The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-06-28
A MISPLACEDSWITCH

c"A " ou Oil CuDStoulOiOuo. l.
don't believe in the Specification Of
dreams, warnings, premOnitions, nor
tokens. To be sure, when l vas very
young, it was won't to startle mt
somewhat when old Aunt Sookie
Smart used to come yer to borrow a
'drawin" of tea of my mother, and
before going stand with her hand on
the door latch while she told about
the corpse lights that old Deacon
JimpsOn seen on his harness a few
nights afOre he fell off'n a load CT hay
an broke his neck" or that Mis-
Ellet might "a knowed her little
Aleck wasn't gOin' to live long, fur
the very night he was tOJk sick they
come three short knocks at the bed
room winder, an a terrible groanin'
noise; an, of course, the little Teller
didn't live but three days after that,
Just a day for each knock.
Increasing years and d disposition
to inquire into the cause Of any mys-
ferrous noise or appearance had much
to do with dispelling the slight i'm
preSsions male on a childish mind,
and l repeat that l am totally free
from all superstition along the lines
of which l have spoken. NOtwith-
standing my skepticism in this di-
.rection, l must allow that strange
things sometimes happen, things
which might be explained by those
who have made the mysterious work.
ings of the human mind a close
study. but which lie i've the ordinary
mortal in a maze of doubt as to how
aud why these things a be So.
Before giving an account of the
strangest event of my life, l wish it
to be understood that l am not writ
ing a STORY" hut am giving a strict
" accurate account of a psychological
n, terry, the key to which l have
never yet found. During the sum-
mel of 1884 | was night clerk in the
car record Office of the b. K H. Rail-
road Company at Wolstina junction,
the terminal point Of the road. and
where it delivers its passengers and
freight over to the safe keeping OF
the great trunk | mes. The Office is
situated at the end of the immense
freight yard, and a mile below the
iunct on proper. A little way back
of the Office and at the end of Gu tie
q sharp incline is the roundhOuse
with its accompanying turntable ia
front. The roundhouse track is con-
nected with the main track by a
switch a little below the office and
as they diverge and run either side
of the building, it is left standing IN
what is called in railroad parlance,
a y.
Mine was a rather lonesome JOB.
In those days there was no night
switch gang. and my duties were
| was night clerk, night
yard master and all-around night
caretaker, with nothing to break the
monotony of the long hours of dark
ness except the occasional coming IN
of a freight train, or the arrival or
departure of the night expresses. OF
which there were TWO, Nos. 30 q
IS, the latter coming in and the
former going out at , o'clock a. III.
1t was the custom of the crew of No.
30 to run their engine u al l.4o.
cross the main track, run around
their coaches. which lay on the op-
posite side Of the yard, couple on and
back their train up to the junction
where, on a siding, they awaited the
coming of No. 80 before they could
90 out, the b. & II. being a single
track road. 1t was the duty of No.
35's baggagemaster to see that all
switches were left right, and as he
was known to be a careful man, no
questions we're W asked as TO
whether or not this duty had been
performed.
One still, hot night in August l
heard the engine of No. 80 come out
of the house, stop at the water plug
for a few minutes, cross over the
main and perhaps a dozen other
tracks to the coach tracks, and a few
minutes later I babe Conductor Stew
art good might after he had stopped
at NV open window tor a moment 10
greet me l listened vaguely to the
breathing of the engine as
she backed her train up the ratner