Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-11-03
The Engineers Warning.

| MOSI VI Iuc phcuouChu w -" 49,
can be explained on some better ny
pothess, and OF those that cant the
majority are due TO illness. Yes,
have had some experiences myself That
l could not explain at the time, ana
have never since been able TO, but
still believe they must have some ra-
tional explanation. One OF the strang-
est incidents in my life occurred when
| was running an engine on the Chica-
go * Alton, from Slater to Roodhouse.
| You know there is little station near
Centralia. Mo-, called Clark, where
the Chicago e. Alton and the Wabash
cross. At this crossing we always
have to come to full stop, and though
/ have gone over it thousand times,
never go over it without a shudder.
Whenever take an engine over that
crossing a lady's voice as gentle and
clear AS silver bell always says to me
plainly and distinctly: All right; go
ahead There have been only three
times that this has not been done.
Once in 1883 she said to me;
"'Stop! wait a minute
$50 accustomed had | become to
obeying her that | stopped at once at
the unusual command. Looking ahead
| saw by my headlight that a man had
caught his foot in the frog just ahead,
and would have been crushed if | had
gone ahead. He himself said it was a
close call, but on learning that he was
the editor of one OF the little country
weeklies Of Missouri, l didn't tell him
why had stopped, for | had no desire
to have it published, my queer mag
ination having already caused unfor-
| tunate talk.
After that, for IA year, everything
went as usual, and | always heard the
same gentle voice say:
"'All right! go ahead
zone day after had come to a dead
stand-still, and had started up again,
this ady's voice said to me in quick,
anxious tones:
Stop Wait minute! You'll be
too late Reversed
81 followed her commands as quickly
as possible, and little golden haired
fairy was picked up from just in front
of the wheels of the locomotive. The
mother, who was waiting for Wabash
train, tainted and was still unconscious
when we went on, but she afterwards
sent handsome check to the division
superintendent for me at Slater. Now
the strangest part of all this is the fact
that no one ever heard these commands
or warnings except me. When we had
saved this little girl | mention, the
fireman asked me if | saw the child
and | at once said No, and, of course,
| then had to explain why | had stop
ped aud reversed, and this revived the
talk which had been very common a
year or more before with regard TO my
queer ways, but which had lately
been dropped. When the superinten-
dent at Slater sent for me to give me
the check that had been sent, he asked
me the facts and told him the whole
story just as it really existed. He
looked at me little queerly when |
got through and said:
You have been too long with US,
and are too serviceable for us to want
to lose you, but we can't have any
stories like this circulating. 1t will
injure our service too badly. ! sug-
Pested that only twice had itinterfered
with my run for half minute, and in
both cases saved life, but this did no
good, and | saw that repetition OF
yielding TO my imagination, as he
called it, would probably mean my res
Ignation. 1t happened that | was re-
quested TO take the place of friend
and run back over the road that night,
and though | had lost great deal of
sleep, could't refuse. When we APP.
preached the Clark switch and crossing
| was very uneasy and nervous, and
felt that my imagination was just in
condition to serve me any sort of a
trick.
1--WE stopped, and as | started up
again / heard that voice | knew so well
say, with perfect distinctiveness;
"'Stop! Wait "a minute!'
Nov, | thought TO myself, must
not yield to my imagination, like a
child, so | made no movement to stop.
"She spoke again, and said in agony,
as it seemed
"'For Heavens sake, stop! Reverse!
But instead of doing SO, | gave her
more steam, and as we went forward
imagined | felt the engine crushing
something, and | know / heard the
warning voice in tears, crying, 'Oh
dear! oh, dear! oh, dearr When
came back on my return trip learned
that our train had run over an old man
who lived few minutes but was never
! identified. / went over the run one,
} or twice afterward, but that heart
rending cry OF oh, dearl Oh, dear!
| rings in my ears every time l 60 pas
/, ~ 4 4 a.. 4.