Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-03
Detectives Working on the At
tempted Train Wrecking.
CLUE TO THE RINGLEADER
Bought Explosives in Order to Kill
Fish.
T H E ROB B ERS' PLANS

used dynamite Monday night in an attempt
to blow up the money train" on the Bal
umore and Ohio railroad, as told cXclu-
sively in yesterdays Star. AS the investi-
cation proceeds the officers realize more
fully the seriousness of the attack made
on the train, and the necessity for effect
ing the capture of the men. This job, the
officers think, was committed by men who
were even more desperate than Searcey
and Morganfeld, the Aqua creek train
robbers, who are now serving time for
their deed. When they 'held up the train
at Aqua creek they had some regard for
the lives of the passengers, and instead Of
using deadly dynamite they simply put
out a danger signal, and the engineer did
the rest Thus the lives of the passen-
gers We're not endangered, nor were any
of them robbed of valuables. But in the
attempted hold up" Monday night the use
of dynamite was calculated to end in
wholesale slaughter. Fortunately, how
ever, the force of the explosion was not
great enough to do the damage that was
evidently Intended and no one was hurt.
The Damage.
AS printed in yesterdays Star, train 46
is known as the money train" although
large sums OF money are not usually car
ried on Monday nights. There was some
money on the train. however and there
in charge of the cash.
The dynamite was placed against the
inner rail of the track, about 100 yards
west of the Big Monocacy bridge, and SO
great was the force of the explosive that
a piece of steel nearly two feet long was
dug from the rail- In addition to this. one
rail was badly twisted, and another was
so badly damaged that 1t had to be re-
placed with a new one before the next
train could pass over the tracks.
Fortunately for the railroad company
there are workshop and hand car at Dick
erson's station, only a short distance this
side OF where the ey plosion occurred, and
when the railroad workmen were called
from their beds at midnight they repaired
the damage before the arrival of the next
train.
An Excellent Choice.
The spot where the explosion occurred is
enc of the best places on the road for such
an affair, and for this reason it was prob
ably selected by the robbers. There is a
steep embankment on either side of the
track reaching several hundred yards west
of the Monocacy bridge, and had the train
been derailed the cars would have gone
down this embankment distance of from
fifty to seventy-five feet to the bottom.
This would no doubt have caused a smash
ing of the cars and the killing or disabling
Of the members of the crew.
Had this much been accomplished the
robbers would probably nave secured some
plumber and escaped.
Opened the Throttle.
Engineer A. G. Gartrell was in charge
of the engine, and to his quick action is
attributed the good ending to the diabolical
plot. Instead Of reversing his engine and
stopping the train, as was at first reported,
he opened the throttle when he heard the
explosion, and although the blowing out
of the air tubes had set the brakes he sue
ceeded in getting his train over the broken
rails in safety and reaching a point east
of tn high bridge before the train came to
a standstill.
When he heard the explosion he was
satisfied that there was something wrong,
and, without a moments hesitation, he
opened the throttle and sent the train as
far as possible before stopping. This no
doubt gave the robbers the idea that their
work had been completely ineffective, and
they took to the woods instead of making
an attempt to follow the train across the
river.
The robbers were heard by members of
the trains crew, and it is certain that
There We're at least three, and possibly five
of them in the party.
Wnen the train had been brought to
stop this side of the river one of the crew
heard one Of the men in the woods signal
his companion by whStling. This signal
was answered and their voices were heard,
but the railroad men did not see any one.
Three men were seen shortly afterward,
and they were tramping over the road,
coming this way. They were seen by per-
sons in the country who had been aroused
by the loud explosion. The explosion was
heard for several miles, and those who
heard it remained up until they learned its
cause.
Then the excitement was intense. and
many of the residents of the country along
the line of the railroad and persons living
near the tracks remained about their doors
and windows until the train reached Dick
erson's.
So far as is known none of the natives
ma Il ard ,jvir rob
ing party, which might have resulted in the
capture of one or more members of the
gang, that the dynamiters. had several
hours in which to travel before daybreak
The Suspected Leader.
Chief Grammar of the Baltimore and Ohio
detectives, stated in yesterdays Star
reached the scene of the affair early yes
terday, and with him Detective John
Lloyd. one of the shrewdest detectives in
the company's employ. Besides these, other
of TIE company's detective corps are as
sisting in the investigation, and today the
entire force was put at work on the case
The work done by the officers yesterday
was not in vain, for they learned consider
able about the robbers and hope they will
have the ringleader, at least behind the
bars in a few days.
While his exact identity is not known the
officers obtained enough information to lead
them to the belief that he had come here
and Inspector Hollinberger was requested
yesterday afternoon to have his men render
what assistance they can in the case
The leader Of the desperate gang is de-
scribed as being not more than thirty years
old. He is about feet inches tall, has
a slender neck, thin, sharp face and has
downcast lock en- his face. He wore a
black suit of clothes, sack coat, white shirt
and standing collar.
His description was read in the various
police stations last evening and this morn
ing and the message concluded: He blew
up a train near Monocacy bridge and is
now supposed to be in this city. Make
speciality of this"
The man has been seen about the line of
the railroad for several days. and is known
to have slept in box cars near Washington
Junction. He was not entirely without
funds, for it is said he paid for meals a:
mouse near the junction or at Point Of
Rocks, which is oaly short distance from
the junction. Where he got his dynamite
from was a question that was soon solved
by the officers. They learned that he had
purchased the explosive at a country store,
and when making the purchase he asked
the merchant for the most powerful cx-
plosive he had, saying he wanted to use
1t in the river, where he was going to get
some fish. This manner of taking fish from
the river. especially black bass, has become
so common along the line of the upper
Potomac that there was nothing unusual
in the sale of the eyploSiye