The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-29

The mystery surrounding the various
attempts To wreck the Shore Limo train
at Slocumville has at last been explained
for at an early hour this morning Deputy
Sheriff John II. Wilcox detected Fannie
Taylor, l9-year r-oid colored girl. la the
act of placing an obstruction on the track
and she is now confined in the King.
ston Jail.
It was about a week ago that the first
attempt was made to wreck the postal
express at Slocumville and at that time
1t was supposed TO have been the work of
tramps Nine of tho begging fraternity,
who were found sleeping in barn near
the spot Were arrested, but the efforts TO
connect them with the crime were with
out effect and the men were simply sent
TO the state farm as vagrants. Since last
Tuesday seven separate attempts have
been made TO wreck trains and a peculiar
feature OF the case WAS that the obstruc,
tions were all placed on the tarck at prac-
tically the same point and on four oc-
casions apparently under the very eyes
OF the patrolmen.
Railroad Officials Alarm.d.
The railroad officials became seriously
alarmed on Saturday, and Deputy Sheriff
Wilcox was put in charge of the case.
he began by sending one of his men to
watch the cabin of colored farm hand
who lives back in the woods about half "a
mile from the point where the several
attempts to wreck the train had been
made. While the section hands were
patroliDg the track the night after the
first attempt to Gerail the train the Sec
tion boss, Myron Plimpton, had seen tho
colored mans l9-year-old daughter on
the track near the place where the train
subsequently crashed through pile of
fence rails. On Saturday night the
sheriff S man saw the girl leave the house.
Later on, in spite Of oil his watching,
rails were again found on the track
within 100 feet of the place where the
former attempts had been made.
suspicion after this Was naturally di-
rected to the girl and although she was
kept under strict surveillance nothing
was learned that would warrant the sher.
III in making an arrest. He ordered out
posse of five men, however, and they
continued TO patrol "a stretch Of u mile
and half of track.
TIL. Girl Appears Again.
Late last night the girl appeared on the
track again and this time IL was deter
mined To watch her and ut last the sber
ills patience was rewarded by detecting
her In tho act OF placlLg another obstruc-
tion on the track He at once started
after her. but she seeing that she had
been discovered, turned and fled into the
woods with the officers close behind her.
It was n long chase. but at last they
caught her and she was at once taken TO
Judge Lewis house, where she was ar
raigned and afterward locked up.
She is the daughter of James Taylor,
farm laborer. she is light complexioned
and remarkably prepossessing. It was
stated today that her father had a griev
ance agi Inst contractor who had re-
fused to pay him small bill for labor
performed on the road and for which no
believed the company was responsible.
The Kingston people do not believe that
he was party to his daughters work,
however, although they advanced the
theory that she may have heard her
fathers threats and had placed the OBJ.
struction on the track without his kuowl-
edge in hope of assisting him To get
"eyen.
Tho point where the attempts to ditch
tha train have been made is about six
hundred yards north OF Slocumville
station, about midway between Slocum-
vile signal tower and Kingston hill cross
ing. 1ne road here passes through mar
row cut md stretches away on either
hand for six or seven miles In an almost
straight line. The low hills in this
vicinity are covered with dense low
growth of trees that Is almost impenetra-
BILE, and furnish an excellent hiding
place for any one skulking along the
tracks.