Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-04-02
They Wrecked Two Trains.
HOW TWO MEN TRIED TO KILL
THEIR WIVES IN ORDER
TO GET DAMAGES.
Three Passengers We're Killed and
Fifteen Others Injured, Including
the Two Wives Who
Were Doomed
to Die.

Crisswell, white man AZ years of
age, while on preliminary trial to-day
at Bonds Store, a country Court
house in Twiggs County, seven miles
from Macon, confessed to having re-
moved the rail on Stone Creek trestle
that caused the wreck of passenger
train and following freight train on
the night of February 30, in which
three persons were killed and Is in
Jured. Crisswell duplicates Tom
Shaw, another white man, who, he
says, forced him to commit the act at
the point of pistol.
The greatest excitement prevails in
the vicinity where the wreck occurred
and it is not improbable that before
tomorrow morning the forms of both
men will be dangling from limb.
According to Criswell's confession,
the crime was one of the most diabol-
ical in the history of Georgia. Criss-
but tired of their wives, and in order
to get rid of them, and at the same
time receive compensation for them,
sent them to Macon ON the evening of
the wreck, with instructions to re-
turn home on the Southern train
leaving Macon at 7:30 O'Clock. The
two husbands promised to meet their
wives at Reid's Station, the next sta
tion below the trestlc.
The women did as instructed, being
ignorant of the dastardly plot, and
when the wreck occurred both were
badly injured, but not killed. Criss-
we'll and Shaw were first arrested 10
days ago, but were released at the
commitment trial. Since then new
evidence was discovered and both
men were rearrested, together with
several negroes. When the case was
called for hearing before a Magis-
trate to-day, Crisswell made a detail
ed confession, and the negroes were
released.
The estimated loss to the railroad
by the wreck was $4,000, and, as
there was no doubt from the first that
it was caused by wreckers, the rail
road offered a reward of 81 900 and
the State $3.50 for the arrest and con.
viction of the guilty parties. The
large reward brought out the best de-
tective talent in this section, but Mar
shal Rogers, of Cochran, who went to
work on the case ON the morning af-
ter the wreck, did all the work in
tracking down and arrest1ng the
guilty parties.
Within the last year this railway
has suffered no less than half a dozen
wrecks similar to the last one, and il
is now believed that Shaw and Crlss-
well will tell who caused them, il
they do not actually criminate them.
selves. No less than - people have
been killed in these wrecks and more
than 100 injured, costing the road vast
sums of money.
In one of the wrecks several mem
bers of Roland Reeds company were
injured, and big lawsuits followed.
CrisswelI exhibited no sign of emo
ton while making his confession and
did not appear to suffer any pangs of
remorse. He is stranger in the
neighborhood of the wreck, and no
one knows where he came from.
Shaw is also stranger.
Large crowds of excited people are
gathered in the neighborhood of
Bonds Store, and there is every rea-
son to believe that both men will be
Iynched before morning, although the
authorities say that they will protect
them at all hazards. Bonds Store is
remote from the railroad, however,
and lynching can be done before a
force of officials of any consequence
can be summoned.