St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-05
A SPECTER ON THE BRAKES.
"A Silent Passenger Who Steps Off
Into Thin Air When Approached.

into INN Air Nnen ApprOacncu.
The trainmen on the Denver Pacific
railroad have been reporting a strange
manifestation, says the Denver News.
w. II. Smith, a conductor on this road
running between this city and Chcy-
enne, is the authority for curious story
concerning an apparition which has
shown itself to several trainmen during
the last two months. The story is sub
stantialy as follows:
Conductor Smiths train, freight, left
Cheyenne 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
hill, is the point known as Big Springs.
The conductor was in his cabOose,
seated in the lookout. The train was
running somewhat more rapidly than
schedule time, and MIR. 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-lengthS ahead, seated
on brakewheel, man whom he mis-
took for one of his own brakemen. The
figure did not move at the whistle and
the conductor climbed down to aScer-
tain the reason of such apparent neglect
of duty.
AS he stepped out of the caboose door
he discovered his rear brakeman buSiiy
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 brake
man to the figure, and together they
started toward it. When they were
within car and half's length the men
deliberately rose to standing posture
and stepped off the side of the car.
There was no movement of if the man
had lost his balance and fallen off, but
he apparently walked off just as man
would step from a curbstOne into the
street. The watching srainmen 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-
latlng his experience, stated that they
had heard something much like the
same experience occurring to others at
the same point on the road. One brake
man, named Malone, was found who
said that not more than week pre-
NlOuS W MI. CuLlOuo CADCIlCiICC
he had turned around as he was going
forward on his train, setting the brakes,
and beheld man sitting on wheel
three cars behind him. He was not
startled until he went ahead three cars
more and, docking back, saw the fellow
sitting OIL the brakewheel at the place
where he had stood himself when he
first saw him. The specter or man, or
whatever it was, kept just three car
lengths behind him all the way until he
reached the engine. He called
the attention of the fireman
to the apparition, 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 re-
mains of an unfortunate could befound
nor could any one he seen. The man
had vanished in thin air. Neither of
the railroad men who tell this peculiar
story is bit superstitious, and
both were in their soberest senses when
this peculiar apparition appeared to
them. No accident has occurred at Big
Springs within four years. About that
time freight train went to pieces on
account of broken rail and brake
man was killed. There is something
funny about the affair. Is the appari-
ton spirit? If it isn't one, what is it?