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THE DEVIL DRIVING A LOCOMOTIVE. ...The “ Fat Contributor, ” in writing to the Cincinnati Times, tells the following: At the time I was in Columbus, Pennsylvania, the community was being startled or amused, according to the mental make up of communities’ constituent parts, by the story of a haunted locomotive. An engineer and fireman oa the middle division asserts that while running a night express one night last week, the devil stepped on board the locomotive and proceeded to run it without the aid of fireman or engineer, those worthies falling back in not very good order on the tender, where they sat tremblingly observing the opperations of his Satanic majesty. They aver that he not only opened the furnace door and put hie head in to see how the fire was burning, but that he actually crawled in, and they could distinctly see him in the glaring light industriously stirring up the fire with his tail! This seeras incredible, I admit, but both the engineer and fireman say they will swear to it. Then emerging from the furnace without a hair being scorched he proceeded to handle the levers as though he had run a locomotive all his life, humming some diabolical tune meanwhile. He did not crowd on all the steam, as they expected he would do, and run the train with its passengers to destruction at a devil of a rate; but, on the other hand, he used the accustomed caution, slacking up around the curves, and behaving altogether like a careful, temperate engineer who recognized his responsibilities. Once only did he notice the terror-stricken men on the tender, and then he made an imperious motion to the fireman to fire up, and when he hesitated the devil fired up himself so infernally that the fireman made haste to comply with the command. It seems strange that he didn’t take advantage of his opportunity to run the train to destruction, but he was probably satisfied with the pace at which the passengers were going to the devil any how, and accordingly held his hand. Arriving at a bridge crossing a deep stream, he suddenly waved them an adieu, and leaped off the engine over the bridge and disappeared. The men say a blue flame followed him, and they could hear a great sputtering of the watter when he struck.It is declared in Columbia to be a fact that when the train reached the next station these men told the above story, and actually refused to run any further on that engine, so that it became necessary to substitute other men for them in order for the train to proceed I give you the story as it is current in Columbia. It is a strange enough story at the first blush, but judging from the diabolical accidents that frequently occur on our railroads, one might think it was not so very rare a thing after all for the devil to run trains.
Newspaper Details
Williamsport Warren Leader
Williamsport, Indiana, US
Wed, May 08, 1872
Page 1
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 03 Jul 2024
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