight cars on designated sidings.  During the operation, trains move slowly - a few miles-per-hour.  But it's awkward running alongside a moving train only a few feet from wheels grinding against steel track.

When the railroad dick returns, his prisoner is gone.  For that matter, the whole train is gone.  Quickly, the officer looks around the freight yard until he spots slow-moving box cars about a half-mile away.

There, dancing alongside a moving train, is the prisoner, wrists firmly attached to a grab-iron.  The hobo is yelling for help as loud as he can, but who can hear a human voice amid the sound of rolling freight trains?

The railroad man runs over to the prisoner and helps him climb up on the grab-iron ladder.  There he unlocks the cuffs and both men jump safely clear of the freight train.  The bum is relieved to no longer be tethered to a moving train and seems almost grateful to be escorted across the tracks and into the arms of a waiting deputy sheriff.