The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-12-05

page to the recent wrecking of a New
York Central fast mail train, consisting
of four white mail cars and three Pull
man coaches at Rome, n. Y. Every car
left the track except the last Pullman,
and plunged fifteen feet into swamp, in
plain sight of the wreckers, who were
hidden neal by behind some bushes. There
is probably no newspaper reader who has
not reflected, as he has read such ao-
counts, on the apparent total depravity
of the criminals who could conceive and
carry out such dastardly crimes. The
question has been asked many times,
Can it be possible that any human being,
either ror purposes of robbery or revenge
will deliberately plan such wholesale
murder of innocent pc pie? In this case
the train had long and straight stretch
down a grade and was running mile a
minute. Fortunately the result was the
death of but two men, an old and trusted
engineer and tramp who was stealing a
ride.
The complete story of this wreck, as af
forwards unearthed by the company's
three Of the criminals involved that the
crime can be laid at the door Of flashy and
Sensational border stories that are printed
in large quantities for circulation among
youth. In this case it was the life of
Jesse James, as issued by a Chicago
house, that melted boy Of eighteen to
plan a train robbery, which resulted in
the commission of crime of which the
penalty is capital punishment. The boy
In question, Watson Hildreth by
name, is the son of New York lawyer,
who supposed the youth was attending an
agricultural college at Rome. Instead of
doing so, he used the money with which
to maintain himself at a hotel, where,
with three cronies OF like age and tastes,
great deal Of time was put in reading
florld tales of frontier crime, card play
ing, drinking, hunting, etc. AS result
the point was finally reached where the
four young worthless decided to emulate
Jesse James. Several copies of his "life"
were found in their rooms, with we'll
thumbed passages that recounted in
glowing terms the way the James gang
had successfully held up trains and easily
secured large booty.
The last act In the tragedy was the
breaking open Of a tool house several
miles west of Rome, the removal Of " FISH
plates" that hold the ends Of rails togeth-
er, the pulling Of spikes, the bending OF
a rail out of alignment, and the ditching
of long passenger train. And with this
result accomplished, is 1t any wonder
that the four boys in hiding, with cooked
revolvers, suddenly found their courage
gone? One look at the appalling sight
exhausted their courage. They turned
and fled, leaving hat behind that had a
name scrawled on the inside, which
furnished all the clue needed for the detec
tives. Now, II convicted under the
salute in New York which visits capita
punishment on any one who causes deatt
while committing felony, the electric
chair awaits the quartette.
What n comment this plain recital o
an extraordinary crime furnishes for thl
conduct Of those parents who do not care
fully supervise the reading as we'll as th
associations of their children. With thre
of these boys this was their first crime
While it is hard to explain why tn
human mind win work out such results
the fact is very patent that many young
men are led into crime for the reasol
that there Is no one who knows them an,
cares enough for their welfare to lea
them into any reputable line Of conduct