Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-06
Chasing Down a Ghost on a
Fast Flyer.
"A TEN MILE RACE
Ends in the Ghost Vanishing Be
meath the Wheels Mangled
Corpse-The old Geyser Finally Did
the Work, But McFadden Refused
20 Look at the COrpse-An Interest,"
ing Railroad story

warm, enticing, loving. That is another
trick. Ghosts are but dreams introduced
into our waking hours to make life seem
Just a little more unreal than It actually Is
Rogers said once upon a time that ghosts
are brain jokes"
Some railway men believe in ghosts;
some do not. The belief rests upon the
angle of view of the indivi lual. 1t is not
true as an axiom that the more ignorant
the man the stronger his belief in white
robed things AS, for instance, one Of the
brainiest mechanics of the Burlington sys-
tenn, without protesting spiritualism, be-
lieves that those who have gone before re-
visit earth and may be seen. A University
of Chicago professor believes in ghostly
vsitatious, but not in the cult of spiritual
ism This ghost-belief, after all is said,
really depends on personal experience.
Thus take the experience Of McFaddeu
and Johnny" Forbes when they rode down
into the Hamilton Bottoms one night with
the Geyser. The Geyser was one Of the
most tangible and unghostly machines on
the A., B., c. road It was so tangible that
its leak could be traced from one end of the
division to the other That was why il was
called the Geyser. McFadden iuwardly
moaned when he knew he was to have II
for this particular nights run.
He moaned more when the old tub, gush-
ing at every joint and connection, came to
a dead halt on the edge Of Hamilton Bot
toms, and announced in engine way that it
would not move on until some of its flow
was checked Signal lights were properly
placed ahead and in the rear, and McFadden
and Forbes set to patching wherever they
could Fast as they could progress the de-
lay amounted to fully half an hour, aud
they climbed into the cab genuinely dis
gusted. Both were fast" men they de-
lighted in making time every moment they
were on the road.
Forbes applied himself TO the coal heav-
ing McFadden gave the throttle ugly
twitch and the Geyser, with a fearful pro
test, caught the rail and started. Perhaps
the watery thing had gone a trains length
when in the darkness just beyond the limit
of the headlights throw there came out in
bold relief the figure of man. He appeared
to be standing in the center of the track, a
slouch hat on his head, rough, farmer
like features in plain view, his clothes
mussed and wrinkled like those Of any
countryman.
When McFadden first caught sight Of
him he was looking straight into the head
light, but as it drew nearer to him he
moved ahead. turned his face from the en-
CINE and stepped of at what seemed to
the engineer to be very good place. He
looked back just as McFadden applied the
air and perked great blasts Of warning out
Of the Geyser's whistle. Forbes, noting
the whistle, jumped to the gangway and
looked ahead and he, too. saw the man.
He, too, saw that as the train came to a
dead stop the man disappeared in the dark
ness.
McFadden gave his eyes a quick rub, and
then laughed uneasily.
you saw him, johnny"
Straight in the center of the track, " an
swered Forbes He swung out of the cab
and ran ahead of the engine some little
distance, but no man was to be found.
McFadden gave the Geyser steam again,
and the train was once more under way.
Then ahead appeared the man once more,
this time walking with his head down, his
back to the train. Forbes saw him as we'll
as McFadden The latter called out:
Guess we're both spooky tonight,
| Johnny"
Give him a run for his money" was the
| freman's half angry reioinder He was no
ghost believer
The old Geyser began TO behave herself
Of a sudden. She jerked up, made steam
threw off her lethargy, and appeared to
take personal, mechanical interest in the
chase. The naturally dreary Hamilton
Bottoms never looked drearier. The black
of a cloudy night was on them tine ooze of
the wet lands was about the ties and rails,
foul thin mist hung over everything, The
| Geyser ran like a mogul
But the man ahead kept just a little ahead
of her, increasing his pace as her wheels
spun faster. At the Lutheran Crossing he
looked back and again at Hayrick Marsh
He went over Sales Greek bridge taking
FIVE ties at a single step. AT Duck River he
seemed TO span the bridge at one stride
McFadden and Forbes we're nightly inter
ested in overtaking him or in some way
solving the mystery. They gave the Geyser
all the power she would stand and whired
across the bottoms at breakueck speed but
they never overlook the stranger,
Instead, at Capp's Mills, he vanished
with one stride and an instant later Nc
T7adden was at his air aud throttle fighting
to stop the Geyser, while from under the
drivers came a series Of wild shrieks, then
a moan, then silence After time the
Geyser stopped aud with It the rest of the
train.
you go back Johnny" said McFadden,
trembling as if he were sick. We've hit
somebody - sure - saw his face you
heard him yell--it was the face of that
thing we've been chasiug-go back Johnny
/ can't
Forbes went down the track with the
train crew After a little they came upon
an arm, then a rumpled aud torn coat, next
a crushed body, on which the face was still
intact. Forbes found a slouch hat, the con.
ductor a ripped shoe Forbes looked at the
face once and shivered.
DO you know him2" asked the con-
ductor.
No, answered Forbes. "He looks sort
of familiar, though"
Going back to the cab he shivered again.
II seemed to him something outside of the
earth had iuterfered with the affairs of the
train that night.
IT'S the image Of that spook. he told
MeFaddeu. HAT and all are ringer for
it,"