Huntsville gazette., 1886-07-24
TRAPPED.

Parties Confess.
ST. LOUIS, July 19.-The mystery sur
rounding the wrecking of a freight train,
which occurred at three O'Clock on the
morning of April 26, half mile south of
Wyandotte, Kan, has been cleared up by
the Missouri Pacific secret service. There
are now in custody Richard Hamilton,
Mike Leary, o. J. LrSrd, Robert Clear,
VIM. Vossen and Fred Newport, who are
charged with causing the derailing of the
train. 1t is also charged that these men
are Knights of Labor and were strikers.
The train derailed was freight. 1t was
moving at high rate of speed and was
almost within whistling distance of the
town when the rails spread, the engine
struck the ties, rebounded, turned on its
side and went down the bank into the
Kaw river, taking several cars with it.
Ben. f. Horton, the fireman, and Geo.
Carlisle, head brakeman, were on the
tender when the rails gave away, and
were caught underneath the broken
boiler of the engine, where they were
slowly scaded to death.
1t was not hard to discover the cause
OF the accident. Spikes had been drawn
for the length of two rails on the side
near the river, and fish-plate bolts had
been drawn from ffty-one ties, plainly
showing that some persons had planned
that there should be a wreck there.
The local authorities were unable to find
out who had executed the details of the
plan. The railroad people said it was the
work of strikers; the latter said the rail-
road officials had caused it to be done to
reflect on the strikers. Furlong, the
Missouri Pacific detective, began TO work
in the case. He found wig near the
scene of the wreck. A Kansas City hair
dealer identified it as one he had sold to
Richard Hamilton, striker, who said he
was going to "slug some scabs." 1t was
learned that on the night before the acci-
dent party of men had crossed the river
from Kansas City to Wyandotte, and the
man who rented them the boat said one
of the party was disguised with wig.
He gave some good descriptions of the
men who occupied the boat that led the
detective to suspect some Kansas City
Knights.
Finding it impossible to secure proofs
against them, Furlong concocted
scheme to secure confession. His base
of operations was Oliver S. Lloyd, one
of the loudest of those who favored ex-
tlCiHC lnCbuO0S VI WIN 1iiS
railroad company. Lloyd was arrested
May 5, for throwing switches and locked
up at Kansas City. FurIong had succeed
ed in learning all the secret work of the
Knights of Labor aud in obtaining the
latest passwords and signs. The detec-
tive then impaired this information to
two OF his operatives who, under the
nom de guerre Geo. Alfred and Thos.
Martel, went to Kansas City and ingra-
tiated themselves with local Knights on
the strength of the information concern
ing the order they had obtained. The
Sheriff, who is Knight, was taken in
and to HIM sAlfred" repre- sented himself
to be a secret agent of Powderly, sent to
remove, if possible, the odium OF unlaW-
full acts from tine order.
He easily secured an interview with
Lloyd, who was told the same story. Al
ter gaining his confidence aud that of his
attorney, "Alfred'' secured Lloyd's re-
lease on bond. Mr.. Frank Tut, counsel
for the Missouri Pacific, opposed the re-
lease and said he had another charge
against Lloyd. This frightened the lat
ter, and he readily acceded to 'Alfred's"
proposition to come to st. Louis. On
arrival here the party went to the st.
Louis Hotel on North Broadway. There
"Martel," in the absence of 'Alfred," Sc
cured confession from Lloyd.
As the detective tells the story Lloyd
said that he and sixteen others had some
days prior and SUBSEQUENT to the wreck
ing lived in the house, 1909 Union ave-
nue., Wyandotte. On the night of the
25th of April he and four others got into
a boat and rowed along the river bank to
where the section boss box of tools was
standing. They found there the claw
bar lying outside the box, and not, as
that official stated, in the box. The box
was never broken open. They went to
work about 2:30 O'Clock, and tore up the
rails in few minutes time, got into the
skiff, roWed back and went to the place
where they had been lodging. They
heard of the wreck the next morning.
81 was" he said, 'stickled to death
when l heard of the wreck, but didn't
like the killing of the men. said that it
would hurt the order, but If my own
brother was under that wreck i ii I'd go
q step to get him out if he was sscab.'"
On Alfred's return he was told OF the
confession, and that ewing Furlong called
under The name of Mr.. Thomas with an
other man who was introducedas Colonel
Davis. The whole story was told them
with the apparent object of seeing how
far any defense Lloyd might suggest
would go toward saving him.
After discussing defenses, "Colonel
Davis" said they were all worthless and
suggested that Lloyd go to Kansas City
and get all the men implicated in the
wrecking to leave the country. This was
the best way to avoid convictions. Lloyd
consented and boarded a train at the Un-
ion Depot the same night with Alfred,
Martel, Thomas and Davis. Lloyd is re-
ported to have been in very gay mood
on the trip, and wrote letters to the
Mayor of Kansas City, Knight to whom
he introduced Alfred, also to his wife and
other Knights.
When Pacific was reached, the detec-
tive's comedy having been fully played
as to LLOYD, he was introduced to MI.
Thomas-Furlong, and in that introouc-
ton made aware of the trap he had fallen
into. He was placed under arrest ana
removed from the train at Independence,
where he was placed in special car on
a siding under guard. There he made a
written confession to Inspector Bunneil,
in which he changed some of the detail
facts of his oral confession, but held TO
rial okou