Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-15
SPOOKS In SLEEPERS.
Railroad Coaches in Which Ghosts
Walk as They Do in Houses.
TALES TOLD BY SCARED PORTERS
The Spirit Of q Dead Negro Causes the De-
struction Of the Fisk.
WEIRD SOUNDS FROM TIE CAB WHEELS

WRITTEN FOE TIE DIsPAfCH.l
"Did you ever hear of haunted sleeping
carr" said L. NJ. Worden. Travelling
Passenger Agent OF the Lake Erie road, the
other day.
"Never," was the answer hs received
from the writer.
II think that is true," he continued, "of
mostnewspaper men. They write long articles
about houses in which ghosts walk. but the
uncanny sleeping-car has escaped their no.
tice. Well, would it surprise you to hear
that fully as many ears as houses are
marked as haunted by the travelling public,
and especially by the negro porters? I sup
pose the best of US, whether priest or peas
ant, are more or less tainted with supersti-
tion, but the colored race in particular Is
blessed with its full measure. You know it
is hard to rent a house in which
fantastic shadows fit at midnight or strange
noises are heard. but about the only diff
Guilty managers experience with haunted
sleeping cars is to keep porters on them.
The passengers may be terrified at night
and VOW at the time they will never enter
the car again, but they don't know the
name or soon forget it. and in all probable
ity won't meet with the same car again.
Any Number Of Illustrations.
"If had the time could relate to you q
number of things that would fill columns
about haunted sleeping cars that have come
under my observation as passenger man.
/ will tell you few instances. I get the
stories from travellers and porters.
TN the early days when jim Fisk and
Jay Gould controlled the Erie Railroad, the
Pullman Company built two magnificent
sleeping cars for the system called respect
lively Fisk and Could after the names of
the magnates. They were heavily uphol-
stored and richly supplied with elegant fur
nishings. The carving was Of walnut, and
the monograms of the owners of tine road
were worked on the plate glass windows.
The fisk was run on the main line, be-
tween New York and Cincinnati. An old
porter was in charge Of the car, and be felt
proud of his position. He worked on the
car for IL years, when he died of oonsump-
ton, and another colored man took his
place, but he didn't stay long. Somebody,
whom he never could catch, disarranged his
work, and fixed up bedclothing and pillows
to suit himself. It was supposed to be the
ghost of the dead porter. who in life had be-
come much attached to the car, and whose
spirit refused to leave it in death. Porter
after porter was put on the sleeping coach,
but each had the same experience, and
finally it was impossible to keep anybody
on the sleeper, and the Pullman Company
had to break it into pieces. as they do with
worn-out cars.
Another Car Rendered Useless,
"Here is another incident that will illus.
trate the subject and be interesting TO
readers. Some years ago wreck occurred
on the Erie rosd at Hornellsville. A man
and his wife occupied berths in the sleeping
car Bingen. The lady was in the lower
and her husband slept in the upper berth,
the unfortunate woman was pinioned be-
tween the two sections. She retained con-
sciousness and shook hands with her
husband, who was unhurt, telling
him that she would die before she was
sxtricated, and she did, though the men with
axes worked vigorously to chop up the tim
bers that held her. The car was repaired,
and again run on the road. The porters
were constantly bothered by the bell ring
ing ever after, and the strange part of it was
tn at the hand on the indicator never moved.
One of the porters told me he had heard the
bell ring when he knew there was nobody in
the car, and he got on and looked around
the wheels. and axles to see
if someone was not playing joke on him.
1t was pretty hard to keep men on this car,
and it was taken of the road. The porters
felt sure 1t was the ghost of the poor woman
who bothered them by ringing the bell.
"Another incident. The Wagner sleep
ing car Somerfeld is still running on the
Lake Shore road. Some time since lady
W no was standing on one of the platforms
fell off and was crushed to death under the
wheels.
Awakened by woman's Screams.
"People who have ridden in the car since
the accident and sleeping in the berth over
the wheels under which she met her death
claim they have been awakened by the
screams of woman. apparently coming
from under the car. It is loud at first, and
then seems to die away in the distance,
growing fainter and fainter until it ceases
A very reliable and level-headed business
man assured me that he had heard the
sounds aud was startled by them.
about two months ago Pullman porter
in Cleveland was arranging his car with
the doors locked. He was pushing up an
upper berth when man and woman passed
him. They were we'll dressed, and he spoke
to them. but they did not reply. The
negro wondered where they had come from,
and tried the doors, but they were locked
A woman was cleaning the windows in the
front end of the car in which direction they
had gone, and the porter asked |
her if she had seen the couple |
20 out. The cleaner had seen nobody, and |
The excited colored man now rumaged |
through the car, but he couldn't find them
anywhere. He threw up his job, and you
couldn't induce him to run on that car
after ward.
"Come around on another day when I
have more time. and I will load you down
with o collection of this kind of sleeping
Jar lore. The events are happening all the
,;c,a and haunted a,eeners ara nuite eom.