lately as December 5th, 1890." Mr. Stead then proceeds to quote the
account which he had from Mr. Kendall, and which I append _ad verbum_
from the _Review of Reviews_. It is as follows: "I was night watchman at
the old Darlington and Stockton Station at the town of Darlington, a few
yards from the first station that ever existed. I was there fifteen
years. I used to go on duty about 8 p.m. and come off at 6 a.m. I had
been there a little while--perhaps two or three years--and about forty
years ago. One night during winter at about 12 o'clock or 12.30 I was
feeling rather cold with standing here and there; I said to myself, 'I
will away down and get something to eat.' There was a porter's cellar
where a fire was kept on and a coal-house was connected with it. So I
went down the steps, took off my overcoat, and had just sat down on the
bench opposite the fire and turned up the gas when a strange man came
out of the coal-house, followed by a big black retriever. As soon as he
entered my eye was upon him, and his eye upon me, and we were intently
watching each other as he moved on to the front of the fire. There he
stood looking at me, and a curious smile came over his countenance. He
had a stand-up collar and a cut-away coat with gilt buttons and a Scotch
cap. All at once he struck at me, and I had the impression that he hit
me. I up with my fist and struck back at him. My fist seemed to go
through him and struck against the stone above the fireplace, and
knocked the skin off my knuckles. The man seemed to be struck back into
the fire, and uttered a strange, unearthly squeak. Immediately the dog
gripped me by the calf of my leg, and seemed to cause me pain. The man
recovered his position, called off the dog with a sort of click of the
tongue, then went back into the coal-house, followed by the dog. I
lighted my dark lantern and looked into the coal-house, but there was
neither dog nor man, and no outlet for them except the one by which they
had entered.