The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-09-14
A STRANGE VISION.
The Singular Story Told by a
Railroad Man.
an EngIneer's Uncomfortable Experience
with-a Fireman. and what He Saw
Passing Through - wld
Piece of Woods.

A veteran engineer on Tho Psansyl-
vania railroad was speaking the other
lay of singular sights AID incidents he
had met with in his long experience on
the rail. The queerest thing ! ever
knew" said he, ..was The vision that
BIZ Sandusky had few wears ago.
There are things that you know have
happened and are still reluctant TO
lell about, because you know you II be
laughed at and pooh-poohed for your
pains. and this vision was one of that
kind. Biil Sa ,dusky was an engineer
on che Philadelphia & Erie railway,
and Is yet, l think. aud lives IN Erie.
A better engineer never handled the
throttle.
about ten years ago Young fel-
'ow named G G.orge Watkins went to
work ON the Philadelphia & Erie as a
brakeman. He was a stranger, and
no one knew where he came from
He was twenty-one or twenty-five
years old. but he had much older
look III had a very dark complex
ion. and he was tall an lean. His
eyes were intensely blac'l An deep
sunken. He had but little to say to
any of his fellow-train 1t came
10 be com non remark among them
that if AT any lime Watkins peculiar
eyes were fixed on them for a moment
they underwent curious variations of
color and that the person upon whom
the gaze was fixel experienced sensa-
tons which he found IL difficult TO de-
scribe, but which were ref rred to in
3 general way as decidedly uncom-
Portable. Some of the men said that
with Watkins eyes on them they
found il difficult TO keep their minds
ON their work. and some went so far
as to say that they could remove Them
selves from the strange influence of
his presence only by the exercise of
all their will power Those who had
heard Of mesmerism decided that the
stranger was possessed of powerful
mesmeric influence. and he was
avoided by timid railroad men as
much as possible
1T was plain from the bearing of
Watkins that he was either the VIC
tim Of some great trouble or haunted
by unpleasant recollections. and also
that he was a man of education and
intelligence. He performed the hard
work of brakeman with faithfulnesS
and early attracted the attention Of
the superintendent Watkins had
been on the road almost three months
when Jimmy Green. Bill Sandusky's
fireman, was killed while saving the
life of little child that was playing
on the track. The train was
dashing along at the rate
of forty miles &n hour when the child
was discovered BY Bill and his fireman
two or three hundred yards ahead as
The train rounded a curve. Bill
whistled for brakes and reversed his
engine. but there was no possible
chance of stopping the train before it
reached the child, which did not seem
to be aware of its danger Quick as a
cat j mmy Green drew himself
through the cab window and ran out
along the guard rail to the pilot. He
dropped down fat and. leaning over
as lar as he could, seized the child as
he engine dashed on the spot where
it sat. H. caught the little one. and
| scooped it clear of the track. The
child was saved, bat the brave fireman
lost his hold in making the effort. and
fell across the rail and was cut TO
pieces. George Watkins was taken
from the brake wheel and promoted to
the place which Jimmy Green's death
made vacant He got along with the
work from the very start as handily as
if he had been at the Job all his life.
but Bill Sandusky said that the at
mosphere of the cab changed the min
| ute Watkins set his foot in ii. He de-
elared, after the first trip with the new
| fireman, that Watkins would hood 90
him.
Il feel so queer when he turns
| those sunken eyes of his on me- Bill
used to say, that / daresen't stand
still under his gaze. If should stand
| STILL, B II said, i believe 1 d let my
engine push on, no matter what might
1 happen, if that fireman said The word.
b rs uneasiness under the myste-
rious influence of the fireman was
such that he at last told the superin-
| tendent that he was sure some hing
would happen some day, unless the
| fireman was taken off The superin.
renaent laughed at what he called
Bills foolishness. and Watkins staid
or the engine. He had fired for Bill {
| month or so, and then the engineel
went to the superintendent and tol,
aim positively that he must remove
Watkins. He couldn't give any rea
son that had weight with the boss
and be said that fireman must stay
| Then Bill told him that his next tril
would be his last. He said he woult
not run another trip with George Wat
| kins.
''Ih Pennsylvania & Erie road runs
through some very wild country il
Northwestern Pennsylvania. Ote O