The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-08-09
TRAIN WRECKERS DETECTED.

TRAIN WRECKERS DETECTED.
How n Faithful Engineer Went Down to His
Denth.-" Could have Jumped and Saved
Myself, but the Train Would have Gone
Down."
The cases of Leroy Oliver, George B.
Gibson, James Long, and Allen NJ.
Greenstreet, the four desperadoes who
are held as the wreckers of the Texas ex-
press upon the st. Louis and San Fran
cisco railroad, on the night of June 2,
were called before a grand jury at Dixon,
the county seat of Pulaski county, Mis-
souri,, special session of that body hav-
ing been ordered. The details of the af-
fair were slow in developing, owing to
the suppression of the facts pto the
time of the capture of the four men.
On the night of June second, when
the Texas express entered the gloom OF
the Ozark mountains, terrific storm of
wind and rain was raging. The storm
was tempest in force. Little streams
had swollen to torrents. In the cab OF
the engine, Frank Cation, the engineer,
stood with his hand upon the throttle
and peered into the tempest, keeping
sharp lookout for any distractions that
the storm might have thrown upon the
track. By his side was Sam Richardson,
q hardy young fellow, the fireman of the
engine. There was one other man on the
engine, a friend of Caton's, DR.. E. l..
Atkinson, who had stepped aboard to
ride few miles. The train was on fill.
Forty feet below was the level of the
ground. The engineer observed heap
of rubbish and leaves upon the track:
At the same instant his eye, accustomed
to dark nights and the distinguishing of
objects in dim light, saw the form OF a
man stealing into the deeper darkness,
away from the light of the engines bea-
con. far down at the base of the hill. He
suspected foul play. With one hand he
pulled the cord, and the engine gave a
warning shrek. Then he seized the re-
verse lever, and, with desperate pull,
reversed the engine and applied the air
brake. Too late With his hands yet
upon the lever, he went to his death.
The engine reached the seeming obstruc
tions. A trap had been laid. Two rails
had been loosened at one end, and their
course diverted. The intention of those
who did it was to plunge the train into
the depths below. The engine passed
over the brow of the hill. 1t rolled down
the embankment to the very base and
stopped with the wheels in the air. The
three occupants of the cab were beneath
it, crushed and mangled.
When the engine left the track and
started upon the path made by the mis-.
placed rails, it gave wild plunge and
bound. The coupling between the ten
der and the baggage car gave way, but
not until the heavy car turned upon its
side. The remainder of the train came
TO dead stand still, safe upon the track.
There were but few passengers on
board. The traffic is generally Light on
night. Some of them were doz-
ing in their seats. Others sat looking
out into the gloom, listening to the how
ling of the storm. When the warning
shrek of the engine was followed by the
sudden and violent stoppage of the train,
the passengers sprang to the windows to
ascertain what was the matter. A. ID.
Wilson, the conductor of the train, was
seated in a rear car. He seized the Ian
tern, and jumping from the platform,
started forward. He had struggled
through the mud and weeds at the side
of the track but few feet when a pistol
shot was heard. A bullet passed through
his hat. The bullet came within an
eighth of an inch of his scalp. The SEN
sation stunned him partially, and he fell
to the ground. His lantern was extin-
guished. Seven more shots were fired
in quick succession, and then everything
was quiet. The shots came from the ra-
vine upon the side of the ill down which
the engine had plunged. One passenger,
with his face close to window, saw by
the flashes of the pistol five men, hud
died together in the shadows. 1t be-
came evident that the parties who had
done the firing had fled, and the passen-
gers came out of the cars. Walking for
ward, they saw at glance how the rails
had been tampered with. One man
picked up a new monkey-wrench, claw
hammer, and a common laborer's pick
axe. These had been used to tear the
rails from their strong fastenings.
All hands groped down the muddy
bank to where the wrecked engine lay.
emitting angry volumes of steam. Word
passed that there weae men beneath.
Willing hands set to work. The body
of the fireman was taken out, burned,
scalded, and mangled. He must have
died instantly. Next the searchers Sc
cured the remains of DIR. Atkinson.
Then they came to poor Frank Cation,
the engineer. He was burned, scalded,
and crushed, but he was still alive. He
clung to life with a tenacity that was
wonderful, and it was full two hours be-
fore death put an end to his sufferings.
Speaking slowly and with an effort that
was agonizing, he told those who gath
cred about him how he had noticed the
obstructions, how he had tried to save
the train, and how he and his compan-
ion had gone down to death. When he
had told his story he feebly gasped: II
could have jumped and saved myself,
but the train would have gone down. y
These were his last words.