The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-01-17
A GRAFTON WOMAN.
Wrecked the B. Il q. Train..
Arrested AT Night i'm Male Att
tire at the Scene OF the Wreck


GRAFTON, w. VA, Jan. 6.-No more
revolving crime has ever come to light
in this vicinity than that of Mrs.
Burke last Wednesday nightin wreck
ing the Baltimore and Ohio st. Louis
express, causing two deaths and the
destruction of $4,000 worth of prop
erty. 1t will be remembered that
wheE the officials investigated the
affair they found an iron bar wedged
into the frog of the switch. A freight
train had safely passed the same
spot 30 minutes before, and this SEEM
ed to indicate that the person who
did the deed was waiting for the par
ticular train which was wrecked, and
had everything in readiness. 1t was
evident that robbery was not the OBJ
ject, for the point where the wreck
occurred is but 100 yards from three
or four houses.
The only motive for wrecking
the train, it was believed, was revenge.
Every clue possible was followed.
The only thing found about the
wreck was large clasp knife of pc
culiar pattern. The detective in the
course of few days, and quite by
accident, learned that Mike Burke
who was in Jail for stealing goods
from the Baltimore and Ohio cars,
had owned such q knife. He was
visited and said his knife was in the
possession of his wife
The detectives now believed they
had clue. Mrs. Burke was not sus-
pectcd, although she was somewhat
notorious. But man with whom
she was alleged to be intimate was at
once put under watch. An effort was
made to ascertain if Mrs Burke had
the knife She said she had given
it to the son of a neighbor. The boy
denied receiving the gift, Another
visit resulted in Mrs Burke saving
she had lost it.
1t was determined to arrest the sus
pected person. On Friday night, as
the officers were going to Mrs
Burke's to look for him, man was
seen to leave the rear of the house
and start up the railroad toward
where the wreck occurred. He was
followed. At the spot where the ca
tastrophe occurred the man stopped,
and, with lantern, searched the
ground about the switch. After
watching for some time the officers
concluded to arrest the man. They
were very much surprised TO discover
that their prisoner was a woman and
Mrs. Burke.
She broke down at once and con
fessed that it was she who derailed
the train. She said that it was done
for revenge against the Baltimore and
Ohio Company because Of the arrest
of her husband. Burke had been dis
charged some months before from the
employ of the company and immedi-
ately began to steal from the freight
cars. His thefts amounted to large
sums. He was at last caught and
locked up.
Mrs Burke determined on revenge.
She suspected the engineer and fire
man of the wrecked train of giving
information that implicated her hus-
band as they were witnesses. She
made up her mind to kill them and
to put the railroad company to great
trouble and expense. She had select
ed that particular spot because of
the steep bank over which the cars
would fall and because of the ease
with which the train could be de
rallied.
On the night of the wreck she had
hidden near the switch with a bar of
iron which she previously fitted to
the frog. AS soon as the freight
train passed she ran out and fastened
down the wedge and Immediately
went home, where she took off her
husbands clothes and put on her own.
She had lost the knife while whiting
to amuse herself as she was waiting
for the train.
The woman is rather cookbook
ing brunette, % years old. She has
been regarded as little fast She
tells her story without any sign of
sorrow for the awful crime that cost
two lives and left two families faith
erless. She has one child, pretty,
blue-eyed girl Of four, to whom she
is devotedly attached.
The feeling against her is very
strong, but will not result in violence.
Burke himself is overwhelmed over
his wife's deed, and says he does not
want to see her. She says she will
make no defense when put on trial
for the deed, but will make full
confession.