The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-03-27
TALE OF THE LOST EXTRA.
A SUSPICIOUS YARN OF RAILROAD
ING IN THE NORTHWEST.

Old Farmer Furnishes . Clew, but It
was Never Fully worked Out.
eyes, that's considerable of story, II
it's true; but you can calculate with
wonderful degree of accuracy that any
thing a printer says is considerably
warped. Now think can see you and
go you few better in the story line, and
what I am going to tell you is absolutely
true"
Itwas picturesque group of old timers
The Hawkeye reporter had stumbled on
in the course of news gathering ramble
down in the 20" yards. They were
seated about an old stove in the round
house, and had been swapping various
railroad experiences. The conversation
had drifted around to snow blockades in
the west. The reporter had just finished
an elaborate account of his experiences
in bloceade ON the Rockies which called
forth the above remarks from one of the
old engineers whom we will call Higbie,
out of respect to his feelings.
The reporter hastily sharpened fresh
lead pencil and selected fresh spot ON
bis cuff. Higbie knocked the ashes from
his cigar and continues:
THE EXTRA" ANNOUNCED.
''It happened this way. was doing
night duty for Bob Carew at Little jim
vile, fifty miles west of Limestone, on
the Northwestern. 1t was during the
winter of 1S1S-.9, and of all the dreary
places Jimville was the dreariest in win
ter time. 1t had been raining and snow
ing and sleeting all that week, and the
ground was covered with sheet of ice.
Night operating is nothing to passionate
ly long for. prefer hod carrying. /
sat in the desolate box of a depot, the
cold winter wind howled around the
corners with drearisomeness and rat
tied and slammed the shutters in way
that would give some people fit of the
blue shivers. But I had got used to that,
SO didn't mind it much. had stirred
up the fire, for it was bitterly cold out
side, with the frost an inch thick on the
windows, and sat watching the flames
flash and roar up the chimney. l must
have fallen asleep, for soon began to
hear the most internal racket, like death
dancing double shuttle on the roof and
started up with a jerk that nearly dis
located my backbone, to find the train
dispatcher calling me. answered and
received the following order:
"'Hold No. till extra passes YOU
"Just then l heard the whistle of the
passenger. 1t was 1880 when l side
tracked here. At 10:45 l received dis
patch from Bunker Hill saying that the
extra had just pulled out. 1t would
probably take her thirty minutes to make
the run from Bunker Hill. waited
1880, no extra; 12, no extra. What
could it mean? telegraphed to Bunker
Hill and received the following:
Extra left here at 10:42 o. X
"The train could be heard from no.
where else along the line. awoke the
section hands and sent them over the
track to Bunker Hill to see if they could
find anything of the extra. At 2:30 re.
ceived dispatch from them at Bunker
Hill:
"'Track clear. No trace of extra
Before could express my astonish
ment was joined by the conductor oI
No. 8, who was swearing fluently.
"Nhat does it mean, Higher hC
asked.
~ was nonplussed, but finally tolt
him to pull cautiously down to Bunker
Hill, and if he saw nothing to go on a
usual, and make up as much time al
possible. At $40 received the follow
ing from the conductor at Bunker Hill:
| T., (Nn,,1I G,,l ,,atl,sn,r
extra
81 ordered q track walker to searcl
closely between Jimville and Bunke
Hill. He found nothing except wha
looked like traces of the train havin,
jumped the track. But nothing further
THE FARMERS STORY.
"Days passed into weeks, until tn
weary months dragged their slow length
along, leaving the tantalizing myster.
wrapped in still more impenetrabl
gloom, until one day an old farme
drifted into the depot and asked if hat
been losing any trains lately, For tn
old man chuckled, Il saw one runnir
round loose last winter. 1t ran up to IN,
farm yard and the engineer axed me
he might fill his biler tank at my well.
said he might and got him bucket
After he had filled up he axed me tn
road to the nearest town, borried cha,
o. tobacky and lit out. never seed hir
sence,' and the honest farmer shuttle
away.
"Well, that was three years ago.
have not seen the lost extra, but hav
heard from it several times. 1t was see
by belated hunter one stormy night
when it rushed by him like the wind, it
headlight cleaning like the evil eye @
some demon. Others have heard its un
earthly shrek mingling with the how
ing storm. Sometimes it startled tn
lonely farmer in the dead Of night, whe
the engineer will ask permission to tax
water, and inquire the direction to tn
nearest town. 1t is seldom seen by raj
road men, who call it the Flying Dutch
man Of the plains, and consider it a
evil omen when seen by one of them. !
ia said that poor Billy Yates saw tn