St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-14
PHANTOM LOCOMOTIVE.
Henry Shantz Expatiating a Crime
of Long AGO.

OF Long Ago.
MY God, help! There's Dickson's
engine coming again. See his ghost?
Oh, she's coming, coming! Help, helpm
This sentence is uttered by ex-Engi-
neer Henry Shantz nearly every day,
SAYS the st. Louis Chronicle. After
being in frenzy halfa minute, he falls
to the ground in faint. :
ShantZ lives with his brother John on
a farm, between FentOn and KIrkwood,
on the banks of the Meramce. He is a
hopeless maniac. and has been so for
two years. His history explains it.
Sixteen years ago Henry was an engi-
neer on a Union Pacific locomotive.
Among his railway friends was one
George dickson, and the latter's fire.
man, Buck" Allison. Dickson and
Shantz got into dispute over game of
cards, and whenever they passed each
other after that Dickson and Allison
would taunt ShantZ and call him thief
and a coward. One day, in Denver,
matters came to climax. Shantz got
into a rage, and swore ned get even
with his enemy within twenty-fOur
hours.
He left Denver for the West IN charge
of an express. He learned that Dickson.
y
locomotive within fifteen minutes.
About fifteen minutes out of Denver, at
the Geyer gorge. was switch that ran
q track down slope, which stopped
abruptly at the trunk OF the gorge. This
siding was rarely used. and the switch
was locked.
Shantz saw his chance to get 'even"
with his taunterS in a terrible way He
slowed up, and with the excuse to the
firemen that he would go back to see if
the switch was sound. rushed back,
broke the lock and turned the lever
from right to left, so that DckSon's
locomotive would go down the siding
and dash down the gorge. He then re-
sumed his engine.
Within twenty minutes there was an
unearthly shrek iii the valley, ire
menduouS crash, and DickSon'S en-
CINE had dashed down the gorge and
was smashed into thousand fragments
hundreds of feet below.
Pieces of flesh and bones were all that
was left of Dickson and Allison.
The affair attracted great attention at
the time. ShantZ was at once suspect
ed, and the combined facts that ShanlZ
threatened to get 'even" and that he
stopped at the gorge convicted him. He
was sentenced lightly, however, going
to the Denver penitentiary for ten
years. In 1856 he was released.
No one knew where he was after his
release until one morning two years
ago he knocked at the door of his
brothers house. He was very ill, and
for two months raved like mad man.
He has improved at times, but lie is a
hopeless maniac.
While wandering about the yard he
will suddenly rush into the house veil
ing: THAT locomotive is coming
straight toward me. 1t is coming; oh,
for Gods sake, take me away. Dickson
is steering it to run directly over me.''
After his faint he will describe his
phantom engine.
ut had crepe all over it," he says.
dickson, with il white Shroud over his
shoulders, had his skinny hand on the
throttle valve, and he uttered loud
Allison tainted me like he used to do
A demon sat on the cow-catcher with
his arms open to grab me-"
He will then go into his room and
trembllngly 20 to bed. At night he
walks to and fro, looking out of the
window at intervals, and then drawing
back his head with a shrek. "Oh, that
headlight is coming around the bend.
1t has monster blaze" Then he will
crawl under his couch and remain there
for hours.
For few days at time Shantz will
not see his phantom engine, but sud-
denly he sees it again, looking more ter
rible than before. During the past few
weeks he has been confined to bed, and
his friends expect his disturbed mind
will soon he at rest.
THAT engine will run me over one of
these days" he said the other morning.
"It is coming nearer to me every time.
Then, oh, what will | do?, That demon
will take my body and soul from under
the rails, and Dickson aud Allison will
get their revenge"