The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-02-11
Inns SPIRIT
eD RAPPIN' YARN
Copyright, 1901, byA. 8. Richardson.
i~>->-%->~~-~>-~-~-->--~--~-(
By Charles welsssd

er did go much on it, and was always
willin' to give it the ''go by with the
rest of you until the night when No.
is missed that holdup down near the
canyon. Never told you fellows just
how that thing happened. did /? Well,
the reason l didn't make my little
speech then holds good now, only l
am goin' to give it to you, and you can
laugh and be hangedl
You all know that night afore the
capture of Spike McCree's gang at
the canyon that smooth faced duck
came in town and rented the big hall
over Sherlie's to give a spirit rappin'
exhibition and git messages for the
women folk from the unseen world"
With his clean shaved face and pious
look, the women fairly worshiped the
little man. He had been here once or
twice afore, so l went over with the
girl-that's Mamie, my wife now-and
a couple Of her friends to see the little
man do his turn. l saw it. and darned
If 1t didn't give me the creeps-that
ERE plaster hand Vaughn and rappin'
top of a sheet of glass and the room
darkened and as still almost as death
itself
Well, quit afore the game was over
and turned up at the station here, for
was on the night shift. It's a lonely
job, bein' telegrapher at small
station like this way up here. and /
got to thinkin' and wishin' Mamie
would give up goin' to them affairs,
when suddenly there were rap on the
Office door, and | heard Mamie's voice.
Il Great snakes! l bet l turned green
and white at once. 1t sounded like
one Of them voices from that unseen
! world the little man was tellin' Of
door, ierked it open, and there stood
Mamie herself and two of them wo-
men folks. Well, smotherin' Mosesi
] thought l had taken a fit, when all
at once l remembered that the women
were goin' down to Hunkers ON the
midnight express, which in those days
used to take in water here. had
clean forgot. too. that Mamie was 60
in along. In they came after givin'
me hard look, cause guess | had
acted queer, and just then l gets word
over the wire that the express was two
minutes ahead Of schedule time.
In she rolled in a few minutes, with
old Teddy Bloss at the engine lever
and Bob Fox firm. l found just a
word with both as / gave the ICON. "
| his reports. Then / piled Mamie and
the women into the coach and came
back to the Office.
/ Now, Hunkers is good seventy-five
mile from here and the canyon Just
about fifteen mile this side. Foxdale,
just afore you enter the canyon, was
pretty well filed at that time with rail
way workers, who were fixin' the new
iron bridge outside the town. Well,
goes back to my desk, and after the
usual messages were off. though it is
ag'in the rules, lay down for nap
and fixed my clock with the alarm to
rattle off in an hour.
i There was a good hour and half
llbefore the next train was due. 1t was
Just little after midnight when l lay
down. I could not have slept long
when suddenly l awoke all in a sweat
with excitement. / had dreamed that
the spirit rappin' gent was gettin' mes
sages from Mamie for me and she had
just been killed in holdup wreck
somewheres. When l wakes enough
to know just where l was, l had 9
laugh to myself and lays down again
But woke again. and this time
could swear heard the telegraph in
srument rattle Off 80. =. :.
=. :. ...
l.. : =.
"Hold 18-danger aheadw 1t was 9
most unusual kind of message. wait
ed In silence and listened, but no, tht
instrument never budged. l looked Al
the clock. Only been asleep. all told
twenty minutes! No. IS was tbs
express, and by this time she must b.
within fifteen miles of Foxdale. Then
great snakes and spidersl l heard
H.. :. .... :.
and was watchin' my instrument
too. Not one moved. Mamie was OF
that train or perhaps would have
laughed the thing off. No. / heard 4
all right.
H l grabbed the key and called Plat
willie, Foxdale and Hunkers, all in turn
askin', did you send any orders Il
Forest CityT Queer thing for me t.
do, cause in ordinary events had tt
respond to the call before | could ge
the message, SO Of course in each cas-
the reply came mo"
There was somethin' up with m'
sure! l turned to get my pipe. anC
have a smoke to quiet my nerves. TO
i was just little worked u
when -. 80.
There is no use taIkin', boys, | hearC
that message. Somethin' had to b,
done quick. decided to act first ant
think after, but then if was wrong m.
excuse for holdin' the express woult
not go at headquarters. Again
hesitated, thinkin' excitedly. and in tn
midst of it. -. !. =. -.
seized the key and called Foxdale
"Hold No. 49," flashed along. Then
why added it can't say. but | con
tinued, Stranger here who says tract
to Hunkers out of order" They free
all sorts Of queries at me and finaIl.
replied. Don't know the man, and b.
has gone"
4 Well, wired this same fake to head
quarters. for l had gone that far nov
and had to carry it out. If ever Their
was a sorry man. it was Jim Neither
sole. felt sure 1t was all up with M
now.
Headquarters wired Hunkers ant
send engines and crews from boil
points over the line to see what wa
up. We had had two holdups in thre,
years in that canyon, so even such I
message as l sent could not go IN
needed. With the crews from Foxdal,
and Hunkers went few firearms an(
Of course you fellows know the rest
The engine from Foxdale was wrecked
Just at the curve in the canyon, bu
only one man was killed, though ole
Pratt is leg shy today.
Spike McCree's gang had blocked the
track, and had three fellows at Fox
dale to board the train, and at thu
proper point to hold up Teddy Blosi
and his fireman, and slow up as they
neared the curve Who they were NJ
one knows, but they must have hat
an uneasy time when that engine ant
crew left Foxdale on the search. Spike
/ and his gang were wiped out tha
J night.
The newspapers were full of tbs
yarn. The company offered a reward
Of a thousand dollars to the stranger
who came in and told "JiLl Nethersole
operator at Forest City," of the block