The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-01-26

"Do YOU mean to tell me- | asked
the station-master. that you really
believe that train has ghost, and
that ghostly trains run over actual
railways at night"
III yon were a railroad man. re-
piled my friend, you'd see the fool
ishness of asking such a question! Do
] believe in ghost trains? You might
as wei ask me if | believe in Pullman
cars. Why, man! every railroad man
lnews that ghost trains are liable to
be met with almost any night. don't
say that they are common, but L do
say that there are lots of men who
have seen 'em, and have just as much
reason for believing in 'em as they
have for believing in any regular
train
.Have yon yourself ever seen Il
ghost train9" | asked.
The station-master chewed his cigar
fora moment in silence, and then said:
Seeing as it's you that asks me, I'll
tell you something that / haven't told
any man for more than 10 years, I'M
less he happened to be an experienced
railroad man. You see, | got tired OF
having people doubt my word, and in
sinuate that | was a lunatic, or had
been drinking too much whisky. You'll
perhaps think the same, but what I'm
goin 10 tell you is cold fact, and
there amt bit Of lying, or poetry, or
political argufying. or any of those
sort of imaginable things about it.
10 n
Tiberius Center? It's pretty near n
staight line, hut when | first came
into these parts, the trains used TO run
from here to Tiberius Center by a
mighty roundabout way. The line, as
it was originally laid out, ran in a
sort Of semi-circle, taking in half-a-
dozen small towns lying southwest of
this place. After a while the company
surveyed the new line, and bored the
big tunnel through the Blue Eagle
Mountain. The old line wasn't entire
~ abounded until about two years
ago, but after the tunnel was finished,
there was only one passenger train
each way daily on the old line, and "a
freight train three times a week.
i had a brother who lived up at
Manlius, a town on the old line, about
10 miles from here. That is to say,
MaBlius was his post Office address,
but he lived in house that was three
miles from the station, and there
wasn't any town at Manlius except the
station house, and a little shanty that
was used as a post Office. | was a
kind of general assistant at this hyer
station where we are now, and there
not bein very much work on hand, |
got two days leave Of absence and
took the train up to see my brother.
1t was just about year after the new
line had been opened, and as the COM
pany meant to abandon the old line,
they hadn't put up any repairs on II
worth speaking of, and twas about the
toughest road you ever travelled over.
Il was little scared myself, though,
as rule, / never trouble myself about
railroad accidents, Knowing that
they're bound TO come, and you can't
help yourself. There had been ter
rible bad accident on that very road
just before the expresses quit running
over it. A train with Pullman car
full of passengers, went off the track
just as she had struck the bridge over
the Muskahoot River, and us the
bridge Was over GO feet high, and the
river was over 20 feet deep, nobody
ever saw the hide or hair of that train.
or OF anybody connected with it, from
that day to this.
.sNelf, got up to my brothers along
about s or mebbe half-past S o'clock
in the evening, and found him gone
away. and the house locked up. | ham
1nered on the door and tried the win
loyys till | had settled that there
wasn't any one at home, and that !
couldn't break in. and then | meander
cd back to the station, calculating to