Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-22
PLOTTED DEATH AND RUIN.
Confessions Of Men Arrested for Trying
/ to Wreck Trains Near Albany.

Il
I What purports TO be the confession Of three
Of the five men implicated in the recent At
tempts 1t train wrecking on the New York Gen.
trail railroad was published in the New York
Sun yesterday. The article covers over six
columns and 10 exhaustive. The ofacial leader
OF the Knights Of Labor Is implicated a. an
accomplish after the fact Edward J. Lee il
alleged to have furnished the wreckers with
money with which to leave the country after
they had wrecked the Montreal express. The
most circumstantial statement made by the con.
spirators who have confessed is that of Thomas
L. Cain, who confesses to q guilty knowledge
of three Of the attempts to wreck traina He
minutely details his experience on the night
Of August 20, when distractions were
placed on the track between West Albany and
Karner. After they had taken a number of
drinks they went out to the railway tracks.
Cain continues:
GAINS CONFESSION
"There was crossing near where we were;
and, after the train had passed. he said: Now
come across the crossing; you look up and will
look down and see il there is anybody around.
| He said: Here comes a train; wait here "a
minute stayed on the crossing for a second
and he said:
e Take this revolver and the first one that
comes up threaten to shoot Do not leave me.
stand by me whatever you do
Il took the revolver and sat down on the
edge OF the rail and he left mo and walked
/ down the track for little ways; he then came
back and said
:" What was that nose?'
81 said. 4 did not hear anything I stayed
there and he went down the track and after a
while called me saying:
/ Come now, let's get out OF here as soon as
possible
Il noticed that at the place that he called me
to thsrc'wero three ties on the track. He then
said to me:
"'Now, while I am doing this work you
| stand over me with revolver
He then pulled the ties out from the rail
| and dug deeper hole under each side and
placed one end of q tie under each rail between
the ties SO that the other end OF the tie ex-
tended over the top of the opposite rail He
then put one tie in the center to brace them
l said to film:
My God, if anything strikes this she is
going off sure
He said: Never mind what strikes it; the
sooner We get it done and get away from here
the better fer ourselves"
I'VE went down the track after this work was
completed. As soon we had done the work
l gave him the revolver. which he had carried
In his hand while We were walking along the
track. cannot say positively what time it
was when the work was completed AZ said
before, had no watch with me- and by this
time was pretty well under the influence of
liquor, but not SO much so that did not know
all that was going on about me. l think it
must have been near l o'clock"
THE CAsTLEToS WRECK.
Regarding the wreck at Castleton Cain gives
long history of the journey of himself with
Cordial and Reed. the other two wreckers. He
added: I'VE then continued up tho track to
the cabbage switch. Reed said: Let's fix the
nnk md hn Il atxI Al
switch lock- l told him l did not think my
key would open it, but took my key out of
my pocket and while / fumblng with
tho switch lock Reed said: What is the mat
terri and pushed me aside. and as he did so
the lock camo open. Reed and both had
hold OF the switch and threw it about half
way. After the switch was open Reed put
fish plate Ill between the points. / had an
other plate in my hand, which l was about
to hand TO Reed, but he said there were enough
lii and to drop it. While We were fixing the
switch Arthur Buett stood with my pistol in lis
hand to protect us. 1t was about this time
when Reed saw the fagman. He proposed to
go back anu see who he was, and, ii necessary.
shoot him' said No, and Buett aud held
him back. After VIC had fixed the switch we
went along the road up to the crossing then
through nut orchard, whore We all lay down
in ditch"
CAIN TOLD TO CLEAR OUT.
Concerning the conversation which occurred
with Master Workman Lee after arrests had
been made for the Castleton wreck Cain con-
tinues:
Leo said to me, Come and take walk I
walked around the corner with him. and Dwyer
was behind US. Lee said to me that Reed had
given away four names He said Inc WAS going
to give me some money to get out with anu
that must go as soon as possible. He told me
not to stay around Albany and blow in the
money Oh drink. but to keep sober and get out
a soon as possible. told him l wanted to SO
home first and he said:
" L must count tins money out for you
'Dwyer said Como i'll my house and do it.
/ said: i am going home. and will meet you
here in about ton minutes We did not go in
TIE house, bu. stood by the stoop talking.
Lee said: Wherever you go, 60 alone and
do not hang around Albany and blow your
money in. When you get away let US know
how yon get along He said: Here is $50;
take it,
He then took my hand in both OF his and
bid me goodbye. He said if wanted any
thing to-send word and he would send me any-
thing wanted. He said
You, Herman, Cordia! and Buett are all
to 60
They then went to Canada and were after
ward arrested at Prescott opposite Ogdensburg.
in New York state. The story told by Arthur
Buett s.equally circumstantial and corrobor-
ates all that was told by Cain. Regarding tho
Interview with Lee when the wreckers were
suspected and the police were on their track,
Buett also corroborates Gains statement
SENSATION AT ALBANY
The sensation produced at Albany by the
confessions Of Cain, Buett and Reed is in
describable. 1t was known yesterday that the
men had confessed, and that their stories we're
in the hands Of the police, but the explicit
detailing OF their desi gned and calculated vii
lainy and the implication of Master Workman
Lee, the leading spirit OF the strike, who has
hitherto repudlated any possible knowledge of
the perpetrators OF the crimes and has even
offered a reward for their discovery, over
whelms the whole local organization of the
knights OF Labor in torrent OF public indig-
nation.
WHAT SAVED THE TRAIN.
The first attempt by the gang to wreck trains
was made on the night of August 20, ut a point
near karner's station, few miles from Albany.
A barricade of ties wedged between the rails
came within an ace OF sending the Chicago
limited down steep embankmcnt and killing
scores OF people. The night was so rainy and
dark that the wreckers could not sec the mate
rial they were using to build the blockade. 1t
happened that they selected q rotten tic for an
important spot i'll the structure, and when the
locomotive struck the obstruction this rotten
tic was knocked to pieces and the barricade
gave way without derailing the train. Experts
who made an examination next day say that
had tho tie been sound u great disaster would
have surely taken place.
WRECK OF THE NoSrprar rxpprso