The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-09-26
A NARROW ESCAPE.
A Railroad Engineer Comes Near Being
Lynched By Mob.

Lyhcneu by MOD
CHICAGO, September 25.-Seth Towmbley,
engineer of the freight engine which last
evening crashed into the suburban train at
Eighty-seyenth street and Vincennes ave-
nue., had narrow escape from being
lynched. In five minutes after his ar
rest reports of the collision had
spread. The wreck was surrounded
by a great crowd from neighboring
stations. Nearly all the killed and wounded
were residents of the vicinity, and the in
dgnation aroused at the sight of the
scalded corpses soon reached the heat of
mob fury. A cry went up from the crowd ::
where's the engineerP"
''There he goes" replied the frightened,
white faced brakeman, who was trembling
in the clutch of half dozen strong hands.
The figure of a running man could be seen
up the track in the dusk, and 'There he
goes; lynch himp rang out from the CROW d.
A hundred made chase after the fugitive.
He had the start of 500 feet, and when he
turned around and saw the
rush, he doubled his exertions.
The pursuers were fleet also,
and they might have overtaken him. but a
few blocks up he plunged from the track
into side street and disappeared into the
gathering darkness
The coroner this morning sent a telegram
to the captain of police of Englewood dis
trict to arrest Engineer Towmbly of the
freight train which telescoped the Rock
Island accommodation train last night,
and he was locked in the station house at
Englewood. The police say he has the ap-
pearance OF Just recovering from the intiu-
ence of liquor Towmbly has the reputa-
ton of being a reckless and fast runner,
and it is alleged by railroad officials that
he is q steady drinker. Immediately
after the accident a great num-
Der of people insisted Towmbly was
drunk, but the reporters found people who
assured them the engineer was perfectly
sober. 1owmbly gave the following ac-
count of the disaster:
I'VE left Auburn junction and were pro-
ceeding on orders. | did not notice the
train standing at South Englewood until it
was too late to avert the trouble. | did not
see a ed light hanging from the semaphore
arm. | reversed my engine and put on the
vacuum brakes, but 1t was too late, ana
after bidding my fireman jump for his life
jumped myself"
Persons who saw him before he left the
city say he had been drinking all the af-
ternoon and that when his train was made
up he was so stupefied from liquor he had
to be picked up and lifted into the cab.
He Is a son OF the master mechanic OF the
road.
Gus Mulcahy, messenger boy who was
in the wrecked car, died of his injuries this
morning. L. A. Cleche, fireman on the
freight train, is detained as a witness.
Both he and Towmbly were somewhat in
jured. Both have made statements in re-
gard 10 the matter and agree in asserting
that the blame for the accident
is due to the neglect of
the conductor of the passenger train.
They say that no warning lights were
placed at the end of the rear car and they
did not know of the danger until they were
within three car lengths of the passenger
train, They were behind time, and were
behind an hour when the accident occur
red. Each asserts he stuck to the engine
and crawled out ofthe debris after the ac-
cident Towmbly declares that he was not
drunk and that he had not drank any
thing for long time.