Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-11-13
A Railroad Ghost
Explained

1t wasn't my tault. 30 every oho
said. that Hipe Conklin missed his
footin' when he was tryin' TO board my
enjine after he had tagged me on
the midnight express n fell under
the wheels. losin his life" said the
fat engineer. but | blamed myself
considerable nevertheless. n took II
some TO heart It's customary when
you're tagged TO just slow down n
let the fiagman make the tank step
TO git on the enjine n tell you what's
doln' on ahead This night when Hipe
swung me up because hts fast freight
train was stalled a couple OF miles
down the line | eased her up n was
scarcely maxim more'n seven or eight
mile an hour when the tank step came
along TO Hipe. but some way or 'nuiher
he missed n went under. bein' killed
before I could stop.
Il took week or so on before
went back on my run again. but
made up my mind that rallroadin at
its best was a serious business n IL
was up to me to get down 10 cases
n 20 back TO work or move on down
to the poorhouse.
"Natcherly my first trip after the
accident was quite squeamish comm
down along BY Nicholson's curve
where Hipe had met his death Just
as We commenced to take the curve
! gritted my teeth n got myself on
edge. AS the train commenced to
straighten out on the main line after
comm aroun' the curve saw a white
light swingin horizontally across the
track, which of course is signal TO
stop, n stop I did. After we had
come to a standstill. however. we
could find no white light nor anybody
aroun' who might have been swingin
II.
Its mighty peculiar. mighty pc
culiar,' / says, climbin' back.
"Of course the boys all thought L
was seem things, but | declared up
n down that / had seen a white
light bein' swung across the tracks
n | wouldn't have IT any cther
way. Incidentally such an occurrence
didn't 60 very far toward smoothin
out my pent up feelins.
81 wasn't the only man who had
seen the light at that. for it soon got
passed aroun' up In the stove commit
tee n elsewhere at meetins OF the
railroad men, n other boys allowed
that they'd seen the same thing.
my next trip down there on the
midnight express | just called to my
fireman as I came in the vicinity OF
Nicholson's curve n made him keep
his peppers peeled just to see what
he could see. AS We come aroun the
curve the little white light was on the
Job all right.
Ibid you see It, Murf?' I hollers
to my fireman.
81 certainly did, he says. his teeth
a-chatterin'. You goin' to stop?'
"-Stop nuthin'.' answers. for ! was
gettin' my nerve back now. III that's
Hipe Conklin's ghost he wants to read
I'D on the rules. II amt good form
TO flag a train with a white light
Il jerked the throttle open n we
went away from there full tilt. but !
wasn't scared bit
I'VE were not through with the
spookin' of Nicholson's curve. how
ever. for the next time I was comm
east with that midnight express
got a whistle signal from the conduc-
tor to stop and no monkey business
about IT, So ] set up the brakes n
we stopped. One Of the journals on
the sieepers was gittin' sgitated n
the conductor had signaled me to stop
till they could soothe IT,
We'll, OF course I was just tickled
to death to stop right there In the
community of interest OF that VIII
o. the wispy light. We came to a
standstill Just as | was on a direct
line with II. There 1t was all right.
swingin' slowly n steadily. Now that
I could get a good sight on 1t while
the enjine was standin' still saw that
II was considerable to the right of the
tracks n some distance away n only
the speed Of the train comm aroun
there made 1t appear to swing direct
" across the track
KNOWN that we would probably
Iay to some minutes while the crew
were pacifying the anarchistic box l
Just stepped down on the enjine n
went TO q little clump OF trees at the
side OF the track n peered through
An what dye think II was? Why,
there on a factory In a village couple
Of miles 10 the right of the track they
had erected one OF them big clocks
for advertiser purposes. The long
pendulum was fitted with an electric
light n as the pendulum went from
right to left, left to right. the light
would swing Comm around the
curve you could get a glimpse of this
swsngin' light through a clearin' In the
trees, but after the train got straight
ened up again you'd lose sight OF It,
As ! said before, I'm no believer
a.