Today’s short story took place in Autumn 1900, some 123 years ago. Hopefully this is the first time you’ve heard of this.

John Ferry, a miner of Hall Street, Dixon’s Rows Blantyre left his friends in Glasgow Central Station on the evening of Friday 12th October 1900. He hopped on board the train to go home to Blantyre. However, shortly into the journey, he realised, he was aboard the wrong train heading to Greenock, instead of Blantyre. Realising his error, he decided to jump from the train, quite near to Bishopton.

However, he landed very badly, significantly injuring himself, unable to walk. With it being so late, his calls for help went unanswered and he ended up lying on the track the whole night.

When found the next morning by railway workers, he was practically unconscious from exposure of the cold night and of concern his head was resting on the rail. Had those workers not found him, an accident would surely have occurred once the trains were up and running for the morning.

Reading other various reports about John (and his wife), I believe the couple were well known characters in Blantyre, often in and out of scrapes, sometimes with the law, or making some headline or other.