The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-21
ROME'S FATAL TRAIN WRECK.
ONE OF THE WRECKERS TELLS
THE STORY or THEIR WORK.

They Were All Armed With RcvOIv-
ers and Expected to Rob the Dead
and Dying Passengers of About
$3O,OOO-SEhen the Crash Came and
They Realized What They Had
Done They Lost Their Nerve and
Fled Through the Woods-One OF
Them Lost His Hat and This Led
to Their Arrest.
Rome.> n. Y, Nov. 2O.-At the coron-
er's inquest over the bodies Of Engineer
Hager of Albany. and BILLY" Bond Of
Syracuse, who were killed in the railroad
wreck here yesterday, there was no inn
portant testimony except by Miss Celia
Perrin. young lady with whom Hndreth
the leader of the gang Of boy wreck
ers, was very friendly. She testified that
Hildreth came to her house yesterday
morning and told her about how they
had wrecked the train. Hildreth told
Miss Perrin that they turned the rails
that We're loosened so that the train
would so into the ditch. The coroner's
inquest was adjourned until this even
ing.
The four boys who are charged with
committing the crime have all confessed.
except Bristol, who refuses to say any
thing The evidence of the others. how
ever, duplicates him, and makes him and
Hildreth the leaders of the gang. The
boys had revolvers which they said they
threw away in the woods. The boys had
all been reading sensational novels. They
frequented Hildreth's home at the Tenn
perance hotel where they played cards
and had boxing bouts. About three weeks
ago they Went to Utica. There Hildreth,
who already owned a revolver, purchased
two pistols and they rode home IN box
car and planned the wreck. They thought
they would get about $4,000 from the
dead or dying passengers. They matured
their plans, and not until the rails were
loosened and the train was nearing the
fatal spot did they seem to hesitate.
Then" says Hildreth, we We're on
pins and needles and wished those rails
were back in place. We stood on the
north side of the track with our reVolvers
in our hands ready TO rush in among the
people. When we heard the crash and
the cries of the people we ran away
through the woods. We had not gone
far before we decided to throw away our
reVolVers, because we We're afraid IL they
We're found on US we would be suspected
Hildreth lost his hat, but did not stop
to get it. The loss of this hat was what
led to the speedy arrest of the boys The
boys do not seem to feel any sewers
pangs of TemOrse.
There is no danger that any of those
injured in the wreck viii die. Fireman
Wagner, who is in the hospital at Oneida,
is improving and John Macy of Syra-
cuse, whose leg was taken off, is doing
well a the hospital in this city.
John W. Hldreth, Theodore Hibbard
and Fred Bristol were arraigned before the
recorder this afternoon charged with muir
der in the nrst degree in causing the
death of Nathan NJ. Hager and Robert
Bond. They pleaded not guilty and their
examination was set down for Dec. 3.
This afternoon a young main named
Fred Palmer was arrested on suspicion
of being connected with the wrecking
plan. He says that the prisoners talked
to him some time ago about wrecking
a train, but he refused to join them.
At the continuation of the inquest it
was shown, on the testimony of Detec-
tive John Latham and others that the
wreck in which the deceased lost their
lives was caused by Hildreth, Herbert
Plato, Bristol and Hibbard, who tampered
with the track for the purpose Of ditch
ing the train that they might rob the
passengers, dead and living.
The inquest was adjourned until Nov.
IS. at d. m.