The sun., 1896-08-22
MYSTERY OLA WAGNER CAR
poRTER PRET7TE's STORY or A
pIssESG EE VINO DISAPPEARED.
N, Was on the Train After II LEFT Rome
and on Before 1t Reached Syracuse
Luggage Gone and His berth Windows
round Open Not n Sign of Him Yot.

n. Was on the Train After IL LEFT Rome
,pd on Before 1t Reached Syracuse
Luggage Gone and His Berth Windows
round Open Not sign of Him Yot.
IN .le evening OF aug 10. which was Satur-
h,y. when the New York and Buffalo special
cent out from the Grand Central station ut
gao o'clock, II had among Its passengers u tall.
hin man OF perhaps 80 or 65 years Of age, who
-ore Vlasscs. lie held n ticket for Niagara
r.ll.. numbered $40, and n ticket for berth in
,.c,ion of the Wagner sleeping car Auburn,
vhich made part OF tho train. Tho colored
nor,cr OF tho car, II. q. Prettie, declares that
h.repenlhcrs everything about this passenger
r,ry we'll, because the man made good deal of
,,ouble for him. Tho passenger, he says, COM
r,nired about his ncRhhors being noisy, and
a, an early hour had his berth made up and
Weut to bed
The train does not make many stops, and
prettic SAYS he was busy blacking tho boots OF
Ma Messengers and fully awake, when along
about 900 o'clock, and after the train had left
Rome, hc saw the tall man emerge from his
h.rth and 20 TO the wash room. The passenger
a,c,sed aud sat down upon tho edge of his
hcr,h. hut with the curtains drawn together In
front OF him. The berth was close to where
pre,tie sat, he says. and no Is sure that the
Messenger could not have emerged again from
the berth or left the car BY the ordinary exits
without his seeing him. Nevertheless, a few
minutes later Prcttie snys, he saw tho curtains
~ the mans berth waving. as IL moved by
strong wud and going to investigate he found
,ne man gone, with all Of his belongings except
his eyeglasses. The window OF the car Mt that
ber,h was open. and the wirc dust screen which
had been in the window was withdrawn.
Prettie notified the conductor OF the train,
aptE N a
the matter to the division superintendent as
,oon as he reached Syracuse. and also sent In n
written report Of the occurrence when he fin-
isbed his trip. Orders were sent by telegraph all
along the line to look for tho body or signs of
the missing passenger, but no news has been re-
eeiyed Of him. When the written report OF
Conductor Evans came to the hands OF General
Superintendent Van Etten he sent to Mr.. Har-
ruRton, superintendent of the Mohawk di-
vision. for report. Mr.. Harrington's head
quarters is at Albany. His report came TO hand
yesterday.
Il recites the above circumstances and says
that Mr.. Harrington has been unable to hnd
any trace OF the missing man. The train stops
at Utica and then at Rome before y reaches
possIoie that Porter Pret,ie Was not as wide
awake as he thinks he was, and that 81 he saw
the passenger get up and drsss just after h .he
Rome. Il Is possible that for reasons Of his own
the lost passenger had sacrificed the rest of his
ticket and walked out at Rome.
From Syracuse there came stories of finger
marks having been found in the dust on the
window sill of the passengers berth. and marks
Of fingers in the dust on the outoide of the car,
Rsif the man had hung out by his hands and
then let vo. but the railroad people say that no
such marks were found.
Il believe the story il fake" said General
superintendent Van Etten yesterday. We
srnt word to have the whole district searched,
AND the search was made by our section men.
These men know every person and even every
COW that belongs along the tracks. They did
not find trace OF any such person. In every
rase but one where people have fallen or
Jumped from our trains we have found them
within an hour or two. whether they were killed
OF hut. In the one case which l excepted. that
OF commercial traveller named kerngood.
there is no doubt in my mind that he spranR
from the train as 1t crossed the Niagara River,
and his body was lost in the Hood as many an
other In. been.
"Ab'ut year ago man leaped from n rear
platform Of train near Amsterdam. We
the railroad. lie was badly hurt
Il believe the porter was half asleep. and so
got confused. The passenger will probably be
iouRd attending to his own business, having left
the train 10 the usual way. In cases here
things Ike this have happened We have always
heard from interested persons almost at once.
IN this cs'cws have not heard word except
from the porter"