The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-11-23
OF THE PHANTOM
SOLDIERS OF THE NIGHT
Strange Stories of Travelling Men-WhiingA Away Timein
Railway Car-The Awful Fate That Overlook Ellis.

Than are dreamt Of in your philosophy,
Horatio."
The train on the Atlantic Coast Line
railroad pulled put from Richmond,
Va. at 7.30 p. NJ, due at Fayetteville
n. c., at Ito a. m In the smoking car
were seated three travelling salesmen-
two representatives. of large New York
mercantile houses, and the third rep
resenting q big Baltimore m%anufactur-
ing establishment. The New Workers
were together on n seat, and on the
one in front, turned over to face them,
reclined the Baltimorean, who, with his
shoes off, his stocking feet braced
against the side Of the car, and his
SLOUGH hat pulled down over his face,
seemed to be already asleep.
One OF the men OF Gotham, a ro-
tund Well-fed body, with a full-brown
beard, close cropped, all over his face,
and somewhat bald where the hair
ought 70 grow" lighted a cigar, settled
himself as comfortably as two in a
bed would permit, and led off:
Once | had to go off the road, into
a big hospital in Philadelphia, suffering
lndescribable tOrtures from infama-
tory rheumatism. What was the mode
of treatment of course | do not know.
put II seemed TO me almost worse than
the disease. | can best describe it as,
externally, electro sulphurositriolic,
with an internal administering Of pill
lets not larger than a pin-head, but as
full OF the devil as a dynamite bomb,
followed by doses of a green LIQUID
looking like absinth, which ran from
one end OF me to the oSner like a COL
umn OF mercury running up and down
the scale OF a thermometer, from boil
Ing to zero. 1t knocked the infamma-
tory rheumatism out of me enough to
put me out to work again; but before
IL turned me lose it ave me a mental
shahlng-up, this heroic, treatment did,
a twist IN the brain, which | often
mink Oh with amazement to this day.
NOW don't say, as | go on, that |
was d a jag Of ardent spidits. In
the first place, [ have never been a.
drinking man to excess, though I have
some line Whiskey in hat grip there,
which [ am going to hand around
among us, including our slumbering
Baltimore friend, when l finish this
story. Secondly, l had been about a
month under treatment, and it is in
conceivable that the hospital physi-
clans would have treated me alcoholic.
ally Tor lnf1ammatOry rheumatism.
My bed was placed so near the win
dow OF the room that, by extending nv
arm, L could touch the pane of glass.
One Sunday night, though not suffering
mucn pain, | was somewhat Wakeful
and restless; and, giving a flirt to the
roller curtain, | sent It up, and Law
looking out on the street, brilliant with
electric lights. AS we'll as [ recOllect.
1t was between 10 n IL O'Clock. and
the street crowds were thinning off
though now and then would pass a
group going home from late church
service OF Sunday evening concert. So
1t went on, with a continual ebb and
flow of the tide Of belated humankind.
"~Suddenly there came to my ears the
singing, resonant blow Of a trumpet,
like the prolonged note Of a cornet, an
parently sounded about two hundred
yards distant. [ listened, expecting
this to be followed by the crash of a
band of music, but there was silence
for some minutes. Then, just as sud
denly, there was the roll of snare
drums, rafting through my room like
ar enfilade OF musketry. Deeply inter-
ested, L kept my yes fixed on the
street, and presently there came in
sight a regular army of drum corps of
at least twenty men, dressed in Zouave
uniforms, and welding their drum
SUCKS with remarkable precision and
unison. Just behind them marched
platoon after platoon Of infantry, with
arms at a right shoulder shift was
much surprised, but after a little re-
lection | concluded that it was the
military funeral of some distinguished
oflcer CT the Pennsylvania national
guard, though why it should take place
late on Sunday night | was at a loss 10
conceive. But battalions became regi-
ments, brigades, brigade divisions, un-
til not less than $1,000 infantry had
marched by; then behind them came
] from $500 to 5000 cavalry, followed by
battery after battery of light infantry.
A first my whole attention was alb
!. sorbed in the contemplation of this i'm
posing n Warlike pageant on the
streets of a great city, at night. in a
, time of peace. But I soon became i'm
!, pressed with two or three remarkable
| circumstances connected with this mil
1tary pomp and display. First, the in
;, fantry marched with the superb bear
: ing n drill OF West Point cadets, but
!. every mans face, white as a mask OF
/ wax, was set to the front, with not a
turn of the head to right or left; the
= cavalry bow themselves ~immovably in
their saddles, parts of equestrian
statues; the artillerymen sat on the
gun and caisson boxes, with folded
arms, as If carved in stone. Next, what
{ UNNECESSARILY astonished me was tina
4 this magnificent spectacle attracted
no attention whatever-neither roll OF
drum nor tramp Of stately column
Men in conversation on the street con.
tinued their talk: a bevy Of girls-whc
are always attracted by soldiers-nevel
turned their heads. There was nc