Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-12-02
DARING Thieves,
THOUGH YOUTHFUL.
BOY RAILROAD ROBBERS NOW BEHIND
PRISON BARS.
Dsniz.us Of Jerseys Swanps Pilisring Haraud'r'
Who Comm; Great DsprsdahOns.

society. His home is the almost i'm
pen etra5le Jer sey swamps. Helurks In
the marsh lands, hiding behind the tall
bullrushes, and, like the bloodthlrsty
tiger in Impenetrable jungle, he knows
every inch Of the thickets and can ind
safety where honest men would meet
most horrible death. Forests, woods,
rivers. steep entertainments, are the rail-
road thiefs faVorite spots.
In the disguise OF workman carry
ing diuner pail, he walks boldly and
unchallenged through the great rail-
road yards. He is familiar with the
| iargOn of the workmen, and at the
| dinner hour mixes freely with them.
I He learus from the Hnsuspecting rail-
roader with what the cars are laden and
their destination.
Railroad thieves work in couples or
by tours. Each gang, jealous OF the
others, sometimes bearing a murderous
hatred to each other, become the detec-
tives' principal aids
The iunkman who deals with the
railroad thief may truly be said to be
the most despicable wretch on earth. 1t
/ is frequently he who plans robbery.
He buys the booty from thief at cut
throat prices.
THEY STEAL THE JOURNALS.
The brass journal OF q railroad car is
| the great muscle that allows that car,
no matter how heavily laden, or how
| freighted with human life, to tnm and
twist. While the axle and wheels are do
ing the heavy work, the brass journals
| keep them cool. This round piece OF
brass costs the railroad abuot 50. When
| il breaks or becomes overheated whole
train is in danger Of being wrecked.
| Perhaps you have seen, when your train
has stopped to change engines, men
crawling beneath the cars, care
| fully sounding the wheels with
heavy hammer and feeling
tenderly with their hands the
boxes in which the journals are placed.
To secretly remove a journal from car
is a most dastardly act, for it may en-
danger hundreds OF lives. Some rail-
road junkmen put premium on such
deeds, however, by purchasing these
pieces Of brass, knowing, as they must,
that they have been stolen.
For these journals the junkman pays
| the thief from one to three cents
pound. They are easy to steal for, not
withstanding night watchmen, switch
men and other railroad men are con-
stantly walking through railroad yards,
| the thieves, for the few minutes that
! the coast may be clear, dart from their
| hiding places and, with jimmy and
wrench, smash the oil box. In jitfy
the journal is unscrewed, aud they are
off. A gang has been known TO cripple
| in this manner as many as thirty freight
cars in single night
CARS SPOILED BY THE HUNDRED.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and West
ern railroad officials were startled some
time since to learn from one OF their
station agents that thieves had broken
! into his station and stolen a hydraulic
Jack. There was mischief ahead, so
Captain John E. McKenna, chief OF the
| railroads detectives, was quickly dis
patched with some OF his most expe-
rlenced men to the locality. 1t was a
very lonesome village, in which no thief
lived. The hydraulic jack, capable of
lifting thirty.five tons, weighed so much
that it must have required several men
to carry it away and horse and wagon
TO take it any distance. But there was
no clue.
Soon after came the report that
twenty-seven-then thirty-then nearly
hundred cars had been stripped OF
their Journals. The most notorious
gangs of railroad thieves were shadow
ed. Then the robbery of the hydraulic
lack was recalled. With this powerful
machine car could be raised and in q
moment the brass journal removed. De-
! tectlye McKenna visited ROckaway, a
town twenty-five miles from New York.
In the Onion foundry there be recogniz-
ed in a heap OF broken brass, ready for
melting, some of the journals belonging
10 the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western Railroad. They had been
bought OF John Bowden, OF Dover, a
junkman, who had previously been ar
rested for receiving stolen property,
but had never been convicted. Bow
Den was rich man. McKenna ar
rseted him and Richard Caddy, OF Port
Dram, whom BOwden implicated. Tho
iunkman gaVslshe names Of the thieves
who had not only stolen the hydraulic
lack, but had been stealing journals In
such large quantities. All are in prison.
THE JUNKMAN's PART.
On the trial Bowden was found to be
the instigator of the bold series Of rob-
berries. He even assisted in stealing the
hydraulic jack, which he csrted away
I'm his wagon. He sent for Sidney Stra'
way and Samuel Francisco, showed
them the jack, told them that with 1t
/ thew could raise q car in a minute, and
in one night could get hundreds of jour
nails. The men carried the jack TO a
! siding where miles Of cars are side
tracked. That night they stole over
$500 worth of journals for which they
received from Bowden 81 SIS.
Incredible as il may seem, the junk
mao was merely fined while the thieves
received long sentences.
RAILROAD Detective John e. McKenns
Is tall, well knit, broad shouldered
man. His hands are Scared from cuts
! received from open blades that have
been aimed at his heart A scar eX-
tending from mis- forehead clear down
to the back at his head is witness to his
having been stretched senseless from a
piece OF iron.
THE DETECTIVES STORY.
"What do I think of the railroad
thiefP" said Detective McKenna. HE
is 2 coward. he is a murderer at heart,
a pitiIess, eowardly assassin. Many q
NIGHT Waterman has been shot, stoned
and beaten senselesS. Most all are