The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-11-05
{ The MYSTERIOUS VOICE !

Tom Pope and Sandy McTougal,
backed by Sandy McTougal's
friends, one gets pretty good idea
Of Sandy's remarkable adventure
with yoicelor, as Sandy terms it,
with the devil in q box.
Tom Pope is conductor and Nc
Tougal is baggage master on the
Air line, which runs from the At
lantic ocean I'd ''the middle Of next
week"
",lost astonishing thing, that
hunt of Sandy's for voice." said
the conductor the other night.
"What was that ?"
"Well, it was this:l Sandy was
lonely and miserable. Nobody talk
ed to him OF gave him quarter for
not smashing the baggage, SO he
took TO brown studies and maps be-
tween stations. The night of his
voice business his car was jamful
of luggage. The more trunks Sandy
has on board the crosser he gets.
There was a camp meeting on a
switch off track, and at the junction
I picked up lot of nobby passen-
GERS who were leaving for other
places of amusement, and there was
no end of trunks.
"NlcTougal got things into shape
about II o'clock, I reckon, and as
there's a part of the run where it's
a good hour between stations he
got ready for snooze. He picked
out the softest trunk in the pile on
which to pillow his head, tilted back
his chair with his feet on the
rounds, pulled his hat over his face
and went to sleep. How's, that,
Mac?"
"Quite keerect," responds the
baggage master.
every well; then you tell it for.
awhile I wasn't there, you know"
ut didn't seems if I'd been asleep
more'n minute" began Sandy,
"when there was a lively jump Of
the car, an I sort of come to life
with jerk. At the same time I
heerd, as if way off, a noise like
some one a-tdlkn'. But I thought
twas q brakeman outside an was
jes' a-dozin' off ag'in when right
at my ear in thin, sharp voice
suthin' said, % Lordr
II amt no fool, I ain't,'' Sandy
asserts, throwing back his head de-
family, can when that tin whisper
comes into my ear jes' opened my
eyes, spectin' to see some Of che
boys around. But not ivin' thing
was visible. So I said to myself, Z
snored; that's what's the matter
An off [ goes a-noddin' an dream
in.
"Then ag'in I hears that voice.
1t says quite distinctly, 4 want to
get outp
"Now, I wasn't a bit mistaken
this time. I heerd it. But fore I
could get my wits together there
was yell soundin' way off.
""That's my death CALI says I
to myself, instantly calm to mind
fellows who had heerd like sounds
an we're dead in less'n week. Then
I says to myself, Sandy, don't be
foolp an jumps to my feet as wide
awake as ! am now.
1T was woman's squawk, an I
could have sworn to it. Then it
sung out in tin trumpet style:
"Help, helpY
'G hauled, over the tool chest an
the water barrel an the cupboard in
the corner an looked out on the
platforms an did everything a man
could do under the circumstances
to find out what was a-makin' Of
that fuss. I went to the side door
to 'ool myself an was a-fannin' my
face when, blame me, if I didn't
hear cornet start off with the
'Rogues' March m a gruff voice
foller it with:
"In the midst of life we are IN
DEATH
'P yanked my head round an
didn't see nuthin' that wasn't there
before. That threw; me OFF my pins.
Then rooster crowed, an q teller
with cold in his nose counted ten
forward an then backward, an an
other cuss with bullfrog voice or
dered me: Wake upl THE devil
wants youP You needn't laugh,
gentlemen, when I tell you I run,
an sod you if you'd beeff thar. I
was certain the devil had come for
me, late, but sure, an I didn't wait
1or him to ask for my ticket"
Tom Pope at this point broke
INTO stentorian laugh.
III, gentlemen, you'd seen Sandy
come flying into the car where I
was sitting. you would never stop
laughing. You may not believe il,
out his brown faco was as white as
your shirt frnnfe md h;o oyoo xporo