Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-19

3
murderer or his victim. but the horror OF
the scene aroused him. lie uttered cry
that startled the fireman from his crouch
ing position He sprang for his lever. He
was about to reverse and call for brakes
when the strange scene faded away, and
the wild Pennsylvania woods once more
stretched away on either side.
an a seconds time the fireman was
himself again, attending to his duties as
cool as ever.
~'Was there something on the track
he asked, as Bill dropped the signal
cord
at was some time before Bill could say
anything, and then he told Watkins of
the strange vision he had seen. As he de-
scribed it, the fireman grew paler, and
became greatly agitated. When Bill
came to the scene where the old man was
murdered, Watkins was picture of ter
ror. He threw up his hands and
shrieked:
Great Godl There is no escaped
with these words he sprang from the
cab, and Bill saw him tumble out of
sight in the bushes. The train was going
thirty miles an hour. Bill brought her TO
a stop as soon as he could and backed
down TO where the fireman had jumped
off, expecting to find him dead or badly
hurt Not trace Of Watkins could be found
except where he had fallen. The woods
were searched, but the fireman had disap
peared.
OF course, Bills story, the singular dis
appearance of Watkins, and the mysteri-
Gus circumstances connected with it, Gre
ated a sensation along the rode for some
time, but the matter was finally forgot
ten. A month afterward Bill went on
his vacation. He took a trip over into
Ohio, and one day read In a Cincinnati
paper that young man named Walters,
who had appeared in one Of the small
Kentucky towns a month before, con-
fessed to having killed his uncle six years
before in that village, and given himself
up to justice, was to be hanged for the
crime. Bill could never explain why, but
the moment he read the item his fireman,
Watkins, the murder he had seen in his
vision. and the fireman's IIsBppearance
came into his mind and connected them
selves with this confessed murderer Wal
ters. Bill found that he could get TO the
Kentucky town in a few hours by rail,
and he jumped on the cars and started for
the place. As the train approached the
place there was no need of the brakeman
calling out its name, so far as Bill San
dusky was concerned. There were the
valley, the river, the hills, the
slOping village, the willows, the old
homestead, the church spire, and
the green lane that he had seen in
his vision. There was the clump of trees
where the murderer stood and shot the
hurseman.
~Bin had no trouble in obtaining look
at the condemned murderer Walters in
his cell, and, of course. Walters was Bills
old fireman, George Watkins Walters
was his right name He had shot his
uncle. just as Bill had seen the tragedy
that day from his cab. The murderer was
an entire stranger in the place. He had
visited his uncle to borrow some money,
which the old man had declined to loan.
That WAS the sole cause of the murder.
Walters said he had struggled success
fully for six years against some strange
influence that was constantly drawing
him back to the scene OF the murder and
to confession, but, feeling that no human
being knew of his guilt, he had conquered
the influence. He never passed through
the dark Kane woods, while firing for
Bill, that the whole scene of the tragedy
was not forced before him, and the
strange influence was hard TO combat.
When the scene was revealed so myster-
ously to the engineer, the murderer be-
lieved that the terrible secret was no
longer his own. He gave up the struggle
and went interestingly to his fate. He
was hanged three days after Bill visited
him; but how does any one explain that
queer vision of BilIsr"-New York Sun