Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-07-31
SAYS HE KILLED HIM.
FIREMAN RooDHoUsE MAKES
A CONFESSION.

He Tells How He Killed Engineer Van.
motive Tragedy at Van Vert, Ohio, the
Result of a Quarrel.
Van Vert (0hlo) special: The mys-
terry surrounding the horrible murder
OF Engineer Madison Vandevander has
at last been cleared up by confession
from Fireman Samuel Roadhouse at the
coroner's inquest The evidence was so
strong against Roadhouse that when he
heard OF 1t ne concluded to make full
confession. He was still confined to his
bed and after a few moments delIbera-
tiOn said:
"Sherlff, want to tell you something.
/ killed Vandevander." While he was
speaking his throat clogged and no
uttered tho three last words IN a husky
voice.
81 did it," DO continued, "ln self
defense. He accused me OF informing
the superintendent that he was drunk
at Devils Lake last week, and, al
though l offered to prove to him that
had not reported him, he refused to be-
lieve me, and had been abusing me more
or less since then. Last Friday, while
we were at Franklin getting ready to
go out on our run, we had quarrel and
came near exchanging blows.
"When..we reached Enterprise he COM
menced on me again and said: D
you, I'll fix you Van was powerful
and desperate, and, to tell the facts of
the case, was afraid Of him. After
leaving Enterprise he repeated the
threat, and l walked back to the tool
box when he wasn't looking and fixed
the hammer they found with the handle
sticking out so could grasp It, then
started back to my seat In the cab. just
before l reached 1t Van reached out his
left arm and dealt me terrible blow on
the left side Of the head,' pointing to
the cash IN tRafo fof SD" &onent az Ssf tHSd and just
as was about recovered he raised his
right hand from the throttle and gave
me another terrible blow on the right
side Of the head.
"I jumped back, grabbed the ham
mer, and catching 1t with both hands
raised 1t, and, throwing all my weight
on II, brought 1t down on Vans head
with all the force could muster. Yhe
first blow did not appear to stun him
and showered several more blows-I
don't remember how maryland did not
QUIT until he lay still. l then picked
anu Sdb bnC cCd1 Oh MS
side Of the engine, where he was found.
/ hardly realized what had done until
1t was over with. At first did not
know what to do, and lay down on the
floor OF the engine and in the few min
utes which elapsed 1t came to me to fix
up the story told DIR. Woods. just as
we had passed Van Vert Van raised his
head, and again picked up the ham
mer and dealt him another blow which
opened his head. felt the blood and
4as.inR se.Aa itar. ou-rpv face. That vas all
The fact of Roadhouse's confession
was kept quiet until he could be placed
in the county jail, as 1t was feared that
should the news get out there would be
an attempt to lynch him, coming so
soon after the funeral of the murdered
man.
After he had been placed safely be.
hind the bars IL became noised about
that he had made full confession, and
the news passed from lip to lip like
lightning, and in few minutes large
crowd had gathered about the jail.
/. which Is such weak and poorly-con-
structed building that 1t would not
take more than half dozen determined
men to break into it.
Lynching Is freely talked Of, and as
there are large number Of railroad
men in town who came to attend Vande-
vander's funeral 1t would not be surpris-
ing IL there would be trouble.