Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1917 — RED BACK TO CAB [ARTICLE]

RED BACK TO CAB

RAILROADER TELLS 6f EXPERIENCE WITH “GHOST.” Turned Out to Be Harmlese, but He Admits It Gave Him Just About the Prize Scare of His Life. ‘ Ghosts? Why, yes, we have them along the railroad; lots of them. Get Under the skin of the boys on the night runs, and if they like you and you are properly qualified, well—possibly they will tell you, who knows? Blit it will be necessary to hav’e their confidence, for they are very reticent about discussing their friends of the sliadows',. for these ghosts are usually rattling good fellows whose ( society is rather enjoyed, remarks a railroad man, tn the Buffalo Express - Sometimes, however, they fail us, and—tftit I’ll tgll you. T Whs Tomlng up fFoTn “New "York last fall on the Chicago express No. 5. I turned in early, but the car was

hot and stuffy, and after tumbling around for an hour or so, findiug it impossible to sleep. I dressed and swapped stories with the train crew until we reached Wilkes-Barre, when I went ahead and climbed on the engine, thinking that the night run up the river would straighten me out. I was -awakened, however? by the fireman who. entering the cab at that moment, began to unfold a weird tale concerning a headless man with a luminous body who, on nights like this, haunted the woodlands of the* river bluffs below Glendon's -eddy ; how the apparition had appeared to many of the boys on the night runs, and was known to have on one occasion, raised a glowing arm-in-saiute as the train swept past him ; how he had been repeatedly seen leaning against an old stump near the entrance of a small ravine, and at another time, how the enof a Symbol Liner found him sitting on a rail, only to disappear in mist as the pilot point touched him.

You can rest assured that I lost all desire for sleep as he continued to relate the various doings of this ferocious goblin, and I was mighty glad we were traveling so fast that even a vigorous, ill-mannered ghost couldn't catch us with a handicap. But it was another case of the unexpected The airbrakes were suddenly applied and speed was gradually reduced until we came to a full stop, not far, as r best jl-could judge owing to the darkness, from the long sweep near Primrose creek at Fenton’s ferry. Something had gone wrong with the engine and the engineer, fireinau_and myself were soon on the ground, looking over the big machine. It was only a trifling matter —a lost pin from one of the big siderods —which -was promptly located and neatly repaired, when, chancing to glance behind me, what’ did I perceive, to. my horror, standing on the bank, not a dozen feet away, but a phosphoresceiitpersorrage, to my imagination at least ten feet high, with long legs and arms, but lacking a head, showing out in bold ’relief, glowing and brilliant against the intense blacjc background like a set piece of Fourth of July fireworks.

And when it shook itself together and slid down the bank, started for the engine, stood ’tTie cmgTneer and watched the repairs being made, my hat simply went up about four inches and I had urgent business right back in the cab of that locomotive with every window and door closed-tight to keep out the night air. just- as the first fairrt streaks of tag with the river mists and the feathered songsters were caroling forth their welcome to the early morh, from, every tree and bush along the river, as we rolled across the long bridge at Towanda, I came to and glanced across the cab at my companion of the night, and although I knew that my expression demanded an explanation, none was forthcoming, a bland smile being his response; and it was not until we reached the end of the run. on time, and were seated together on an old box in the roundhouse stall, that he loosened up. And what do you think? Why, that terrible headless monster was only a poor, old, innocent German who had unearthed a small vein of radium in the immediate vicinity of where we had stopped, and while working the same during the night time to avoid meddlers and interference, permitted his clothing to become Impregnated with the - “radiant stuff, to the consternation of the night-liners, unintentionally becoming, for a short period, the Shining Spirit of the Susquehanna.