Mexborough and Swinton Times February 24th 1939

Stationmaster Retires
“Corpse” In Glass Case Reminiscence
Mr. N. E. Osborne, Of Kilnhurst

After seventeen years at Kilnhurst L.M.S. Station. and 44 years with the L.M.S. Railway Company and the old Midland Railway Company, Mr. Alfred Ernest Osborne, stationmaster at Kiln-hurst L.M.S. Station, has retired at the age of 59.

Mr. Osborne started on the old Midland Railway at the age of 15, as junior clerk at Barton and Walton, Staffs, and is a native of Worcestershire. He was at Barton for just over two years, and then was transferred to Moira, Leicestershire, as senior goods clerk, and stayed from 1897 to 1917. He was then promoted to stationmaster, Gate, and took up his duties at Shipley in 1932.

He has seen many changes in railway time working during his with the company, and notes particularly the alteration of working arrangements when the Midland Railway was made part of the L.M.S. Railway.

Asked whether he had any unusual  experiences during his career, Mr Osborne told our reporter that while he was at Barton and Walton a stranger came to the station with a glass topped case, shaped like a coffin. Mr. Osborne helped the man to put the case on the platform, and was then returning to the porter’s room to finish his lunch, when he noticed a man hanging about on the platform at the other side of the line. The man looked very pale and acted in a queer manner. Mr. Osborne went into the room, and youthful curiosity made him peep through a hole in the frosted glass window.

He saw the man cross the line and get into the case and close the lid. Mr. Osborne waited for a while and then walked to the case, and sure enough the man was lying inside, and, in his own words, looked like a “corpse.” On the arrival of the stationmaster, Mr. Osborne told him of the occurrence and at first was disbelieved.

On going to the case, however, the stationmaster had proof that the story was true. The stranger arrived later to take the case to Burton, and the stationmaster asked “What about the corpse?” and informed him that the charges for carrying bodies by rail were very high. The stranger replied that the man was not dead but merely in a trance, and he then bought a ticket for him.

The stationmaster made further enquiries into the matter and was informed that the “man in the case” was appearing at a Burton theatre as a man in a trance. “`It was a bit of a shock at first,” said Mr. Osborne.

The presentation of a cheque to Mr.Osborne on behalf of the staff of the Kilnhurst station and others, was made last week by Mr. C Harness, at the station.