Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-12
A STRANGE VISION,
AND A eUEER STORY TOLD BY A RAIL
R0AD-MAN.
An Eneineor's Experience with q Fireman,
and What He Saw on Passing q
Wild Piece OF Woods.

O.
few wears AGO. There are things that you
Know have happened and are still reluctant
70 tell about because Won know y0u'll be
laughed at and pookhoohed for your
plIns and this vision wss one Of
that Kind. BIZ Sandu-ky was an ongi-
necr on the philadelphia and Erie rail-
WAY. and Is yet, | think. and lives In
bic. A better engineer never handled the
throttle About ten years ago a young lei
low named George Watkins went 10 work on
the Philadelphia and Erie As brakeman.
Iic was q stranger and no one knew where
he csme from. lie was twenty-One or twenty
two years old, but he bad much Older look.
lie bad very dark complexion. and he was
tail and lean. His eyes we're intensely black
ana dtep-sunkeu. lie had but little 70
saw 10 any 81 his fellow-rTainmeu. IL
came 10 Doe common remark among them
That n az any time Watkips's peculiar
ewes were fixed on them for moment they
underwent curious variations 81 color, and
lint the person upon whom the gaze was
fixed experienced sensations which be found
i' do EMIT 10 describe, but which were re-
fcTrd 20 ina gencra way as decidedly Hp-
comfortable. some Of the men Raid thst
with Wakins's eyes ON them they found 81
dlGcuh 10 Keep t0cir mind on their work,
and some went so far a. 10 say that they
could remove themselves from The strange
influence az bis presence only by the eXer-
cl.c ~ an their Wlllpowcr Those who had
hoafd OF mesmeri.m decided that the
stranger was possessed o. powerful mes
merle influence. and he was avoided by
tmid raj road-mcn a. much Is possible
"It was plain from the bearing Of Wat
hin, th.t he was either the victim Of some
great trouble or haunted by unpleasant re-
collections. and RlsO that hc was man OF
education and intelligence. lie performed
The hard work Of a brakeman with faithful
ness. and early attracted the attention Of
the superintendent Watkins had been on
ne road almost three months when Jimmy
Green. Biil Sandusky's fireman, was killed
while saving the hie Of a little child that
was playing ON the track. The train was
da.hiug along ~ the rate OF forty miles an
hour when the child was discovered
H BIN and his fireman 200 or 800
yards ahead rs the tram rounded
curve Bil whi,tlcd for brakes and re-
ver.od his engine, but there was no possible
chance Of stopping The train before 1t reach
cd TIE child. which did not seem 70 be
aware Of ils danger. Qgick o. q cat, Jimmy
Green drew himself through the CAB win
dow and ran out along the guard-rsil 10 the
pilot. be dropped down fat, and leaning
over MS Gar ms he could, seized the child NJ
fle engine dashed on The spot where IL sat.
lie caught the little one, and scOOped II
clear Of The track. The child was saved,
lut me brave fireman lost bis hold
in making tIe eaor'. aud fell across the
uil and was cut o. pieces. George Watkins
was taken from the hroke-whccl and pro-
NOTED 20 the place which Jimmy Green's
death made vacant lie got along with tho
work from the very start rs handily as II he
bod been az the Job all his life; but Bill
g. at . ltg
can changed thc minute Watkins set his foot |
iu 10. he declared, after the first uip with |
're new fireman that Watkins would hOOdOo |
hm ~urc.
''I ioel SO queer when be turns those |
sYuFcn ewes ~ his on me- Bill used 10 say. |
'tblt dlrc,cn't stand stlll under his gaze. |
IfI should stand sim Bin said, Il believe |
l'dle niy neire push right on, no matter |
what might happen, il that fireman said the |
word
..Bilrs uucleipcss under the mysteriOus IN |
fucuco ot The fireman was such that he at |
last told the superintendent that he WAS sure |
eomGhing would happen some day unless |
the fireman was taken OH The superinten- !
dent laughed az what he called BINS foolish !
ness aud Watkins stayed on the engine He !
Dad fired for Bill month or so, and then the |
CEclncer went 10 the superintendent aud /
Told him positively that he must remove
Watkins. lie couldn't give any reason that
bod weight with the hos, and be- said that
thr fireman must stay. Then Bill told him
THAT hi. next "trip would De ms last. lie said
D. would not run another trip with George
Watkins.
"The Philadelphia and Erie road runs
through some very wild country IN North
western PENNSYLVANIA. one OF The widest
FYo.s was Just west Of kane, in Mexican
county. The woods are deep and unbroken
sHT miles. and afoilOW passing through them
feds u> n boz were ont Of the world. From the
Irst trip Watkins made with him Bin noticed
that in gong through that wild stretch the
fireman seemed 10 he seized with terror. and
ai times would turn pale, and Bin frequently
etw him er0uching at the side Of the cab and
glazing wildly. and bis strange ewes seemed
~ De gazing into vacancy. ON the trip
That BIN bad declared was 10 be ms
l,.t with the new fireman The en-
lineer had not been paving any
attention 10 Watkins until they had entered
the wilt piece of woods near Kane aud had
Iur some distance through It. Then Bill
happened % turn his eyes toward the fire.
man. watkins stood against the side OF the
cab. Hiscve. were staring OF the engineer.
and BINS eyes met thc queer gaze straight
end full. Bil SAID that instantly be felt
uumb sensation run through him like dash.
lie lrleI 10 take MS ewes away from W al ]
liuss. but couldn't DO It. Sense OF the fact
that heWis on his engine running the eN.
press on the Pcnn.ylyluia and Erie railway
n.,cr Def, him. but there he stood, entirely
helpless to move his eyes away from Wat
knss. Presently the fireman turned and
looked OBJ INTO the woods Without
power 10 hclp IL Blll looked I'm the same
direction. lie said that he didn't believe
tla: WsthIu. saw or noticed him, or knew
trct be- was held under that strange inlu-
0uce. The look of terror came 10 the FIRE
mans eyes as he gaz III, and suddenly the
eutire scene was changed aS Bill gazed ont
upon g.. Instead II the deep Kqne woods
the train Was gliding through a delightful
valley. ON one side was lofty ridge;
on the other a level stretch Of fertile
woods. Presently the train passed a town
" beautiful village. with remarkable gTowths
81 willows where the site slOped down
e. a river. setting lar back IN torraced
BOUNDS was an old homestead, 10 which a |
green lane, ON either side OF which were thick
clumps Of willows. led from the main road ;
Beyond, rising back OF the trees, was
church spre. 4, Bill Ssndusky Cazed in |
smazcmeUt on this Transformation an elder
~ man, astrIde Of large horse. rode downthe I
lane toward The village. As he was passing
9 CtNiNi GOT trees INV ilAN stepped OUT from /
behind large willow with gun In bis \
hands. lie raised the weapon 10 ms shoul- {
der and fred 10 the man on the horse The
old man threw mp his hands snd tumbled {
~ the ground The murderer fired !
twice into the PROSTATE BODY of his &
victim, and teen ran away and dlsap. {
reared among the willows along the river
BNl said be could not distinguish the fea-
turc, ~ either the murderer or his victim,
hut the horror Of the scene aroused him.
lie uttered cry that startled the fireman, I
who Was crOuching down 10 the cab. Wat q
kins sprng 70 an erect position. Bin I
jumped 10 his lever, and Wus about to I
reverse and call for brakes when the strange 5
: enc faded away and the wild PeDnsylyanla
landscape once more stretched away on
either side. In a seconds time the fireman '
was himself again, attending 10 his duty as 5
cool a. ever. I
80 Was there something on the trsckI' he i
1sFcd, a. The engineer dropped the signal .
rord.
1T was sometime Le'ore Bill could reply,
,nd then he told Watkins OF the eXtrsOrdi-