The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-03-15
A PSYCHIC ME SAGE
1T ROUSED A RAILROAD OFFICIAL TO
SUDDEN ACTIVITY.
The story of n Special Train That
Was sidetrncised and How the
Passenger Traffic Manager Got
Warning of the Mishap.

Warning of the Mishap.
A number of railroad OIL clals were
chatting after a business meeting,
when the discussion chancn1 to drift
upon the question whether railroad
men are superstltious.
Presented with the oppC 'tunlty to
display their knowledge, sc ne of the
passenger men drifled into he realms
of esoterlc Buddhism and ps ychic phe-
nOmena, with touch of s jrtualism
thrown in for full measure. inally one
Of the party, n passenger traffic man
ager, insisted that he was neither SUI
perstitiOus nor did he understand
psychic phenomena.
"Just the same" he concluded, 81
had one of those psychic things happen
to me when | was engaged in trying to
induce every one in Nashville to travel
by the Louisville and Nashville. The
Grau Opera company was coming to
town for week s engagement, and the
outfit, scenery and ALL was coming
over our line, thanks TO the persuasive
ability of tue Louisville and Nashville's
gentlemanly representative, who at
that time was your humble servant.
"The day before the grand opera sea-
son should be upon us the advance
agent called upon me and, rubbing his
hands gleefuly, declared that the ad-
vance sales had been enormous.
"'A good first night he declared,
would make the engagement a record
breaker. If everything goes well to-
morrow night they can't stop us. 1
suppose that scenery is on the way all
right and will show up on timer
II assured him that 1t was as he sup
posed, and he left me in happy frame
of mind. The next day as ! was sitting
in my Office thinking about nothing
particular the conviction flashed upon
me that it was up to me to get the
! Grau scenery to town in time for the
| opening performance. | laughed at
the conviction at first, but it recurred
to me with irresistible force and |
could not get it out of my head that
the scenery was doing time on a side
| track somewhere between st. Louis
and Nashville. / remembered that the
| opening opera was to be Aida which
requires the double stage and there
fore an endless amount Of scenery. Ac-
cordingly if that scenery did not ar
rive no makeshift would supply the
want of it.
"By early afternoon | had worked
myself into a state bordering upon
nervous prOstration, and finally l bolt
ed for Major James Geddes office. The
major was then a division superlntend-
| ent, and, after apologizing for mixing
up in Il matter that was really none of
my business, | asked him If the Grau
scenery was on the way.
Certainly it is he replied convinc-
ingly. 1T left st. Louis early last even
ing and is coming special on fast
schedule. 1t will be here within an
hour from now
How do you know all tlatY de
manded
Know it, know itT shou I'd the ma
jOr wrathfully, How do | know Pm
alive? Haven't | got { 9 reports
showing the makeup of the special. the
time il left st. Louis and Il le schedule
on which it Is running? You had bet
ter go back to your Office y Jung man,
and keep on selling tickets. DON'T med
die with the operating depa tment un-
less you can talk sense
Just the same, major insisted, 4
have reason to know that the Grau
scenery is not on the way to Nash
vile.'
"The majors wrath knew no bounds.
"'Where is 1t, thenP he snorted.
Somewhere on side track between
here and st. Louis | replied
"'Young man., said the major, ris-
ing you are such blamed fool that l
will break my rule and take the trou-
bic to convince you that you are one
instead of kicking you out of my office.
! Come with me-
"We rushed upstairs to the train dis
patcher's Office, where the major or
dered the dispatcher to show me prog
ress of the Grau special
"1ts not progressing. 1t has been
lying on the side track Mt RiOlado for
lNt hOulS, ItllIltu llle ulSDulCUeE, anu
I've been securing the system for an
engine The specials engine went
dead
"The major forgot me, forgot every
thing, except that special In a trice
he had another engine tearing up the
track to get to Riolado from a point
few miles away, and then he cleared
the track and gave the scenery the
right of way clear to Nashville. That
run of 1S5 miles from Riolado to
Nashville stands as a southern record
today, but it burned up nearly every
car in the outfit to make it. The spe-
cial arrived thirty minutes before open
ing time. | had an army of wagons
and men Whiting for it, and before the
curtain was rung up every stick of it
was in place"
"What did the major say?" was ask
ed.
'The next day he sent for me and
said. Young man, the next time you
have one Of those nutty lunches hit
the main line and see me before it