The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-11-01
The Phantom Train.


track on desolate prairie of Manitob
waiting for a train. There was n
station, no station agent, baggag
agent-nothing. no one-on that disma
winter morning except myself, unshel
tered, the wind driving the loos'
snow past me in sheets. | had TWEEN
ty minutes TO wait for the train, whicl
must flag myself. The engineer
| however, in so sparsely settled coun
try would have no objection to stop
ping for the purpose of taking on ;
single passenger.
Half the time had elapsed when
hearing footstep crunching on the
snow behind me, | turned and saw {
man approaching, AS he neared me
noticed that he carried his right arm
in sling and had his overcoat but
toned at the throat over the arm. A
felt hat was drawn down to cover his
! face, so that / would not see much OF
his features When he came and
stood beside me, looking up the track
for the train, l saw that he had dark
sandy hair and a red beard, a rather
unusual combination.
Train on time, sirT' he asked.
Don't know" | replied Il don't
fancy waiting long for it here"
The man seemed nervous. He cast
a glance at me that made me uncom-
Portable He was an ugly looking fell
low, and if he were prepared to do so
it would be an excellent place to muir
der and rob me, then hide my body in
the snow and escape by the train when
it came.
81 don't like the looks of this mist
in the air." he remarked.
singular, isn't it? l don't know
that l ever saw anything just like it
before. Hello, there's the train COM
ing!"
1t sprang suddenly into sight with
out a sound to give us warning l
jumped off the track on which / was
standing, then waved my handkerchief
for 1t to stop, which it did, but some
200 feet before it reached us. Selling
my satchel, which l had set on the
end of tie, ran up the track to get
aboard, followed by the man who had
Joined me. But before we had covered
q quarter of the distance the train diH-
appeared as suddenly as if it were
ghost train run by ghost officials. |
stared for few moments at the place
where it had been, then glanced at my
companion. He was looking up the
track with the most terrified express
sion | have ever seen on any mans
face.
Did you see it," l asked
He didn't hear me. He was mutter-
ing incoherently and acting in other
respects like one demented. | tried to
reassure him by teAing him that we
both were so anxious for the train to
come that we had created it in our
tmaginations-a very lame explanation,
by the way-but was unable to quiet
him. Suddenly l saw him looking out
over the snow with a new and height
ened terror in his eye. l followed its
direction, and there out on the prairie
was the train running along as smooth
ly as if 1t were still on the rails.
So intense was my establishment, SO
eerie the feeling the phantom train
gave me, that | forgot my companion
completely till, hearing a groan, look
ed about and saw him lying writhing
in the snow. This startled me, and l
forgot the train in the responsibility
of being out on a broad prairie with a
man who might be in a death struggle.
There was little | could do for him
except get his head on my knee and,
taking a flask from my satchel, pour
a drink of whisky down his throat
While he revived, he did not recover
his head even twelve minutes later
when the train-the real train-preced-
ed by a rafting on the rails and the
usual clatter, steamed up and at my
signal stopped beside u.s. The conduct
or, standing on platform, saw me be-
side the sick man and, jumping Off as
sisted me to get him aboard.
A number of persons were crowding
around the invalid, gaping at him,
when one Of them, a trainman, ex-
claimed:
"Pll bet that's Dan Horganw
who's Dan Horgan?" | asked.
Zone of the men who threw the -
train off the track two weeks ago, kill
ing the engineer, fireman and several
Then they robbed the
express car. One of the gang is in
jail, has turned states evidence and
named Horgan as their leader"
"But why do you suspect this man
to be Horgan?"
1.-THE informer has described him as
having sandy hair and a red beard.
Besides, he says that Horgan's right |
arm was shattered bya shot from the
conductor. We've had the description
IN this train ever since it was circulat-
I'd by the company ten days ago."
The invalid had not regained his
head when we reached the next town,
where the sheriff, advised by telegraph, |
entered the train and took him into |
He did not know that he
lad been betrayed by his fright at
he phantom train. which ne doubt |
ess supposed was the one he had |
wrecked coming back to haunt him. |
Had it not been for this he could east
y have concealed his identity for the
hort distance he had intended to risk |
ride.
learned that the phantom train was
lue to the mirage not uncommon in |
Manitoba. When / saw it first stop 1t |
vas at a station some eight or nine
niles away. When l saw it a second |
ime careering over the prairie it was