The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-09-11
Tied to the Track.

One of the most atroCous crimes ever
committed was perpertrated at a poiIt
lear Henryville, Ind, about 20 miles back
of Jeffersonville, on Saturday night week.
A brief account of the affair was given by
telegraph, but the following details from
the Jeffersonville correspondence of the
Louisville COu-ier-J0uTHGl will De found
Interesting
As freight train No. 10, coming south on
the J., NJ. anG |. Railroad, due at 10 o. /,
clock yesterday morning, i'll charge of Con-
ductor Waterhouse, had reached a point
about one mile this side of lIenryville, the
train was hailed and stopped. y number
of men, probably q dozen, were gathered
around a man, and Conductor W WaterhOuSe
was told that a man had been run over by
a previous train, and was dying. The con-
ductor had the injured man taken on board
the train, i'll company with DIR. Ferguson,
of Henryvile, who had been called to rem
der medical services. The injured man
had his left leg torn off by the train, and
weak from the loss of blood, and for
some time after he was aboard was unable
to talk. He, however, revived for atime,
and told the following horrible story
''My name is August Gardner. | was
born in France, and have been from that
country but short time. | am but TWEEN
ty-three years old. | have no relations or
friends in this county. My father is dead.
| was going down to Louisville in search of
employment. and as | had but little money
| thought would walk. 1t could not have
been mnch past ten O'Clock last night,
! when three men came up to me as L was
/ walking along the track. One of them de-
manded my money. | told them that |
! was poor, having only few dollars. This
/ did not do any good, for they seized me,
/ two holding me and the other one search
| ing my pockets and taking my pocket book
and everything else | had. They then
threw me down on the track. | thought
/ that they were going to kill me and beg
ged them to spare my life. They said
/ nothing, but one of them produced a long
piece Of rope from his pocket, and they
. commenced to tie me to the track, over a
I cattle-guard. | was badly frightened, and
begged them hard not to do that. | told
them that | never knew them, and had
never done them any harm, and if they
would let me go | would say nothing of
/ what had occurred. While | was talking
and pleading with them they still kept on
tying me to the track over the cattle-guard.
. They tied me lengthways to the rail. The
/ rope was tightly fastened around my body,
legs and arms. When they got through |
could not move my arms aud legs. While
| was begging them not to leave me there
they went off. | knew that the cars would
be along soon, and | tried my utmost to
free self and loosen the ropes that bouno
me. At first | did not think | would be
able to move at all, but, after repeated eff
forts | succeeded in working my arms and
body off the track. In swinging down,
tried To get my left leg off. but could not.
| yelled with all my might, hoping that
somebody would come and save me, but nC
one came. 1t raining hard at the
time, and very dark. | had been lying
there about an hour when | heard the cars
whistle. | cannot tell you my feelings
\ peyceptiDle Shudder here passed thro
the frame Of the dying man. In few
seconds the cars were nearly up to where
! was laying. ! gave a wild shrek and
closed my eyes. The cars passed over me,
the wheels cutting off my leg, and cutting
the ropes loose that bound me. | suffered
incnse pain, and crawed and dragged my
. self few feet from the track. | tainted
away, and when | came to | was very
thirsty. 1t still raining, and | dug 4
hole i'll dhe ground by nay face with my
fingers, 50 that it would fill with water
BY doing this | managed to get Il little
water. | was so weak that | could moi
move, and | hallcoed frequently during the
+ night for help but no one came until morn
ing, when | was found
The man has since died and the citizens
( of lIenrysville have offered 81 600 for the
perpetrators of this horrible crime.