The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-29
A WI GOAT.
The Railroad Brakeman MfstoOk 1t
for Old Nick.

ALI T. Ringing. one of the proprietors of
the Ringing Bros worlds greatest shows,
which comes to Indianapolis Sept. Z. is in
town looking after the interests of the big
entertainment Mr.. Ringing says that the
circus business is unaffected by hard times
and that immense crowds have attended
the performance Of the show ever since
their opening in Chicago last spring. Mr.
Ringling's natural modesty leads him to
omit a strong point in his statement which
the thousands who attended the show here
last year will vouch for. namely, that. good
times or hard ones, the public generously
attends a circus like Ringling's.
In speaking of the Nelson family and
other features of the show and the hap
penings of the season Mr.. Ringing Incl
dentally related a story of a s~leep-walhing
animal in their collection.
This strange sleep-walking animal" said
he, lis a goat-not, however, the common
William goat that subsists on tin cans,
single nails and the usual delicacies of his
bewhiskered American cousin, but a genu-
inc Nepaulese goat, brought many thou
sands Of miles over land and sea by our
foreign agents. While the circus was in
transit recently one Of the brakemen of
the fourth section of the show trains, while
peering out of the cupola of the caboose
saw an object several ears ahead which in
the darkness he could not make out. de
called the attention of the conductor to IL
and the later ordered him 10 make ar in
~vestigation. Accordingly the brakeman
climbed over numerous cages, bales of cam
vas, center poles and other pharaphernalia
and finally upon the car where he had seen
the object. Staring over the brakeman was
a race that caused the man halr 10 stahd
upon end. The moon. which had been be-
hind a cloud, at this moment Shone through
a rift and cast its weird white lSnt upon
the apparition. The brakeman gasped and
almost fell from the car. but with nervous
energy clutched the iron LADDER on the SIDE
of the car and saved himself. Not six
feet from him was a face surmounted by
horns, and terminated in the most satan
ic-looking goatee. He looked into the star
ing eyes OF the weird countenance and then
his gaze rested on its feet
Great heavens They are cloVenH he
exclaimed and then he knew ii was his
Majesty from below. The brakeman felt
that 1t was up with him and instantly his
past life passed before him In panoramic
review. After three or four miles of his
sins had masqueraded by him in as many
seconds the thought of escape lent strength
maging back towards the caboose rying
viii all his lung power. The devil. the
devil. the devil An Irish employee poxed
his head out of the window of a sleeping
car and asked Plat, the devil? He's on
that car said the terror-stricken brake
man. as he bounded into the caboose. A
hdit uOHSu tlISuS tuipiONeS anu StNtldl
trainmen finally gathered sufficient courage
to so to the scene. AS a dozen lanterns
were raised one Of the animal men began
laughing. It's the Napaulese goat and
he's taken TO sleep-walking again. He
walked all around the iron Orders eighty
feet above the ground in Tattersalls. Chi
cago. and now he's taken TO walking over
moving freight cars The goat was COM
placently walking about on the top of the
car. One Of the circus employees cautioned
the crowd 10 be quiet. The goat finally
stepped from the car across to the top of a
cage on another car; from this he walked
10 another cage and then leaped upon a
bale of canvas; from the canvas TO the
floor or the car and then crawled into the
door OF his cage. lay down and apparently
went to sleep, but as a matter of fact he
had been all the time but in a somnambu-
listic state. Through the carelessness OF
an attendant the door OF the goats cage
had not been securely fastened and the re-
suit was the strange midnight perambula-
ton"