Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-06-29

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sylvania & Erie hallway never left
him, but there he stood, entirely
helpless to move his eyes away
from Watkins. Presently the fire.
man turned aud looked off into the
woods. Without power to help it
Bill looked in the same direction.
He SAID that he didn't believe that
Watkins saw or noticed him, or
knew that he was held under the
strange influence.
THE LOOK OF TERROR
came to the freman's eyes as he
gazed, and suddenly the entire
scene was changed as Bill gazed
out upon it. Instead of the deep
Kane woods the train was gliding
through a delightful valley. On
one side was lofty ridge on the
other level stretch of fertile farm
land was bounded by line of low
woods. Presently the train passed
a town-a beautiful village, with
remarkable growths of willows
where the site sloped down to a
river. Sitting far back in a ter
raced grounds was ap old home
stead, to which a green lane on
either side OF which we're thick
clumps OF willows, led from the
main road. Beyond, rising back of
the trees, was a church spire. AS
Bill Sandusky gazed in amazement
on this transformation, an elderly
man, astride of large horse, rode
down the lane toward the village.
AS he was passing a clump of trees
a tall man stepped out from behind
a largo willow with gun in his
hands. lie raised the weapon to
his shoulder and fired at the man
on the horse. The old man threw
up his hands and tumbled to the
ground. The murderer fired twice
into the PROSTATE body of his vic
tim, and then ran away and disap'
peared among the willows along
the river. Bill said he could not
distinguish the features OF either
the murderer or his victim, but the
horror of the scene aroused him.
He uttered a cry that startled the
fireman, who was crouching down
in the cab. Watkins sprang to an
erect position. Bill jumped to his
lever, and was about to reverse
and call for brakes when the strange
scene faded away and the wild
Pennsylvania landscape once more
stretched away on either side. In
a seconds time the fireman was
himself again, attending to bis
duty as cool as ever.
"Was there something on the
track p he asked, as the engineer
dropped the cord.
at was some time before Bill
could reply, and then he told Wat
kins of the extraordinary yision.-
AS be described it his fireman grew
paIer and paler and became greatly
agitated. When Bill came to the
scene where the old man was muir
dered, Watkins was a picture of
terror. He threw up his hands.
"'My God p he shrieked. There
IS no escape p 10
"With these words he sprang
from the cab and Bill saw him
tumble ont of sight IN the bushes.
The train was running thirty miles
an hour. Bill brought her to a
stop as soon as he could and back
ed down to where the fireman had
jumped of, expecting to find him
dead or badly hurt. Not a trace
of Watkins could be found except
the broken bushes into which he
had disappeared. The woods were
searched, but the
MISSING FIREMAN WAS NOT FOUND.
"Of course, Bills story, the sin
guIar disappearance of Watkins,
and the mysterious circumstances
connected with it, created great
sensation along the line for some
time, but the matter was forgotten.
A month or so afterward Bill San
dusky took q vacation. lie went
on a trip through Ohio. One day
he read in a Cincinnati paper that
young man named Walters, who
had appeared in one OF the small
Kentucky towns month before
had confessed to having murdered
his uncle six years before IN that
city and gave himself up to justice,
and was to be hanged tor the crime.
Bill Sandusky could never explain
the reason why at the moment he
read the item, Watkins, the MUIR
der he had seen IN his vision, and
the treman's disappearance, came
into his mind and connected them
selves with this confessed murderer
Walters. Bill found that he could
get to the Kentucky town in 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 ont its name so far as Bill
Sandusky was concerned. There
was the valley, there was the river,
there stood the bills, the slOping
village site, the willows, the church,