The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-19
STEER ON A TRESTLE
A Wild Texan Gets on the
P. R. RS Tracks and
Stops Trains.
IN POSSESSION FOUR HOURS
He Spreads Terror from the De-
pot to Point of Rocks
Lassoed at Last.
N POSSESSION FOUR HOURS

Two big Western steers, maddened by
| being prodded by the attendants in the
| pens of the abattoir at the foot of Sixth
4 street, made their escape at nine o'clock
this morning. One was shot in the river
| at the foot of First street an hour. after
it's escape while the other scrambled
| up on the Pennsylvania Railroad trestle,
| took complete possession of the road,
delayed trains, stopped trackmen from
| working and defied crowd of hun
.dred or more men and boys, who pelted
| him with rocks and coupling pins. He
| held possession of the trestle from the
| big train shed to the Point of Rocks,
where the roundhouse is located.
! The rain was pouring down in tor
| rents when the steers effected an escape
! from the pens..
They ran up through the carriage way
l to Warren street Here a truckman
made an attempt to stop them. Lowering
| they heads they rushed at him. He flew
| for his life. deserving his horse and
| truck finally finding safety in saloon
This encounter seemed to arouse the
| brutes. Together they dashed down
! Warren street. clearing everything be-
| fore them. Men left wagons and trucks
| and bounded into saloons while pedes-
| trians ran Down side streets and sought
| refuge in Railways.
| In few minutes a crowd of twenty
\ men was chasing the animals, pelting
| them with rocks and cans. The fright
ened animals upset ash barrels in their
| fight by the dozen. Arriving at First
street they stopped for a breathing spell.
! A GIRLS NARROW ESCAPE.
| Ten-year-old Jennie Cassidy, of First
street happened to be crossing the street
at the time She gazed in wonderment
at the men who were screaming to her
| to run for her life. The racket aroused
| Sergeant Thomas Kelly of the Seventh
precinct, who lives in the neighborhood.
| Seeing the girls danger, he seized his
revolver and ran bareheaded and in his
shirt sleeves into the street. His arrival
was none too soon. AS the girl started
to run. one of the steers rushed at her.
Kelly levelled his revolver and fired. The
shot took effect in the animals fore
| leg and brought him to his knees.
Before he recovered his feet the child
was picked up and carried into saloon
by some men who had witnessed her
narrow escape. The wound enraged the
animal and he rushed madly down First
street to Provost street, and thence
into the freight yards of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad.
Here he met with lively reception.
Sergeant Kelly, who had kept up the
chase, fired several shots at him, while
| railroad men showered heavy heaps of
coal and coupling pins him. One of
the brakemen finally struck one of his
,, vrrif min hyao lii 4
in two With snort, the steer dashed
down through the yards, avoiding moving
trains and finally plunging headforemost
into the river He was promptly shot
by Sergeant Kelly.
In the meantime the other steer had
not met with the reception accorded
his companion.
When Kelly fired his first shot the steer
rushed wildly down Warren street, close
" pursued by a dozen of more urchins
who enjoyed pelting him with stones
The animal hesiteted a moment at the
Pennsylvania Railroad embankment and
then up he went. He stirred up the
liveliest kind of a row in short order
Workmen scampered away in every di-
recton and trainmen sought safety in
cars.
SMALL BOYS FUSllADE.
The small boys kept up the attack en-
the beast until he started to run up
the trestle toward the Round House.
His pursuers were left behind in short
order Drill Engine No. 476 was just
drawing out of the train shed when the
steer started on its wild run up the
trestle.
Trainmen armed themselves with coup
ling pins, and sprang on the front plat
form of the drill engine. Then began an
exciting chase. The engineer made his
engine do it's best AS the steer passed
tower houses, the operators opened fire
on him with coal and bottles. These on
Iy tended to increase the animals
fury At Brunswick street he suddenly
stopped and wheeled round to meet the
approaching train. The engineer slack
ened his speed and stopped within five
feet of the animal. The trainmen banged
away with their coupling pins.
The steer didn't mind the blows a par
ticle. In fast when he recovered from
the surprise of the attack he lowered
his head and charged upon the men
on the COW catcher. They sought safety
behind the cars and inside the cab of the
engine The steer struck the engine with
terrific force. The shock brought the
beast to his knees.
The trainmen again attacked him with
pieces of iron and coal. The locality be-
came too hot for the steer, and he gal
loped off into the car yards at the Point
of Rocks. He played havoc with the
handsome grass plot and flower beds,
about the Round House. Finally fifty
men, including twenty colored porters
attacked him with brooms and coal. He
charged upon them and chased two
frightened ''coons'' down between a long
line OF cars, which were being cleaned.
DISCREET POLICE.
There was not room enough between
the cars for him to turn around, and
as a result he very quietly backed out,
not seeming to mind the humping he
was getting with brooms and pokers
from workmen who leaned out of the car
windows Once in the clear again he
started off down toward the trestle at
lively rate. BY this time fully three
hundred men were chasing him. but
there was not sign of a policeman
anywhere in the vicinity.
Arriving at Brunswick street on his re-
turn trip to the depot the steer planted
himself on the track of an incoming
train The train was stopped and before
the steer could be moved, three passen-s
ger trains were stalled up in the cut. IIe
was finally driven from in front of the
train by d colored man who struck him
x-s.t. -~f~- r.