Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-25
A TRAIN HELD Up
An ExaSperating Time With
TrampS on the Pal. E.
A HIGH TIME ON A FREIGHT
Which the Conductor Stops Many
Times for DeSperadOeS.
RESCUERS SUMMONED FROM HERE,
While the Train is Side-Tracked at Alli-
Quippa Awaiting Relief.
A HIGH TIME ONA FREIGHT
RESCUERS SUMMONED FROM HERE,
ARREST AND SENTENCES OF A DOZEN

A gang of tramps took complete posses
sion of freight train No. 81, on the Pitts
burg and Lake Erie Railroad, near the city,
late Saturday night, and deied the conduc-
tor or his crew to do anything with them.
The conductor summoned aid from the city,
and special train, with number of police
officers aboard, went to the rescue of the
freight train, which had been side-tracked,
and placed II of the trsmps under arrest.
The more desirable portion of the ugly gang,
SO far as Justice is concerned, took to the
woods and escaped.
Freight train No. 81 pulled out of the
CHARTERS yards of the company at 7:3O
O'Clock Saturday night Beside its regular
cargo of merchandise it had number of
disagreeable and unwelcome passengers.
The trsmps were as ugly looking body of
men as could be gathered together.
They seemed to occupy every available
part of the train, and had become so nu-
merous that the conductor could not, under
any circumstances, cope with them. He
and the brakemen ordered them off the
train several times, but they refused to obey,
and laughed at the railroaders. When they
were pressed by the trainmen to leave they
MADE SOME UGLY THREATS.
The conductor saw that he and his crew
could not do anything with them, and that,
if fight took place, his men would fare the
worse for it. No blows were struck by the
tramps, but if they had carried out their
threats with the coupling pins and missiles
they carried, the train and the road would
have been annihilated.
Several times the train was stopped. The
tramps would descend each time, and arm
themselves with rocks picked up from the
railroad ballast, coupling pins and other
improv1sed weapons of defense. The con-
ductor would then parley with them for
awhile, but when the train commenced
moving again the tramps would climb back
into their old resting places and laugh at
the trainmen's efforts to oust them.
Conductors on the road have received
strict orders that no tramps be allowed to
ride on the trains under any circumstances.
This gang was beyond control, however, so
a stop was made at Alliquippa, and the
train was run on a sidetrack. A telegraph
message was sent to the general Offices of
the road in the city, asking for aid. The
train was compelled to lay at this station
for several hours and await the arrival of
the rescue train.
Still the men could do nothing with the
tramps, who amused themselves at the ex-
pense of the train hands by taunting and
threatening them.
Trainmaster Dietrich and Detectives
Cook and Irwin went down the road as far
a. Il
got a special engine and car and made the
rescue run to Alliquippa. The major part
of the gang of tramps, and a number of
thieves besides, who are known to be work.
ting the little towns along the railroad, sus-
pected that something was wrong and took
to the woods, thus escaping. The
OFFICERS DID NOT FARLEY
long with the remainder; but, being we'll
armed and plucky, brought them to the car
and locked them up. The tramps were, in
deed, surprised by the officers and made no
united resistance. The party arrived in the
city at 3 o'clock yesterday morning. Patrol
wagon No was called, and the gang were
taken to the Thirty-sixth ward station
house. No concealed weapons were found
on their clothing, although they all carried
good big pocket knives. At hearing YES
terdav morning nine of the fellows were
sent to the jail and workhouse and three
were discharged.
Detective Cook, who assisted in the cap
ture, last evening said that the gang of
thieves who would have robbed the cars
and private houses along the road Cater
whom they went in particularly had escaped.
The number of tramps travelling over the
road lately is enormous, he says, and adds
that it is almost as much as a mans life is
worth to act as a train hand on any train
running between here and Youngstown.
The names of those sent to Jail were Frank
Wagters, Andrew Wheeler, Frank Kellar,
james Connell, Thomas Swaney, Patrick
Lynch and William Donahue. Edison
Grosbeck, Martin Atkinson, John Kelly
and John Smith were sent 80 days to jail.
George Moor was discharged.
One of the men, Matthew Shehan, had
over SIS in his pocket: a second had over
So. Detective Cook captured the thirteenth
tramp near the Pittsburg and Lake Erie
depot before leaving the city.