The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-04-16
"RAIsrNa THE DEVIL. !"
A Really Mysterious Occurrence ct the
Transfer Station.

A most mysterious affair, said to have oc-
Cured at the Boston and Maine transfer sta
tion few nights ago. was the subject on cur
streets Saturday last for an endless amount o.
I gossiping
The story goes that three persons connected
with the Boston and Maine railroad-one an
! engineer, the other two yardmen-were few
| nights since seated in waiting room near the
round house, waiting for a train. To pass
away the time they proposed a came Of ''set.
back" All were agreed and the game began
| The cards were dealt around for the three and
they were about to play when stranger appear
ed among them and requested hand. The
dealer thinking the visitor to be party wait
! ing for the Pullman, who took this method Of
passing away the time, Qt was about II 30 a.
m, and the Pullman train east is not due till
about2 o'clock without second thought,
| dealt him hand and the play commenced.
Game after game was played-in fact till
near the break of day-and every trump SEEM
cd to settle into the strangers hand. He held
the winning cards in every "deal," and no
amonnt of "shufaing" could place them else
where. Thus the game progressed till one Of
NC~~s N~%S
stranger, stopped down to the floor to pick up
acard he had dropped, aud in doing 80, as the
story goes he witnessed something which
seemed to freeze the blood in his veins, and he
lost no time in communicating his discovery to
his companions. 'It is the deyil" they
shouted, and with headlong speed all rushed
out the building. The stranger, one of the
railroad men stated, started with them but all
at once dropped into the pit and disappeared.
The now terribly frightened trio did not halt
in their headlong speed till the round house
was reached, where seated around the watch
mans fire they narrated breathlessly their en-
counter with what they all really believed to
be the devil and the man who stopped to pick
up the card stated that the stranger had cloyen
feet like an OK.
According to all reports this first appearance
has been repeated nightly since BY a personal
encounter or come manifestation or incident to
denote that their ghostly guest ''has been
there" The men have been rudely pulled
from their blanket to the opposite side Of the
room; the blanket snatched off them; or they
have been awakened Isuddenly to find the
mysterious parsonage bending over the bunk;
but when an effort was made TO address or
grasp hold upon him, he would, as it were van
ish. No sulphurous smell, SO far as could be
learned, has been noticed al any appearance Of
the mysterious visitor. These visits or mani
festations have occurred between the hours Of
midnight and one o'clock in the morning
Three reporters visited the round
house Saturday at midnight determined,
If possible, 10 fathom the mystery.
| They found the building, but it was in dark
ness. Then they sought the roundhouse. Here
they found the night watchman-a jolly, good
natured Englishman. On being questioned 70
| garding the affair, he appeared to be very IA
miliar with II, bat expressed an unwillingness
to talk upon the dreaded subject. He corrob-
GRATED. in most part what has been written
above; said TIE men came into his room that
night terribly frightened, but despite all
bis efforts to ascertain the cause they remained
almost silent and shaking in terror-occasion-
ally. however, calculating, "Oh. it was aw-
full' We cannot tell youl" 1--WE cannot
| describe III" 1--WE have seen the devili" and
other expressions indicative of intense fright.
After a time their fear in part subsided and
the encounter at cards, with It's terrible fnals
was told the watchman, but at the same he
was cautioned against speaking Of it to any
one. for fear Of injury to themselves in the es-
I rInnzti0h Of tho railroad company, and It Gzs
only by the closest cross-questioning that any
thing whatever was obtained from him.
| Enough, however, was learned to satisfy the
reporters that something very mysterious had
occurred, but what it really was could not be
ascertained unless tbs night could be passed in
that particular room. This was impossible, for
it was securely locked and no one could be
found TO accompany the reporters-the men
being engaged in their work a long distance
| down the yard, and even if they could be
found lsaid the watchman), would not for
their lives remain over night there again. OF
course it was utterly impossible to ask the
watchman to quit his work Of cleaning loco
motives which must 90 out of the roundhouse
in the morning. to go with them. Therefore
the reporters were obliged TO return home
with their curiosity unsatis6ed, but they
are convinced that the many stories currently
reported concerning the affair are snot en-
tirely groundless. At later day they propose
to again visit the locality and there remain to
| await coming events