The record-union., 1894-07-12
TRAIN wRECKlNG, MURDER,
TREASON.

It is a capital offense to wreck a train.
1t is treason to do so when the act is
aimed against the Government of the
United States. Section 21S of the Penal
Code of California reads:
Every person who shall unlawfully throw
out switch. remove rail or place any OBJ
struction on any railroad in the State OF Cali
fornia with the intention OF dera1llng any
passenger, freight or other train; or who snail
unlaWfully board any passenger train With
the intention Of robbing the same; or who
shall unlawfully place any dynamite or,
other explosive material, or any other OBJ
struction on the track of any railroad in this
State of California with the intention OF
blowing up, or derailing any passenger,
freight or other train, or who shall unlaw-
fully set fire to any railroad bridge or trestle
over which any passenger, freight or other
train must pass, with the intent OF wrecking
said train, upon conviction snail be ad-
judged guilty of felony and shall be punished
with death or Imprisonment IN the State
Prison for life, at the option OF the jury try
ing the case.
The men who tampered with the track
west of this city yesterday, by which a
mail train in charge of officers of the
United States of America was derailed
and several lives were lost. were guilty
of train wrecking, of murder and of
treason. The infamous wretches who
caused this loss of life. did so wilIfully,
maIiciously and with the laws of the
State and the United States staring them
in the face. and if captured and clearly
proved guilty, they should be sum-
marily punished.
1t is possible that the act was not done
by strikers; in common with the entire
people of the State we shall hope that it
will be shown beyond doubt that no
striker was guilty. The chief of the local
branch of their organization stoutly de-
nies that the order had any connection
with the crime, and he condemns the as
sassination as barbarous. and takes the
occasion to assert that the union is OPP
posed to violence or the sacrifice of
human life.
He could not do less; nor more unless
he and his mem bership devote their en-
tire energies from this time forward to
the discovery and capture of the authors
of the crime. But it remains that union
by all fair-minded men will be held re-
lated to the infamy. If no member COM
mitted the deed it was the outcome of the
lawlessness inaugurated by the order.
and no other person could have had q
motive for the act except one related by
membership or active sympathy to the
organization.
The card of Mr.. Knox declares that the
order is opposed to violence. but its acts
do not tally with that declaration. Seiz-
ing depots and holding them by force;
breaking up and detaching cars; seizing
trains and operating them to carry armed
men to fight against the law; gathering
arms and ammunition and drilling men
in their use to resist lawful authority;
threatening in certain contingencies to
force men out of the railroad offices; re-
fusing to give way before the officers of
fhe civil and military arms of the Gov
erument; obstructing roads and by show
OF force preventing their operation;
ditching trains as was done at Oakland
Yesterday; seizing buildings and casting
properties into the bay as was done on
the Oakland mole-these are acts of vio-
lence. One does not need to strike,
bludgeon, kill, wreck, shoot and burn
to commit violence. or to resist lawful