Ashli and I heard rumors of haunted train tracks in Sauk Centre so we went to the Stearns History Museum to do a little research.  What we found is nothing short of chilling.

The story is that a man haunts the train tracks near the spot his body was found.  Fact or fiction?  Take a look at our findings.

According to articles published by the Sauk Centre Avalanche from September and October of 1903, in September of 1903 the mangled remains of a man were found on the railroad tracks near Sauk Centre.  Mystery surrounded his death as he was found with no hat, no money, nothing on him.  A notebook was found in a coat pocket and in there was a portrait of a man, the only clue investigators had in trying to identify the man

His body was sent to Melrose for an inquest, where the man was identified as Herman Neitzell.  He was a carpenter and his father testified that he had about $20 on him when he left.  It was determined that he was likely killed and robbed for his money by tramps and his body thrown on the tracks to make it appear as though it were an accident.  It is worth noting that the coroner estimated he had been run over at least 7 or 8 times.

It was after this incident that ghost stories started popping up.  It is said that Herman haunts the scene of his death and did things to annoy the men working the tracks.  He is seen walking up and down the track until he reaches the spot where he was found and then just disappears.   The men even claimed they would not be paid to visit the spot early in the morning or at nightfall because it made them so uneasy.

Many have tried to debunk this by saying there are no consistencies in the stories people presented.  For example the description of his clothes was always different.  Some folks say the whole story is a hoax while others swear it to be truth.

I seriously have goosebumps and chills just from typing this out.  I don't know what to think for sure, but I'm guessing there's at least an element of truth to it.  I'm not sure I care to prove it one way or the other because it's just too scary to contemplate!

What do you think? Fact or fiction?

 

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