Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1910-09-03 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

WALTER E. GROGAN.  "Ay. A woman. I've run all the way back." He coughed, still panting, and pulled alt his shirt collar.  "Deed—you're sure of that ?" The stationm.a.stor spoke quickly—an intelligent man, alert, rather masterful, certainly worthy of a better post a.t forty t.hiLn the oantrol of this small station.  think so. Yes, I'm sure of it. It's 'arribtle!"  Bloor stopped and covered his eyes with his hand. It was an action that hinted at an awful recollection a gesture horribly eloquent. Hill, tell Brown to run to D. Perks' house c.nd ask him to come here. Say there's an acoident in the tunnel. Then go to the police e.ta.tion and bring the sergeant or a constable. You oan unlock the' ambulance. Here's the key." He spoke quickly, thinking out things rapidly. Relieving Hill of the support of Moor, he began slowly to walk back along the platform. Hill sprang ahead, his nailed boots clattering noisily on the paved platform. "Now pull yourself together, Bloor. Be a man. You'll have to go back with us." "No, no! It's too terrible! I couldn't do it, sir." He was walking better now, was less laboured in his breathing, and the purple patches in his face .were dying out, replaced by an ashen pallor.  " \Ally didn't you go to the aignal-box at tile other end of the tunnel?" Clasketit asked.  "Never thought of it till I was a mile back. I was took all a-back, sir—seemed to lose all my Then--then I'd have 'ad to pass it amen if I'd gone back, and I couldn't!" he shuddered. "If you hadn't been drinking lately, Bloor, your nerves would be under getter control." fi4tationmaoter Gaskett was a teetotallex, and a Little intolerant.  "Only on my* day off, sir—never on duty," Moor said. "Wait till you've seen it.. The tunnel's a ghastly place at night any day in the week. And with that there laying alongside the tunnel wall—" He broke off shortly, and fell to shivering again. "You go wrth us," Gaskett said, abruptly, and bustled away to help Hill. In a quarter of an hour a small group of men carrying an ambulance, set Gut from the station at kgton. The night was still dark, although the heavy rain of the early evening had ceased. The men, who had all lateirns, walked on the sleepers of the permanent way. Gaskett and Sergeant Dugdale, of the local police, (Name first. A bluff man the sergeant, not over intelligent, but covering his lack with an excess of importance, a man looking for a pension -in a year or so, grey headed, fresh coloured. Bloor walked beside the doctor, garrulous now, having been dosed with a brandy flask. "I run all the way---over three miles. Never had such a fright in all my days, never!" "You are sure she is dead?" Dr. Perks asked. "Dead? Her face—it's too 'orrible to teal— caught by the train. I see it yet. I shall see it o' nights. It's a thing to live in your memory. You shut your eyes, and tbere it is. You open 'em, and there it is agent It comes atween you and your vittles, you and your work, you and your paper. I come on it sudden. Looking at your walls you know I was, walls a.nd roof.' "I thought you went to examine the line?" Dr. Perks said. "Not this time. The tunnel runs under the wood, Westford Wood. There's a spring broke out those j.uart a top of the tunnel. We've had a  IN  mighty lot of rain lately. Stationmaster WaS afraid this la.st storm might start the water Doming through. You never oan tell with these blooming springs. So I was looking at walls and roof." ,4 wen 1.,'  "llhen my toe 'itohed in something, an' I swung my light down. It fell right on----,right on what 'ad been a face." "Clear of the'linie?"  "Clear of the line—an the side of the down line next the wail." .  "Wt did you do then?" "Do ?—slung me 'ook, sir—went roa.ring out of the tunnel, stumbling, my knees weak as water, my 'cart pumping, my 'air stiffening; I lost my cap, I came crying, yelling, thinking all the time it was 9t reitAillilg OLI it 6 hands to clutch at me! Oh, Lord, I get the horrors when I think of it."  At the mouth of the tunnel the little doctor' plosed up with the two leading men. "I've brought my instrtunente, but from whaut Blom. says I doubt if I shall want them," he said.  "It's further along," Bloor volunteered, "about forty yards from the other mouth." An uncanny place, a black, evil-smelling place, the tunnel. Walls encrusted with thick layers of greasy soot, a smell of smoke, rails stretched like lines of fire under the gleam of the lanterns, footsteps ecthoing eerily, the eurickis vibrant singing of the wires. The men walked silently now, 'moving together almost unconsciously, Bloor edging into the very centre of them—ails lips working.  About forty yards from the other mouth they came upon the body. Evidently a young le...wan. The sergeant knelt leantin.g over her; over the poor, silent, mAngled thing lying palsively there on the roupili way. Very short indeed that journey into the Unknown for her. One hand, unglov.ed, lay pitifully limp, palm uppermost; scarred and torn and iblack with the soot of the wall.  The sergeant, stolid .and business-like, produced a notebook, and oommenoecl entering the gleanings of his cursory examination. Dr. Perks- , with ar'look at the poor crushed head, stepped back.  "Dead; quite dead, poor thing," he mid to the statianmaater. "Poor thing," he addod again. There was a rough reverenoe in the men. gathered togethe-,, looking down at the ia,..vt body.  "-Better put her on the ambulance." said the sergeant, rising at length. "When is the next down train due?"  "A goods train runs through at 12.5," ale stationmaster answered.  "Very well. Take her to the mortuary." He scribbled rapidly on a leaf af his notebook, a.nd tore it out. "Give that in at the police station. They must let the other stations know. That will give all instruction. stay back here, and just look round." "What do yoll make of it?" Gaskertt asked.  "Ah, that I can't say yet," the sergeant replied, importantly. "You will notiify you? people?" "I shall report to headquarters at King's Cross," said Gaskett. "Evidently suicide. Jumped out of the train, and was caught by it." "That's your idea, is it ?" The sergeant'. voice was non-eammittaL