The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-11
A Stryktng Experience.
AN APPARENTLY AUTHENTIC CASE on fhhh''
MILTON.

Az APPARENTLY AUTHENTIC CASE or FRkho-
MILTON.
from the Salem (usss.) Gszetie. February o.
uare Il = true story, which contains some
..a.as,;as tca,urcs: :. Last Friday morn
;nr The o.9o train was on its way from ST.
lem to Boston a, full speed. man oceu.
niod a lt.band seat near the centfc Oh
The car. next TO the window. lie was,
az course, on that side OF The car tnat
would be nearest TO any train that nigh,
PASS on the other track. As ne sH
There This speculation, without any par
ticular cause, entered bis head: suppose
n freight train should pass and piece OF
lumber should break away from us moor
ines. and so far project out a. TO come tear
Ing along the side Of the passenger tram,
how many passengers between the cSn'f'
and the rear end Of the car would have pre-
sencc of mind sufficient to Jump out OF me
way on receiving the waning OF me nrSt
collision at the front end OF the carr IL
was not thought inspired 10y fear or ner-
yousness. but simply one Of those specnla-
tions that will enter mans mind IN mo-
ment OF idlcness, when BE Is ghdin@ along
in comfort Oh railroad tram.
"The thought passed away, and the man
took up his newspaper and began to READ
~
. minutes elapsed, and possibly not three,
when tbump and crash were heard, which
challenged the attention Of every person IN
the car, and justified the stopping OF the
train for moment TO see what bad nap
prued. II was found that something from
u passing freight train had struck the pas
senger.car at exactly the point where the
man was sitting who had been INDUCING
in this speculation about that kind Of an
accident Tue window where be was
sitting was smashed in, hole was
stove i'm the side Of the car, so that
outside DAYLIGHT could come in, the irOu-
WORK which supports the seal al the side Of
the car was wTenchcd from lis place and
broken, and piece Of wood perhaps two
feet in length, five inchc, IN brca0th, ana
half an inch thick or more, from the passing
tram. was hurled into the car either through
the window or otherwise, and fell at the
mans feet. In fact, there was wreck right
a, the point where the man was sitting, and
his coat was covered with Spllnter> ana
broken glass. But notwithstanding all this,
he did not experience even Il scratch: and
20 quickly was the whole thing done that he
is not even conscious Of experiencing any
more of shock than any other y iSSeDger IN
the train, or, in fact Of any shock whatever
beyond The noise OF the crash. II was really
u marvellous escape, and very strange in
view Of the passing thought that had en-
tered the PERSONS mind few moments pre-
viously.
"1he man alluded TO was the writer OF
thi, paragraph, who was at first inclined to
laugh and joke about the affair with the
Other passengers, but who, on more dciibe-
rate thought, WAS inclined TO think the cir
cumstance> were sufficiently remarkable to
justify this little narrative, not by way of
fostering superstiiiouS tendencies, which
need 40 special cultivation in the human
mind, bui TO furnish one more Of those
striking cCincidences Of thought and event
that are often so curious, and 10 show how
wonderful may be an escape from DEATH