The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-10-28
rom the bridge. AS we passed I glanced

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ward him. He sat rigid, his eyes large
and staring. His jaw dropped, the very
picture of terror. he pointed with
shaking finger out into the darkness. I
turned and looked'an then began myself
to shake. There out on the metals was
the same hideous figure of woman out
lined on the background of light from tho
engine, now motionless, now whirling in
witch dance, but all the time motioning
US back.
"'Frank,' gasped Jim, but scarcely
above whisper, don't go over the
bridge. Don't go, for Heavens sake!
Don't go until you are sure It's SAFE
II suppose was pretty badly scared.
At any rate, put on the brake for all I
was worth. 7 couldn't have resisted the
impulse to stop the train.
"As we came to stop could hear the
roar of the water in Rock Creek, just
ahead. I stepped out Of the cab and met
the guard coming up.
"What's the matter? WHAT'S the mat.
teri" he asked impatient!y.
II felt decidedly foolish. There was
no gigantic woman to be seen now.
Nothing could be made out moro than a
few feet away in the binding storm.
"sWell,' said T, we've seen something.
I don't know what it is-seemed like 1t
was great ghost that was waving its
arms and warning US not go forward
"The guard looked at me curiously.
'Are you crazy, Frank?' he said, Il should
think you were. But we're so near the
bridge we'll take look at it,
"We took our lanterns and went ahead,
leaving Jim with the engine; he looked
frightened to death. But tell you, we
hadn't gone five rods before we stopped
In horror.
"There at our feet lay black chasm,
filled with the roar ofthe river, as, swollen
with the spring rains, it dashed down to-
ward the lake. Tho bridge was washed
away.
"Only a few splinters of wood and twist
ed iron clung to the abutment, while
now, far out over the blackness, that
awful black figure of woman danced
again on the thin air, relieved against
the shaft of light that the headlight threw.
"It was flinging it's acms about as ifin
wild glee. The guard stared at the chasm
then at me.
"IVas that the thing you saw when you
stopped the train?" he asked.
"'Yes.'
"'Well, it's something more than luck
that saved us, tonight, Frank
"We want back slowiy to the train,
feeling very queer and thankful, too, 1
can assure you. Several passengers bad
come running forward by this time.
Among them was young fellow from
Chicago about IS years old, who vas
smarter than the whole of US, as 1t turned
out.
"When he was told OF the woman in
black he turned and looked at the loco
motive headlight. Then he ran up to
ward it. Hooked up as he did 80, and I
saw peculiar spot on the glass
"tThere's your woman in black!' said
the boy.
"And there it was, sure enough-that
same moth miller that you see there in
the frame. He was clinging to the inside
of the glass. AS tapped on the glass the
creature flew back and lighted on the re-
fector.
"Thats the whole story, sir. The moth
by futtering on the glass just in front of
the illuminator, had produced great
black shadow like that of cloaked wo
man dsrting in front Of us, and when he
tapped his wings in his vain attempt to
sail out through the glass, he gave his
mysterious shadow the appearance of
waving the arms wildly.
"We never knew just how he got in
thsre, but no doubt it happened when
Jim went to fix the light at the pumping
station.
"Anyhow, he saved our lives by soaring
Us with that woman In black.
$50 you see why keep the moth In
the frame. It's to remind me OF the way
we were saved that night Yes, you may
call it accidental, but call it providen-
tial."