The Devil Driving A Locomotive

The " Fat Contributor," in writing to tie Cincinnati Times, tells the following : At the time I was in Columbus, Pennsylvaniu, the conimunity was being startled or amused, according to the mental make-up ot' the communities' constituent parto, by the story ot' a haunted loomotivc. An UDginétl and tiroman on tho ïuiddle división assertod tliat whilo running a night express ono night last week, tho devil stopped on board the locomotivo and procoeded to run it without the aid oí ni'otuan or cnginerr, thoso worthies falling back in not very good order on the tender, where they sat treiubüngly observing the opor.itions ot his Satauic majesty. Theyarer that ho not only op ■ii'.il the turnaou door and put hishoad in to see how tho üro burnod, but tbat he actually orawlêd in, and tfu-y could see hiin distiiic'tiy in the glaring ijut indutriously stirring up the file uiiii iiis tuil ' This seenis incredible, I admit, but both tho enginoer and üromen piy thoy will swear to it. Thiüi ( melding from tho turnace without u hair being scorched, ho prooeeded to handlo thn levers as thougH he luid run a tooemclim ali his iii'o, humming some diabolical tune meanwiiile. Hj did not crowd on : 1 :he stOiiu, as tüey oxpeoted he would do, and run tho train with ita passengen to overlasling smash at a dovil of a rato ; but, on the other hand, he usi d tho accust med caution, slac uiig up around tl:e curves, and behavii.g altogetlier iifc a tomj.erate, careful eogineer who ivoognized h;s responsibiiiues. Only i n„o did ho nutico thu two ter.ror-strioken men on the tendur, and ihon he n aio an iniptrious niotii ii to tho fireman to iiie up, and when be Jiisitated the devü iiivd up hiiuself so infernally that the lireiuan made hasteto coniply with the demand. It seems stranga that lio didn't take advantagu ot' his opportunity to run the train to destiuction, but ho was proba 'oly satistied with the pace at which the passungors vrere going to the dovil anyhow, and accordingly held his hand. Arriving at a briiijjo crossing a defep stream, he suddeuly1 wiivcd them an adieu, anl leaped ort' tlin engine over the biidgú and disappeared. Tho men say a blue name foilowed him, and they could liear a great spulto 'ng ot' tho water when ho .'truck. It is declaied in Colombia to bo a fact that when the train reached the uext sta ■ tiou these maa told the abovj story, and actually roi'us'id to run aiiy i'urther (H that engiiu', so thut it broamo nocessary to substituto other men tbr them in order i'or the tr.iin to pnn eed. I gh o you the story as it is cuireui m Columbia. It is a ttroiigfl onough siory at the fiist bhish, but judgingfrom the diiibolioalaccidents that friquently occur on our lailroadp, ono jnight think it was not so very rare ft thing after all r the devil to run trains.