The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-04-05
A Spectre Riding on the Brakes.

The trainmen on the Denver Pacific
Railroad have been reporting strange
manifestation. Mr.. w. H. Smith, a
conductor on this road running be-
tween this city and Cheyenne, is the
authority for curious story concern
ing an apparition which has shown it
self to several trainmen during the
last two months. The story is sub
stantially as follows:
Conductor Smiths train, freight,
left Chey enne in the evening about
two weeks ago. The sky was clear
and the moon was shining. About
fifteen miles this side of Cheyenne. at
the foot of the big hill, is the point
known as Big Springs. The conduc
tor was in his caboose, seated in the
lookout. The train was running some.
what more rapidly than schedule
time, and Mr.. Smith gave the signal
to the engineer for whistle for brakes.
The whistle was given, and just at
that moment the conductor saw, about
three car-legnths ahead, seated on the
brakewheel, man whom he mistook
for one of his brakemen. The figure
did not move at the whistle and the
conductor climbed down to ascertain
the reason of such apparent neglect of
duty
AS he stepped out of the caboose
door he discovered his rear brakeman
busily twisting the wheel, and farther
up the train, beyond the figure, was
the other brakeman also at work. The
conductor called the attention of the
rear brakeman to the figure, and to-
gether they started toward it.
When they were within car and
half's length the man deliberately rose
to a standing posture and stepped off
the side of the car. There was no
movement as if the man had lost his
balance and fallen off, but he appar-
emily walked off just as man would
step from curbstone into the street.
The watching trainmen were Mortified,
because they could realize no other
effect from such an apparently suicidal
movement than the death of the man
dashed against the ground many feet
below. There was, however, no such
result; nor, in fact, could the man be
seen at all. He had vanished.
Several trainmen, on Mr.. Smith re-
lating his experience, stated that they
had heard something like the same ex-
perience occurring to others at the
same point on the road. One brake
man, named Malone, was found who
said that not more than a week pre-
vious to Mr.. Smiths experience he had
turned around as he was going for
ward on his train, setting the brakes,
and beheld man sitting on a wheel
three cars behind him. He was not
startled until he went ahead three cars
more and, looking back, saw the fell
low sitting on the brakewheel at the
place where he had stood himself when
he first saw him. The spectre or man,
| or whatever it was, kept just three
car-lengths behind him all the way I'M
til he reached the engine. He called
the attention of the fireman to the APP
partition, and they turned back to see
what it was. The figure, as had been
the case in Mr.. Smiths instance, rose
from the wheel and deliberately walked
off the end of the car. No crushed or
mangled remains of an unfortunate
could be found nor could any one be
seen. The man had vanished in thin
air.
Neither of the railroad men who tell
this peculiar story is BIT supersti-
tious, and both were in their soberest
senses when this peculiar apparition
appeared to them. Ne accident has
occurred at Big Springs within four
years. About That time freight
train went to pieces on account of
broken rail and a brakeman was killed.
There is something funny about the
affair. If it isn't one, what is it?-
| Denver Nel0S