Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-06

Partial Examination Before Judge Buck
ley Yesterday.
George Mathena, James Udell, William
Hoey, James Costello and Charles Mansell
were under examination all day yesterday,
before Judge Buckley in the Police Court,
charged with destroying railroad property
and displacing switches. W. A. Anderson
and E. C. Hart appeared for the defendants
and C. T. Jones conducted the prosecution.
The men were lately in the employ of the
railroad company.
Charles Newton, night yard-master for
the railroad company for the past twelve
years, was the first TO take the witness
stand. He said the defendants went to
work as usual on the night of their racket.
During the night he came across Mathena.
who was intoxicated, and told him to 90
nome that he was not in a fit condition to
work. Mathena said he would not. At
1890 o'clock the witness saw Udell asleep
on bench in the bridge tenders house.
Subsequently he found two misplaced
switches, and they were thrown in such a
way that an engine or train could not 90 I'D
or down the main track without having
been derailed. He observed that the bridge
tenders house had been nearly wrecked
and he reported it to the police. He could
not say, of his own knowledge, VINO turned
the switches.
R. D. Hatch, the bridge switchman, said
be was IN his room, which is parted of
from the switchman's room, when the
switchmen came in. He heard one of the
men say: We will not NEEDLE with old
Bob" a chair was hurled through win
dow, the stove upturned and then the win
dow was broken again. He did not go out
side for fear of injury, and also because
Costello advised him not to know anything
about what was going on. Hatch also
heard one Of the men say: Damn the
place; We will have strike" Witness
did not see the damage done, but knew it
was performed by the defendants, he recog-
nizing them by their voices.
William Hoey, one of the defendants,
was put upon the stand for the prosecution
aud testified that he came here from
when the racket under investigation &C.
Cured. The first sign of trouble was early
in the evening, when Costello came up TO
witness and said BLACK jim has been
let out. Put your lantern out, and we
won't work until he is put back" Wit
ness put his lantern out and Costello threw
his up against car. Just T. en- Mathena
and Collins came up, and when informed
what was up, Mathena invited all over to
the corner to get drink. There were two
ladies in the crowd. Several drinks
were taken and the ladies were
taken to their homes across the
river. The men then came to the
cabin at the end of the bridge to wake
up Black jim. He was sleeping on bench
and was aroused. They were just starting
away, when Costello seized a chair and
threw it against window. Collins then
picked up the chair and threw it through
another window. The party then went to
McLaughlin's place, and witness soon after
went to bed. There were seven in the gang
when they were drinking. Mathena and
witness were in the lead, and the former
said: " Newton had 10 business to let
Jim out; he was not too full to work"
Mathena seemed to only want to go around
to the saloons. Witness had heard moth
ing said about switches. He did not see
Hatch. When witness saw the windows
broken be knew there would be trouble,
and he got away from the men as soon as
possible. He knew nothing of the subse-
que3t actions of the men. The cause of
the trouble was the discharge of two men.
On cross-exsmination witness said he
heard no threats of destruction to property.
Collins was the drunkest man in the
crowd.
NJ. Hewitt, officer Rowland, Chief
Lee and others testified for the prosecution.
but their evidence was simply corrober-
alive of that of the above witnesses.
When the prosecution closed the charge
of displacing switches was dismissed, and
the case was continued until this morning,
when the defendants will put in their evil
dence on the other charge