The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-07-01
The Fatal Car.

TITS the strangest thing ever heard Of.
It often starts off on perfectly level track and
we have to keep the brake on all the while in
order to keep 1t quiet"
The above remarks were uttered by Jack
Martin, a brakeman on the San Pedro road.
Martin was addressing friend . few days
ago.
What's The matter with the carr" asked
the person addressed.
81 think it is haunted. At least all the boys
sayitis.a II may and it may not be; but it is
certain,th that the car often moves when no one
is near il" The car in question was an old
one and stood on a side track. 1t had just
been brought up from San Pedro and had been
emptied of six tons Of iron for the cable rail-
road Continuing Martin said: THAT car has
a strange history No less than three muir
ders have been committed in it. Three years
ago il was brought out from Boston loaded
with fine furniture for Sacramento. Somewhere
in Nevada the door was broken open and two
tramps entered and closed the door. They
were anxious to get to Frisco, and being sup
piled with food and water they proposed to 90
through without change. No one knows how
the deed was done; but when the car was
opened at Sacramento the body of one of the
tramps was discovered. His throat was cut
and an ugly wound was found on his right
side. The other tramp could not be found.
The car was sidetrscked at Sacramento three
months and was then loaded with -four for
Stockton. While at the depot al the latter
place a couple Of railroad hands occupied it
one night, and during game of cards one Of
them named John Dewey stabbed his compan-
ion. He died in few moments. The trial
was a long one and Dewey was sentenced to
e. l., y-1,. 7N
he acted in self-defeuce When arrested, how
ever be had about S3s in his possession, while
his dead companion did not have q nickel
That looked rather suspicious. Well, the next
we heard of No. IL ,0SS she was the scene of
another mysterious affair. This was about
year ago at Ell Paso. During strike among
a lot of Italian laborers at that place this car
was boarded by some half dozen OF them.
A quarrel ensued over some trihing matter
and one of them was beaten SO badly that he
died before medical aid could be summoned"
"The car must be haunted, +" remarked Mar
tins companion, who listened to the story with
the closest attention, "and | would not sleep
in it for hundred dollars
"All the train men say 1t is" continued
Martin, "and the fact that it will often move
on a level track is an evidence that something
is wrong"
"Do you ever near any strange noises
around IL" asked the reporter.
Infancy sometimes l hear moan or some
mutterings, but it may be only i'm
agination," replied the brakeman. ''The en-
gineer said yesterday be heard human voice
in it, but upon looking around the car saw no
one. The fact of the matter Is, 1 do not have
much to do with the old thing, and I wish the
company would draw it Of" At this point
in the conversation Martins train pulled up
from the new depot and he boarded it and was
soon engaged with the duties attending his
line of business. Car Il,OsS is considered
haunted by nearly all the railroad boys.
Los ARgelsS Express.