The Princeton union., 1892-04-07
SToP! WAIT "A MINUTE" a
he ID. .red Not Yield to His Imagination
and He KiIIaI 4 MI IN

{ Globe Democrat Most Of the phe-
nomena we run across can be ex-
planned on some better hypothesis,
and Of those that can't the majority
are due to illness. Yes, / have had
some experiences myself that | could
not explain at the time and have
never since been able to, but still
believe they must have some rational
explanation. One Of the strangest in
cidents in my life occurred when I
was running an engine on the Chicago
q Alton from Slater to Roodhouse.
You know there is a little station near
Centralia, Mo. called Clark. where
the Chicago q Alton and the Wabash
cross. At this crossing we always
have to come to a full stop, and though
l have gone over it thousand times
| never go over it without shudder.
Whenever take an engine over that
crossing a ladys voice, as gentle and
clear as a silver bell always says to
me plainly and distinctly All right;
go ahead There have been only
three times that this has not BEEN
done. Once in 1888 she said to me:
stop! walt a mlnute!"
so accustomed had I become to.
oboying her that | stopped at once at
the unusual command. Looking ahead
J. saw by my headlight that man had
caught his foot in the frog just ahead
and would have been crushed if I had
gone ahead. He himself said it was
--- close call, but on learning that
he was an editor OF one of the lit
tie county weeklies of Missouri, I
didn't tell him why l had stopped. for
l had no desire to have it published.
my queer imagination having already
caused unfortunate talk
'.After that for year everything
went as usual and I always heard the
same gentle voice say:
. All right! Go ahead"
One day after I had come to a
dead standstill and had started up
again this lady voice said to me in a
quick. anxious tone:
i" Stop! Wait minute! You'll be
too late! Reversed
~ Il followed her commands as quick
ly as possible and a little golden
haired fairy was picked up from just
in front Of the wheels of the locomo-
tive. The mother who was waiting
for a Wabash train. tainted, and was
still unconscious when we went on,
but she afterward sent handsome
check to the division superintendent
for me at Slater Now, the strangest
part OF this is the fact that no one;
hoo nd
ings except me. When we had saved
this little girl I mention the fireman
asked me if | saw the child, and at
once said No and. of course l then
had to explain why had stopped and
reversed and this revived the talk
which had been very common year
or more before with regard to my
queer ways, but Which had lately
been dropped. When the superintend--
ent at Slater had sent for me to give
me the check that had been sent he
asked me the facts. and I told him the
whole story just us it really existed.
He looked at me a little queerIy when
got through. and said:
"'You have been too long with us,
and are too serviceablc for us to want
to lose YOU but VIC can't have any
stories like this circulating. It will.
injure our service too badly I sug-
gested that only twice had it inter-.
fcrcd with my run for half minute
and in both cases had saved alife, but.
this did no good. and I saw that a..
repetition of yielding to my magma.
ton as he called it would probably
mean my resignation. 1t happened.
that was requested to take the place
of a friend and run back over the road
that very night and though I had lost
great deal of sleep, I couldn't re-
fuse. When we approached tho Clark
switch and crossing was very uneasy
and nervous and felt that my imag-
ination was just in condition to serve
me any sort of trick.
I'VE stopped. and as I started up
again heard that voice I know so
well say with perfect distinctncss:
"'Stop! Wait minute
Now, I thought to myself / must
not yield to my imagination like II.
child. So I made no movement 10.
stop.
She spoke again, aud said in ago
ny, as it seemed:
For heavens sake. stop! Reversed
But instead of doing So I gave her
more steam, and as she went forward
| imagined I felt the engine crushing
something: and I knew [ heard tha
warning voice in tears, crying, Oh,
dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dcarn When
came back on my return run learned
that our train had run over an old
man, who lived a few minutes, but
was never identified. I went over the
road once or twice afterward. but the.
heartrending cry of Oh, dear. Oh.
dear!' rings in my ear every time +
go past Clark, and so told the SUPER
intendent and handed in my resig-
nation
And yet you don't believe in
ghosts?" said listener.
NO " he replied. 'Oi course, Il
can't explain this but it must navo
some reasonable explanation. y
Lived Good Life.
On the occasion of the death of an
old colored NANNY" in Lexington,