The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-09-16
Another Railway Massaere-A Rail
road ngineer PurpOselY Wrecks
Train--A Nephew of Gem. Lyon Kill K
ed-The- Murderer ARE sted. --- --~

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 1861.
A detachment of the Harris Light Caval- 1
ry, Col Mansfield, arrived here at FIVE (
O. clock, this afternoon, after sad experience I
and narrow escapes from the diabolical
treaeheryz of 6endish railroad engineers by |
the way The detachment consisted OF
three hundred men and ffty-one horses, I'M
der command of Lieut.. Col. Fitzpatrick
The rest of the regiment was already here
Col Fitzpatrick left New York at P. NJ
on Saturday, proceeding by way oil the
New Jersey Central Railroad to Easton, ana
the Reading and Lebanon Valley Railroads
to Harrisburgh, where he arrived at .
o'clock on Sunday morning, and immedi-
atelv upon. the arrival of the train, the en-
pine was detached, and the passengers were
left in the cars upon the track at the depot.
From that hour until eleven o'clock, Col.
Fitzpatrick was searching for some officer OF
the road to furnish an engine to take the
train across the river to the Northern Cen
trail Road, leading to Baltimore. At last he
sent party of his men to the engine house,
with orders to fire up one of the locomo-'
tives of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and
place it in charge of an engineer, who be-
longed to one of his companies His action
was resisted by the Railroad employ es, and
he was accosted by the Assistant Superin-
tendent, Samuel D. Young, who demanded
to know if Col. Fitzpatrick intended to take
the engine by force. He said that he was
under orders to take his men to Washington,
and intended to do SO, for which purpose he
he must have a locomotive, and he intended
to take one by force if necessary, and that
he should take the Assistant Superintendent
along with it, tied and gagged, if such, treat
ment was requisite.
49, L !
90 ahead the Superintendent promised to
provide an engine and engineer. This was
finally done. Upon arriving at the depot
of the Northern Central Road no train was
ready, and to avoid repetition of the ex-
periences at the other depot, and further de-
lay, as his men were without food, Col.
Fitzpatrick concluded to come on to Balti-
more with the train he had, and directed
the engineer accordingly.
They proceeded safely, at a rate of about
eight miles an hour, until within four
miles of Cockeysville, when the engineer
put on the steam, and began to run the
train at fearful speed. Col. Fitzpatrick
and his wife, and most of the officers, were
in the last car. The brakeman left his post
and came into the car, declaring that he
could not manage the brake-wheel, the
train was crashing along at such speed
In going around sharp curve, as soon as
the engine reached the straight road, the
steam was suddenly let on, fearfully in
creasing the rate of speed. Lieut.. Lyon,
nephew of the late Gen. Lyon, volunteered
to man the brake of the last car. Aided by
Sergeants Mcdonald and Fuller and one of
the privates he had managed to put down
the brake, when the foar cars Immediately
in front of it were violently thrown from
~, Il -
of the last car let it escape the same fate
Lieut. Lyon and Sergeants Mcdonald aud
Fuller and the private, who were manning
the brakes, were instantly killed. They
had CALAMITY exposed themselves to danger,
and lost their lives, but saved those of the
occupants of the last car
As soon as the cars were thrown of, the
engineer detached the locomotive and ten
der from the train, and started ahead, e1-
claiming, There, your Cd d--n train is
a wreck, and hope the whole party is kill
ed. Col. Fitzpatrick promptly gave orders
for his arrest and some of the men started
after him, and endeaVored by hurting stones
to knock him off the engine. The fireman
beside him was thus knocked insensible, but
the engineer at that time made his escape,
Finding in the command an expert opera
tor, Col. Fitzpatrick had the wires cut, ard
the ends FURNISHED and message sent to
General Dix, at Baltimore, informing him
of the occurrence, and desiring him 10 ar
rest the fugitive engineer.
The message of course went in both d.
rections. It was promptly responded to by
General Dix. An extra train was sent out
from Baltimore to arrest the engineer
When he was met he denied that any acct
dent had occurred, and protested to be only
in charge of a detached engine He was,
however arrested. He had already cut the
wires, but not until the message had been
sent. Upon his arrival at Cockeysville, he
had a whispered conversation with the tel
egraph operator, from whom he learned that
the message had gone before the wire was
cut.
1t is reported that when intelligence
reached Harrisburg, Assistant Superintend-
ent Young expressed qualification at the re-
suit, and hoped that Col Fitzpatrick was
among the killed.
IN addition to the four killed instantly,
three were so badly wounded that they have
since sdied. Fifteen others were badly
wounded, and number received COMMISSIONS
more or less severe. Two valuable horses
were also killed.
Except the three men who were too bad
ly mangled to be moved, all the wounded
were brought on to Baltimore, and convey
ed to the hospital there. They were met at
Baltimore by Major Bolger. Quartermaster
at Baltimore, who had prepared ambulanees
for the dead and wounded, and substan-
tial meal for the living, and took charge of
the dead to have the bodies forwarded to
New York to-day.
The detachment arrived at Baltimore last
night The intelligence Of the affair was
suppressed in order to effect the arrest of the
guilty parties.
At the Camden depot, en- route to Wash
ington, another difficulty was experienced
in procuring ears, but Col. Fitzpatrick again
took possession of train, and arrived here
at o'clock this afternoon.
Colonel fitzpatrick is a graduate Of West
Point, and was wounded in the battle of
Big Bethel This detachment of details is
procured from him. He is full of energy.
The affair will be subjected to legal investi-
CATION, and the cold-blooded murderers who
planned and executed this hellish outrage
will be punished.