The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-20

The Engineer Killed and Two Tramps
Lose Their Lives-Fifty Passengers
Have a Narrow Escape-Tools to Do
the Job Were 7 AIKEN From the Compa-
ny's Shop.
Rome N. Y, November 19.-Limited
fast mail No., east bound, on the New
York Central was wrecked two miles
west of this city about 4 30 this morning.
Somebody had removed the spikes from
the rails.
Nathan Hager, the engineer, was kllled,
as were also two unknown tramps.
Mail Clerk Murphy was injured about
the head, but not seriously. A tramp
had one leg take n off below the knee
The. wreckers had brokenlopen the COM
pany's tool house near by and obtained a
wrench and crowbar, with which all the
spikes and fishplates from two opposite
rails on the southerly track had been re-
moved. The two released rails were left
in their places on the track.
AS the train, comprising four mail and
three sleeping cars came along at the
rate OF about forty miles an hour. the
locomotive left the track, bounded over
twelve feetEdeep on the south side of the
track. The first two mail cars shot by
the engine, the first one landing fully
70 feet from the point where the engine
left the track. The second and third mail
cars came together in "V" shape and
the wreck of the engine lay in the open
space between them.
Under the'second mail car, pinned down
by pair of trucks and dead, was found
Engineer Hager The fourth mail Car
was toppled part wayIover. sTheEfrst two
sleeppers were partly tunred over and the
last one remained on the track.
There were about fifty passengers in
the three sleepers Eand not one of them
was hurt
Besid those previously mentioned,
some nine or ten other tralnmen We're
more or less seriously injured.
The tools with which the spikes were
pulled were found on the track after the
wreck.
Three young men have been arrested
for wreoking the train. They are J. Wat.
son Hildreth of New York, Fred Bristol
and Herbert Plato of Rome Hildreth
has made a confession duplicating the
other two, and one Theodore Hubbard
who has not yet been apprehended. Their
object was robbery.
Arrests were made by Detective Lat
ham of New York Central, and Police
man Heating of Rome. They found Hill
dreth's hat with his name in it in some
bushes near the wreck. Upon confront
ing him he weakened and told him who
his aceomplices were and their object.
The Latest Intelligence.
Rome, N. Y, November 9-Joseph
Wilkes. 10 years old, has been arrested
as a witness in today's train wreckiDg
case. 1t is said that he was taken into
the confidence of four other boys when
they were planning the wreck, but he
refused to go with them. Confessions
have been made by all the other boys Of
their guilt
One of the boys confessed that they
had a number IF revolvers hidden in the
woods near the railroad track. District
Attorney Klock was cioseted with the
prisoners nearly all day. Scores of de-
tectives have been in town Investigating
the case and large crowds hang about
the police station. The prisoners are
closely guarded. There is no evidence
that others besides those apprehended
were concerned in the plot.
Coroner Mock today began an inquest
on the bodies of Engineer Hager and the
tramp Robert Bond, who were killed.
This afternoon a black cloth mask was
found in the woods near the scene of the
wreck.