El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-24
An Eventful Christmas Eve.

An EVentful Christmas Eve.
This date" said an engineer yester-
day, "marks the eighth mile post in
my life since 1 left the engine for
good. My reasons for this" continued
the ex-throttle puller with profound
emotion, will seem foolish to the ex-
sreme in your minds but assure you |
have never regretted my action. l
have not railroad ed for the past eight
years and if you will listen 1 will tell
you the reason why. l was running q
passenger engine between LOganspOrt,
Indiana. and Terre Haute, in the same
state. We left Logan, rs it
is commonly called, in a blind
ing snow storm at two O'Clock in
the afternoon. was feeling very blue
for some CAUSE unknown to myself. l
py. had just left a home,
with au amiable wife, four children,
and plenty of presents and money for
all. 1 did not feel like getting on my
engine aud really opened the throttle
that day to depart from Logan
feeling that l was doing myself an in
Justice My mind was on something
to explain. l was trying my best to
think of the duties required OF me
while on that engine but to save my
life / coull not. It was just one grand
confusion of ideas that struck my mind
and 1 was thinking of everything and
at the same time thinking of
nothing. We we're going through
the storm very nicely but
that did not suit me. My fireman
noticed my peculiar actions and called
out to me asking what was the mat
ter. I was just starting to explain my
peculiar feelings when q snow bird en-
tered the cab and fluttered about my
head. did not try to discourage the
little thing and directly it settled it.
self on my cab window
and seemed contented and undisturbed
by the roar and jar of the
engine. 1 grew pale and nervous from
what? just explain it if you can? Did
anyone ever tell you ghost story and
you went home through the darkness
with fear that you could not explain?
/ know you have without asking that
question. You have tried to make
yourself believe that you were not
afraid. but you were almost shivering
from some cause and explain what
was just the in visible something
that caused my fear and I can
not explain it. My nerves be-
came almost unmanagable and at the
next stop reported sick and unable
10 take the engine farther. AS it so
happened there was employed at tha
point man to look after the
coal shute. This man was taken on
the engine as fireman and
was released. Now is where |
tn e Ointeresting part of it comes |
In, gentlemen, and l hope you
will treat the matter as serious |
rs I. 1t was not an hour after |
III at train left where 1 was released I'M
til learned that the engine was in the |
ditch aud that the engineer had been |
seriously wounded. A freight train |
was the next to pass our point going in
the direction of the wreck and 1 board
ed it and arrived at the bedside of the
dying man who took my place. He said |
1t was snow drift that
ditched them and he saw it
too late to stop the engine and, in a
few minutes afterward he was dead.
This MAJ seem visionary to you,
gentlemen, but in my memory it is
fact and now,you have heard my reason
for quitting the railroad business.
That all occurred on Christmas eve
of eight years ago and [ have been in
she mining business ever since. l do
not, for moment, wish to advance the !
idea of superstition by this narrative
Of my railroad career. 1t is nothing. 1
had been out the night before l left
Logan, and was just little nervous.
See?"