Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-09-11
HAunTEo Foa nls cRlMe.
Terrible Ectrihution Of an Engineer who
Ditohcd a Rivals Train.

y
Dichcd a Rivals Train.
My God, help There's Diczson's
engine coming again. See his ghostl
Gu. shes coming. coming Helpll
help"
The sentence is uttered by ex-En-
gineer Henry Shantz nearly every
day After being in frenzy half a
minute he falls To the ground in a
faint
Shantz lives with his brother John |
on IA farm between Fenton and Kirk. |
wood on the banks of the Meramec. |
He is a hopeless maniac and has been |
so for two years His history ex-
plains it.
! Sixteen years ago Henry was an
engineer on Union Pacific locomo-
tive Among his railway friends was
one George Dickson and the latter's
got into a dispute over a game of
cards, and whenever they passed
each other after that Dickson and AL
lison would taunt Shantz and call
him thief and coward One day
in Denver matters came to climax.
Shantz got into rage and swore he'd
get even with his enemy within
twenty four hours.
He left Denver for the west in
charge of an express. He learned
that Dickson and Allison would fol-
4 low him on lone locomotive within
fifteen minutes About fifteen miles
out of Denver, at the Geyer gorge,
was a switch that ran a track down
slope, which stopped abruptly ut
the brink 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 ter.
rible way. He slowed up, and with
the excuse to the fireman that he
would 90 back to see if the switch
was sound, rushed back, broke the
lock and turned the lever from right
to left, SO that Dickson's locomotive
would go down the siding and smash
! down the gorge He then returned
to his engine.
Within twenty minutes there was
an unearthly shrek i'll the valley, {
tremendous crash and Dickson's en-
CINE had smashed down the gorge ant
was dashed into "A thousand frag
ments hundreds of feet below.
Pieces Of flesh and bones was al
/, that was left Of Dickson and Allison
The affair attracted great atten
: ton at the time. Shantz was ut ono,
' suspected, and the combined fact
e that ShantZ threatened to get even
] and that he stopped at the gorg,
T convicted him. He was sentenced
e lightly, however, going to the Den
0 yer peuitcntiary for ten years Ii
: 1886 he was released
No one knew where he was afte
;. his release, until one morning, tw,
: years ago, he knocked at the door o
his brothers house. He was very il
/. and for two months raved like
r mailman. lie has improved at times
;. but he is II hopeless maniac.
Il While wandering about the var,
t, he will suddenly rush into the house
~ y LII llfbiIl3llNG In NOIIllIll
e straight toward me. 1t is coming
!. oh. for Gods sake, take me away
u Dickson is steering it to run dircctl
e over me.
u After his faint he will describe hi
phantom engine.
: 1t had Grape all over it, :" he say,
!, Dickson. with Il white shroud owe
!, his shoulders, had his skinny han
i on the throttle valve, and he uttere
y loud curse on me before he bleN
j off steam Allison tainted me lik
e he used To DO. 4 demon sat ON tn
e cowcatcher with his arms open I
&c grab me
r He will then go into his room an
ie tremblingly go To his bed At nigh
e he walks TO and fro, looking out {
the window at intervals, and ther
: drawing back, would Shrek "Ol
! that headlight is coming round til
!, bend 1t has monster blaze" The
a he viii crawl under his couch an
,e remain there for hours. st. Lou
q Chronicle