Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-04-06
HORRIBLE DESERT SCENE,
Floating Arms and Legs anl Black ROBBED
Priests in the Sine Ether

Floating Arms and Legs ana Black R0btd
Priests in the Blue Ether
"Whoop up the romping spooks out
east of Barstow,' said John Carson. an
Atlantic and Pacific railroad man, to a
San Francisco Examiner reporter. II
saw you had something in The Examiner
several weeks ago about the mirage on
the Mojave desert, and the myriads Of
people that were seen III boats about
there. Well they're thiekening up. In
the winter time, you snow, they always
get thicker. For eight months now, [
have been running the hundred mile
division ont east of Barstow. The spooks
used to loom up about every other day.
Now we see them nearly all the time.
They're the ghoulest lot of things, too,
ever did see. They appear in all sorts of
shapes. At first they were a tolerably
respectful lot of ghosts, clad in white.
With faces and hands that looked ve-y
much like apParItiOn as shown in pic
lures, only they appeared and disappear
ed, floating horizontally and in every
other position in the air, and always
stand about IL quarter of mile away
from uS. Now you can get within an
eight of q mile, ana some of them are
trigged out like Indians, with feathers in
their hair, and sometimes with streak
of red around their bodies
The scientists say that the increase in
phenomena is owing to the peculiar at
mospheric changes at this time of the
year. Whether 1t iS or not, | know they
would have very hard time convincing
the people of 1t who travel over lise. A
woman last week, who was from Illinois,
tainted dead away when she got glimpse
of them sailing on an imaginary lake.
Lakes and green trees appear without
number now on the Colorado desert.
Friuging these lakes with q circle of
green and with the strange characters
hoatlng about en- them, queer sight is
presented. You can never get nearer
than eighth of mile TO these lakes.
There rose up in front of the engine
last Saturday, however" said Mr.. Carson.
1.-The strangest coDglOmeration of figures
that presume moral eyes ever behsld.
Ever see pictures OF Dants's Inferno as
illustrated by Dore? 1t was something
like that, the weirdest, awfullest sight, an
admlxtare of floating arms, legs and
pieces OF shrOuds. Three or four white
faced women, as many gray bearded rnen,
and Solemn-v.sage priest in black
robes tiOated in the blue ether with the
mass. Sol Anderson, our engineer, was
the most scared man | ever saw. He put
on every pound of steam he had, and we
won't tearing over the desert like mad.
Wells, Fargo's d Co.'S agent, 1 thought would
have died. Lucky for Us that the awful
mirage hovered by the engine and tender,
else we should have bowling lunatic asy
lum aboard the train. Do you suppose |
could convince them that these things
were not genuine? Not much. Fact is,
had all | could do to hold my own self
Level, Every time | looked at them |
said; My God! those things are real!
There can't be anything so clearly repre-
sented as that and not be genujnen Well,
they hoVered there for twenty minutes,
aud then disappeared like a flash. Be
yond wsre nothing but our green fringed
lakes.
THE desert just now is unusually hard
and parched. The sun shines clear and
warm. If the apparicions thicken don't
know what we will do with our people.
Some of them are likely to 20 raving
mad