The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-12
Many Dead Bodies Along a Con-
necticut Railroad.
THE DEAD MANS RUN.
So Many Killed the Road Is So
Named.
Brakemen Push Them OFF the
Trains to Be Crushed.


Consolidated railroad during the past
four months. This road is branch
Of the New York. New Haven & Hart
ford railroad. connecting New London
with this city.
So many men have been found mu-
tilated on this short run that it has
become known as Dead Mans Run"
The police are now satisfied that muir
der 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 We're found stealing rides on their
trains.
Here is the best list that can now be
made up:
Eugene Williams of Madison; body
found at Fa1rhaven horribly mangled-
John Chatfield of New Haven; found
cut to pieces at Milford
Unidentified man. well dressed, found
by the tracks at Lake SaltOnstau-
Unidentified man. found by the tracks
at Stratford.
Unidentified man. found near New
London
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 some
where on the line, lying on the tracks
mangled by the hundreds of car wheels
that have passed over it. Many of them
have been clad in fairly good clothing,
of decent associations but temporarily
in hard luck.
Supposed to have fallen from
passenger train or KILLED by the
cars" has been the verdict duly rem
dered in every one Of these cases by the
cOrOnerS jury.
These verdicts might go on for years
to come If it had not been that one of
the train hands failed in his chastity
lob The victim lived and sought out
the police here. They investigated, and
il. the course of their search stumbled
all over the truth A humane brake
man. 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 sim
pie one. It would mean death for that
man on the cars some day
It was Policeman Michael Ahern
who made the discovery. This is the
story he told to a reporter: ION the
night of September 26 three tramps
boarded train No. 100 at Boston. One
was Michael AIahoney,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 off twice before they got
to New London, but managed to get
back on the cars each time. Finally, at
Mantle, they angered Brakeman Ed
ward J. Dean, who promptly went back
to his caboose, and. loading revolver
went out again. The train was stopped
and the men put off
sNIahoney started to walk away,
when suddenly there was a shot and he
looked around Dean had his revolver
levened 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
sMahoney tainted there by the tracks,
and the trainrnen 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 train hands were in
terrible stew Finally they decided to
put him off at Cedar Hill, just outside
of New Haven, wounded and all as he
was.
sMahoney made his way to this city
and I was put on the case"
All that Mahoney knew was that he
had been put off by a tall man with a
sandy mustache. who shot at him five
times after he had left the train
Policeman Ahern started in on the
case bv finding that Conductor Fred
ericl Noon had the train. and that the
brakenen were Peter O'Toole. William
/ s. Ormsby. Frederick Dean, alias Ed
ward J. Dean, and William Geiger-
For days that train was watched"
continued the policeman, but Dean
was never on it when it rolled into New
Haven or stopped at New London me
reason was soon apparent he leII the
cars at Cedar Hill, just outside of New
! Haven. waited till the train came back
on its return trip, and then stayed on
/ till Tower Hill was reached, just out
side of New London, where he got off
again. thus eluding the police, who
were on the lookout at both ends of the
/ division But he was caught last sat
1r7av at New London, and Chief De
/ tectiVe H. D. COWles OF New Haven
! brought him to this city
That's him. said Mahoney when
I he saw Dean.
yes. I shot him. said Dean, but
! he shot first "
No pistol was found with BTahoney.
/ and Dean was arraigned in the police
court before Justice Dow. who held him
/ ia $500 for trial.
Meanwhile the prisoners record was
/ looked no. 1t was a bad one. A year
! ago he was accused of being mixed in
stabbing ARRAY about a woman. Later,
I In ATinahan's saloon, on State street,
he was in another case where the knife
/ was used.
A brakeman who worked in the same
/ crew with Dean said he saw Dean beat
a tramp and leave the wounded man on
/ top Of a moving car.
! one brakeman who was approached
/ by the police said more. It was to the
! effect that what Dean had been caught
at was a. common practice on the
! trains
IF I should give this mans SINE.
| said Ahearn, he would lose his job
/ Then some night if he was coupling a
train, they might back UP on him at
the wrong time, and he'd never tell any
more tales"
But he told Of acts committed by en-
ragged or drunken brakemen in the