Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-07
MURDEROUS TRAMPS.
They Defy a Train Crew at Walls on
the Pennsylvania Railroad.
TWO BRAKEMEN BADLY WOUNDED
Foster Cox Shot Twice and Lying in a
Dangerous Condition.
EIGHT SUSPECTS ALREADY JUGGED

A serious affray between trainmen and
tramps occurred at 2:30 o'clock yesterday
afternoon near Walls station, on the Penn
sylvania Railroad. Two brakemen were
wounded, one of them perhaps seriously.
The affair occurred on the Greensburg
local freight, No. 982, westbound, of which
Mr.. Wiltrout was conductor. AT Larimer
station number of tramps climbed aboard
the cars. Some of them got into box cars,
while others mounted fats. Three men in
one party got upon a car near the front part
of the train. The front brakeman, Foster
Cox, went to the men and told them to get
off. They coolly informed him that they
intended to ride to Pittsburg. He told
them that they could not do so,
and that they must leave. AS the
men declined to move and looked pugna-
cious, Cox called to the middle brakeman,
Jesse Nichols, to come to his assistance.
While Nichols was hurrying over the cars,
two of the tramps drew revolvers and fired
at Cox. 1t is said that five or six shots
were fired. Cox fell upon the car on his
face, and at that moment Nichols jumped
upon the car on which the party was. He
was struck a heavy blow upon the head
with the butt end of revolver and felled
senseless. The train at this time had
passed Walls station, being near Moss Side,
and 1t was not stopped until near Wilmer
ding, the next station westward. Then the
tramps left the train and took to the hills
on the south side of the track.
cox Is FATALLY HURT,
The crew conveyed the two wounded men
to the caboose, where they were made as
comfortable as possible. After Ia short stop
the train started for Pittsburg. Nichols
soon recovered consciousness, but was very
weak from the blow on the head. Cox had
received two wounds and bled profusely.
One bullet had struck him il the left side,
just below the armpit. and had passed
around and lodged under the shoulder
blade. The other shot had entered his
cheek near the mouth and passed through
the face, emerging through the right jaw.
His condition was SO serious that it was not
considered by Conductor Wiltrout, safe to
take him to Pittsburg. He was removed
from the train at Turtle Greek.
Nichols was brought to Pittsburg, where
the train arrived about o'clock. He was
taken from the train at Twenty-eighth
street, with the intention of sending him 10
the West Penn Hospital. Information to
that effect was wired to the dispatcher's Office
in the Union depot However, when Nichols
arrived at the outer yard in this city he had
SO far recovered from the blow on the head
that he felt able to return by the next train
to his home in Greensburg. This he did.
ic w. nld 10
home is at Middletown, Pa. His condition
is reported, by wire to the Pennsylvania
Railroad officials, to be serious. Nichols is
also single man of % years and lives in
Greensburg.
AS soon as word of the affair was received
at the Union depot, Mr.. Hampton Hough-
ton, Chief of the special police force of the
Pennsylvania road, went to Wilmerding
and took up the trail of the tramps. He
returned to the city early in the evening
and reported that he had trailed the tramps
across the hills to McKeesport. In that
town he had lost all trace of them.
TWO MEN ARRESTED.
At 7:30 O'Clock Mr.. Houghton, assisted
BY Officers Morrison and Reilly, depot
officers, arrested two men who stepped off a
train at the Union depot and had them con- l
veyed to the Central police station. There
they were examined by Detective Fitzgerald.
One of them described himself as William
L. Way, q years old, and a printer by
trade. The other gave his name as Fred
Smith, 2S years old, following the business
of a canvasser. Both men claimed to be
from Philadelphia. The story which Smith
told to the detective was this:
"At Turtle Creek yesterday we got into a
fight with party of Italian laborers, who
hol Wa e.
them before Squire Powers. The Italians
had moved to Walls this morning, and we
went there with two constables to arrest
them. While we were at Walls boy came
running up the track, saying that some fel-
lows were shooting railroad men down
toward Moss Side, and that one of the rail-
road men was all bleeding We ran down
to the train. The man who was shot was
lying in the caboose, all covered with blood.
When we got near the train we passed three
fellows, who were walking as
fast as they could. They had their hands in
their pockets. believe they were the men
who did the shooting. They looked like
tramps. After that we went to Turtle
Greek, where II of the Italians were tried
and discharged. We then took a train and
came into the city, where we were arrested"
TWO MORE TRAMPS JUGGED.
Early in the evening telegraphic informa-
ton was received that the crew Of an incom-
ing freight train had two tramps locked in a
box car. Detective Houghton went to Thirty
third street, and arrested the two men when
the train came into the outer yard. They
spent the night in the Central police station.
Both were seedy customers. One gave his
name as Andrew Eagan, an Irishman, "a
years old and a resident of Philadelphia
The other said he was Henry McArdle, a
Scotchman Of 81 years. married man and
a toolmaker by vocation. His home is at
Rogers Ford. In his pockets were some
metal dies, razor and two new files. He
was the only one of the four who had any
articles of value in his clothing. All four |
were held as suspicious persons.
Later In the evening information was re-
ceived by Inspector McAleese that four
tramps had been arrested at Walls station |
and would be sent to Pittsburg on the first |
train.
The Pennsylvania employees have been
free from encounters with tramps for several |
months, although the tramp nuisance, the |
officials here say, is just about as bad as
ever.