Connecticut western news., 1896-10-08
THE FATE OF TRAMPS
RUMORS THAT TRAiNMEN KILLED
 MANY "FRElGHT JUMPERS"

Mangled Bodies Picked Up Along the Line of the Consolidated Road-An AL legged Plot to Murder the yagrants Who Stole Rides on Freight Trains
 NEW H AvEN, Oct. 7.-Dead bodies have been picked up with alarming frequency along the tracks of the Consolidated rail road during the past four months. This road is a branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad, connecting New London with this oity.
 So many men have been found mutilated on this short run that it has become known as Dead Mans run.' The po- lice are now satisfied that murder has been done in many of these cases, and they blame the employees on the freight trains. According to the police the trainmen have deliberately entered into plot to murder tramps who were found stealing rides on their trains.
 Coroner Eli Mix was informed of this ghastly discovery last night. His records of the many deaths on the railroad were locked up in his safe. His clerk could not be found. Hero is the best list that can be now made up:
 Eugene Williams of Madison; body
 
 John Chatfield of New Haven; found cut to pieces at Milford.
 Unidentified man, we'll dressed; found by the tracks at Lake Saltonstall
 Unidentified man; found by the tracks at Stratford.
 Unidentified man; found near New Lon- don.
 Unidentified man; found at Fairhaven.
 This Is a very incomplete list Hardly a week has passed during the summer that body has not been found somewhere on the line lying on the tracks, mangled by the hundreds of car wheels that have passed over 1t. Many of them have been clad in fairly good clothing. showing that the men were probably of decent associa- tioDs but temporarily in hard luck.
 Supposed to have fallen from pass ing train" or Killed by the cars'' has been the verdict duly rendered in every one of these cases by the coroner's jury.
 One Lucky Failure.
 These verdicts might have gone on for years if 1t had not been that one of the trainhands failed in his ghastly job. The victim lived and sought out the police here. They investigated, and in the course of their search stun bled all over the truth. A humane brakeman, who could not see murder done, is said to have told all. Who he is or on what train he runs the police absolutely decline to tell. Their reason Is a simple one. It would mean death for that man on the GIFTS some day.
 It was Policeman Michael Ahearn who made the discovery. This is the story he told to press reporter: "On the night of Sept 26 three tramps boarded train No. 109 at Boston. One was Michael Maho- ney, a plumber out of work. His story was that he wanted to get to New York and find a job. The other two men agreed to go with him. They were put of twice before they got to New London, but man. aged to get back on the cars each time. Finally, at Mantle, they angered Brake man Edward J. Dean, who promptly went back to his caboose, and, loading a revolv CT, went out again. The train was stopped and the men put off.
 'Maboney started to walk away, when suddenly there was a shot, and he looked around. Dean had his revolver leveled at him and was blazing away. Mahoney started to run. A shot brought him down. Dean kept firing till he had shot five times. Two missed, one tore through the mans coat and grazed his neck, and one took effect in the right leg and one in the right arm.
 'Mahoney tainted there by the tracks, and the trainmen, who ran out at the sound of the shooting, did not dare leave him there, so he was picked up and placed aboard the train, bleeding and exhausted. The trainhands were in terrible stew. Finally they decided to put him of at Ce- dar Hill, inst outside of New Haven, wounded and all as he was.
 "Mahoney made his way to this city, and was put on the case
 All that Mahoney knew was that he had been put of by tall man with a sandy mustache, who shot at him five times after he had left the train"
 The railroad people strenuously deny the rumors and assert that the trainmen are in no way responsible for the tragedies.