The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1910-03-22

1t IS nc uncommon thing to hear of
a haunted house, but the employees OF
the local yard of the Louisville &;
Nashville railroad tell a strange story
OF haunted caboose that fairly eclip-
ses most ghost stories. This was in
the train service of the Louisville &
Nashville most remarkable cabOose
known as mo 1907 This piece of
railroad furniture was caught in
wreck some years ago None of the
trainmen sustained injuries. but the
old caboose was torn and gashed. At
ter be ng neatly repaired in the Cow
ington shops old ''1908" was placed in
the service again But it was no long
er the same dign'fied caboose 1t be-
gan to carry on" in a NEST super
! natural manner What would you
think of a caboose that suddenly begins
to shake and shiver like a man with
| the ague. and this too, when it was
standing all by itself on side track?
| That's what. old 1902 did. What
would you say if you were told that
this old caboose had intermittent at
tacks of something resembling hys-
terra? According to the statements Of
engineers. conductors and brakesmen,
whose word is as good as that of the
| Presidents, old 1908" has given
| them many an hour of agony and dis
/ tress.
One of them said that one dark
night, while coming out of Lexington
in old 1903" they were suddenly stop
! ped at the crossing of the Russell
/ Cave pike, where a man had been run
over and killed some years ago by
freight train to which old "1908" was
playing rear guard. With the train as
motionless as statue old "l908" sud-
denly began 60 culver and shake and
crawl and creep like man who had
just awaken from hideous nightmare.
The lanterns and lamps danced up and
down and flickered and wavered vic.
iously though not a breath Of air was
stirring. The brake beams and rods
under old 1903" groaned and creak-
ed, though no other sound came from
any other part of the train. Just as
the train got under Roadway again the
tralnmen in the caboose swear they
heard an unearthly scream coming ap-
parently from under the old car, and
the caboCse actually began to jump up
and down on the rails, as if to escape
some tormentOr. This particular mar
rator further stated that he had been
doing in chair, and then when old
1908 began it's antics his chair had
| been gradually moved by some unseen
force from near the rear end door to a
point just over the front trucks.
When the train reached Muir the sta
tion agent called out. ''say, boys,
what's the matter with the old ca
boose? She's acting like she wanted
to sail over the pasture.
Old ''l90S" had been oyerhauled
>. time aOnd again in an endeavor TO To-
cate the trouble, but it contrived to
shake and groan and SILVER as usual,
and the trainmen, though not at all
superstitous. said that night ride in
old 1905" was nerve-racking exper-
fence for even the stoutest-hearted.
The most remarkable thing that the
haunted caboc Sc" ever did in all it's
cratic career. however. happened, ac-
cordlng TO very trustworthy In lorna
ton. near Richmond, one day. In
switching some cars in on a side track
old ")9OS" was left standing alone on
the main line with brakes tightly set.
Not human being was on the caboose
or near it. All at once the brakes
were released by some unseen power,
and the old caboose slowly crawled
along. shivering and quivering in every
timber. Gathering momentum rapid
ly it bowled along the smooth track at
a merry gait and was rushing reck-
lessly to destruction when the engi-
neer souded the alarm, and started in
pursuit. Old ''1906" still kept on its
reckless getaway career, swaying
from side to side, jumping up and
down. actually clearing hthe rails at
each jump.E On came the engine and
trainmen in hasty pursuit. When the
crazy old 1908" struck an up grade,
got twisted up in some inconceivable
manner, and plunged over an embank-
ment into pasture. The train crew
, soiemnly aver that when they got to
the scene of the unlucky old caboose's
| disaster they found the old car acting
like preson in the death agonies. 1t
shook, ratified and groaned, and the
sights and sounds almost persuaded
, the men that old 1905" was really
and truly haunted or possessed of
some supernatural trouble.
Dozens of stories have been told by
men of high standing in the local SER
| vice of the Louisville & Nashville,
regarding old ''190S" and its remarka-
BILE behaviour. but these two ms tances
, will suffice The old caboose mas long
ago been put out of business and it's
ghost laid, but its erratic doings and
unseemly behavior still furnish themes
for many gabfest when the oldtimers
| 10 = II II