Crawford avalanche., 1900-04-12
(HAUNTED BY A
s TELEGRAPH MESSAGE

Dick Ramsey and had gone West to
make our fortunes. What that means
none but an Eastern boy who has tried
it can tell.
We roughed it together, sometimes
faring well when we happened to fall
into the camp of Il hosptable Western
er, but more often tramping it from viii
lage to village looking for the work
which was never found and wondering
when we should strike our ''streak" of
luck.
Finally we separated. Dick to take
the position of station agent at Lake
vile, new settlement, to go to Riv-
erdale, ten miles beyond, to hold SINH
lar position. We could talk by wire,
but we found that further communica-
ton would be impossible, for we were
well tied down, and, after our separa-
ton, did not see each other again.
Dick was gentle sort of fellow, one
of those dreamers who never get on in
a worldly way, but the dearest compan-
ion imaginable. l missed him terribly
the wire told me he was alive and well.
One afternoon there came a frantic
call at the wire, and | hurried to the
instrument to hear Dick tapping off the
words that the express train had been
delayed and to hold the runaway" due
at the station ten minutes later, until
heard from him. Directly after the
message came the line Express train
in sight Something wrong. Stand
by" l waited full minute, then
came Dicks familiar tap-tap: Express
is being run by strange hands. They
have stopped at this station. Send re-
lief"
There was seconds silence; then,
before L could flash the alarm along
the line, the tapping began again. 1t
ran: Everything all right. Good
bye"
L signaled for him to repeat the mes
sage, and again came the words: 'Ev-
erything all right. Goodbye
held the instrument in my hand and
debated with myself upon my course
OF conduct. / did not want TO need
lessly send the alarm along the line.
On the other hand, why had Dick sent
his first message? / touched the in
strument and asked: us everything all
right, DickT And the answer came
back, Everything is all right"
1t did not seem mt all like Dicks
touch, but laid it to nervousness and
quieted my fears while / waited for the
runaway"
l recalled that Dick had told me over
the wire the previous evening that the
runaway would have large sum of
money aboard, which it was to transfer
to the express at his station.
When the runaway" came ND no
tilted the engineer that the express was
waiting for him mt Lakeville, and | also
casually mentioned that the alarm had
come from there; but that afterward I
had received a message that all was
well.
lie seemed disturbed, and advised me
to repeat the story to the United States
Marshal aboard, which did. with the
result that the train pulled out of the
station prepared for emergencies.
though neither they nor thought any.
thing of the hasty message that had
been flashed to me.
Ten minutes later the message came
over the wires from Lakeyille: "Found
train In charge of highwaymen. Dick
Ramsey murdered at instrument
Object was to rob the runaway but
we overpowered them after desperate
struggle. Notify the stations along the
line to send relief.
This, in brief, was the story of the
death of Dick Ramsey, and after I had
seen him laid away in the graveyard a,
Lakeville packed up my goods and
journeyed further on, for could moi
remain so near the scene Of my old
friends death.
Well, strange things happen. and
after | had found position with the
same company fifty miles away l was
assigned back to Lakeville.
found the village grown into n set
tlement OF very fair size and the simpIe
little station replaced by very pre-
tentious one, while the humble little
churchyard. where they had buried
poor Dick Ramsey was gay with flow.
ering shrubs, and spires of marble lift
ed themselves here and there among
the trees. Dicks grave was still