Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-09-25
THAT CONFESSION.
The Ditching of the Montreal Ex.
press at Castleton, N. z.
CONSPIRACY ORGANIZED AUGUST %.
Implicated knights Of Labor EmPhatically
Deny the Allegations Contained In the
Alleged COnfessIon-NeverK Knew
Cain or Buett.

NEW YoRK, Sept 22.-The full confes-
sious Of three of the five men implicated
In the recent attempts at wholesale
murder by train wrecking on the New
York Central railroad were made public
yesterday.
The most startling revelation was in
the evidence direct and positive impli-
eating the official leader of the Knights
of Labor in the New York Central strike
es an sccomplice after the fact Certain
of the conspirators swore that Edward
J. Lee personally furnished them with
money with which to leave the country
Immediately after they wrecked the
Montreal express on September l. They
detailed Lees conversation to them
when the money was paid and described
the master workman's long conferences
with the two men who they said were
the leaders in the execution Of the plot
Robert Pinkerton, the detective, who
with his men conducted the investiga-
tion, declares his conviction that Lee
had guilty knowledge of the crimes be-
fore the time specified in the confes-
sions, but he is not yet able to prove his
suspicious
The first attempt to wreck trains was
made on the night Of August 90 at a
point near Karner's station, few miles
from Albany. A barricade of ties,
wedged between the rails, came within
en- ace Of sending the Chicago limited
down a steep embankment and killing
scores Of people. The night was so
rainy and dark that the wreckers could
not see the material they were using to
blockade. 1t happened that they Sc
lected rotten tie for an important spot
IN the structure and when the locomO-
tive struck the obstruction this rotten
tie was knocked to pieces and the barri-
cade gave way without derailing the
train. Experts who made the examina-
ton next day say that had the tie been
sound great disaster would have sure
ly taken place.
On the night of the Sd the Montreal
express north-bound was ditched near
Castleton and several passengers were
badly hurt A piece of rail had been
wedged between two ties in such way
that the end pointed upward at an angle
of about IS degrees in the direction
little oblique from that which the train
was going. The effect was that the en-
gine stood upon the incl ned rail, lifting
the wheels from the track and dropping
them one side of it Then the derailed
train plunged down into the marsh and
was piled all in a heap.
Half mile further north on the down
track the same night switch was half
turned and wedged in that position. It
was almost by a miracle that the relief
train coming down from Albany an hour
later was not derailed there.
1T was plain at the outset that all
these crimes were the work of experi4
enced railroad men, AMI the wonder was
thst all three were net abRRdaatly sue
cessfuL The task of tracking the
worse than murderers seemed at the
outset almost hopeless one, but infor-
nation came from unexpected quarters
One of the most significant facts in con-
neotion with the whole investigation is
that the Information regarding the
identity of the consp' ratOrs who wrecked
the Montreal express came to the off,
GERS of the railroad the day after the
crime was committed from the upper
councils OF the Knights themselves.
When the Knights first declared war
again { the Now York Central the rail-
road company as matter OF protection
found 1t necessary to employ agents
among the foremost members of the la
Dor organizations These men are
themselves prom nent members of the
order and are in the full confidence of
Powderly and the other National Off
GERS They have, however, acted as
agents for the company and have from
time to time furnished information of
The greatest Importance regarding the
plans and condition of the strikers al
most since the word to quit was given
These men informed the officers of the
road who the men were who wrecked
the trains These secret agents are
still in the employ OF the road and are
hiding among the Knights and all eff
forts to discover their identity have
failed
The confessions are those of Thomas
L Cain, Arthur Buett and John Reed
and they lmplicate kiernan and Cordial.
EMPHATIC DENIAL
ALBANY, N. Y, Sept 22-As regards
the published confessions of Cain and
Buett in reference to the attempts at
wreck on the Central road, John Kier-
nan said that he had no idea his name
was connected with any of such at
tempts until the time of his arrest Cor
dial emphatically denied every allega-
tion in the confession which sought to
connect him with tho wrecking.
Master Workman E J. Lee, of district
assembly "a. said that he did not know
Cain or Buett and denied every thing
connecting him with either aiding or
abetting the alleged train wreckerS