Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-03-19
a spook on he nrai.e sgheel.

The tralnnlen on Tho Denver Pacific Kali
roaG. have been reporting II sirarse mani
fes,alioo Mr. W. II. Smith, ,ooductor
on this road ranpiDg tetweon this city and
Cheyenne, is the authority for cllious
story concerning au appar!tion which has
shown itself to several trainmen during the
last two months. The story is substantially
as follows
Conductor Smiths train, freight, left
| Cheyenne in the evening about two weeks
ago. The sky was clear and the moon was
shining. About fifteen minutes this side Of
Cheyenne, at the foot Of tho hill is the point
known as Big Springs The conductor was
in his caboose, seated in the lookout. The
train was running somewhat more rapidly
| than the schedule time, and Mr.. Smith gave
| the signal to the engineer FOR whistle foc
brakes. The whistle was given, and just at
| that moment the conductor saw. abou; three
carlengths ahead, seated on braEewheel, q
man whom he mistook ioT one OF hia brake
men. The figure did not move st the whis-
tie, and the conductor cimeG down to as
certain the reason of such apparent neglect
Of duty. AS he stepped cut OF the caboose
door he discovered his rear brakeman bueily
beyond the figure, was the other brakeman
also at work. The conductor called the at.
| tention of the rear brakeman to the figure,
! and together they started toward it. When
they were within Car and hal's length
the man deliberately rose TO standing pos
ture and stepped off the side of the car.
There was no movement as if the man had
lost his balance and fallen of, but he ap-
parenty walked off jus; as q man would
step FROM curbstone into The street.
The watching trainmen were horri-
fed because they could realize no
other effect from such an apparently sui
cidai movement than tbs death OF the man
dashed against the grougd many feet below.
There was, however, no such result; no:,
in fact, could the man be seen NJ al. He
had vanished. Several trainmeD, or Mr..
Smith relating his experience, stated that
| they had heard something much ike the
same experience occurring to Others at the
same point Oh the road. One brakeman,
named Malone, was found who said that not
more than week previous TO Mr.. Smiths
curious experience he had turned around as
he was going forward or hia train setting
the brakes and beheld man sitting On
wheel three cars behind hir He was not
startled until be went ahead three cars more,
and, looking back, cav the fellow
sitting on the brekewheel at tho place
where be had stood himself when be
| first saw him. The spectre or man, or what.
ever it was, Kept jus, three car lengths he
bind him eli the way until be reached the
engine he called The MI; niion cf the Gre
man TO The apparitior, and they turned
| back TO see what it was. The figure as he'd
been the case in Mr. Smiths instance, rose
from the wheel and deliberately walked off
the end of the car. No crushed or maDeled
| remains of az unfortunate could be fouad.
nor could any one beseen. The man bad
vanished in thin cir. Neither Of he yeil-
road men who tell this peculiar story is
bit superstitious, and both were ia their
soberest senses when this peculiar appari.
ton appeared to them. no accident has oc.
Cured at Big Springs within four years.
About that time freight train went to
pieces ON account of q broken rail and
brakeman was killed There is something
funny about the afIair.-Deacer Ne,cs.