The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-10
MURDERS ON THE RAIL.
Crimes Committed on Isolated Rail-
way Carriages in England.


The arguments in favor OF the cor
ridor" or American" system of travel
ing for general railway passengers in
England every day grows more EN-
phatic and incoltroyertible The
newspapers contain almost daily ac
counts of awful murders or attempts to
murder by persons usually unknown,
who have made good their escape from
the little isolated carriages and left
their victims to be discovered" in
some casual fashion. Only a few days
ago another horrible tragedy, that
might have occurred to anybody in the
same situation, took place during the
short railway ride of not more than 20
minutes between Hounslow station and
the great London terminus, Waterloo.
A woman, barmaid from a tavern
close to the HounsloW station, got into
carriage alone, and her body was
found on the arrival of the train at Wa
terloo stuffed under a seat, the head
horribly battered. She had started out
to meet her lover, and in the train must
have been attacked and murdered by
some brute. whose identity up to the
present is undiscovered.
The horror of the thing must appeal
strongly to every woman who has ever
been in London or is acquainted with
the English method of travel. The up
permost object of the ordinary man or
woman who travels long or short dis
lance is to get into Il carriage alone. In
the small, cramped compartments you
feel in too close quarters to want to be
bothered with strangers, therefore
you naturally do your best to get into
n carriage where you won't be "wor-
ried." But recent dreadful events have
made people nervous of the lonely car
riage Women shun it because
of awful stories of violence and
deaths that have come unawares
upon some poor soul who has
set out in good health and spirits, while
men shun it because of the stories of
backmail and SANDER of which unprin-
cipled women frequently make them
the victims. The days of the old Eng
lish compartments are. indeed, num-
bered, and it will not be long, l am sure,
before "American trains" are the rule
On every line in the kingdom.
Travelling in England is very eNpen-
sive work. at any rate. The fares be
ing divided INTO three classes. the very
poorest and meancst accommodations,
which they call third class" cost about
the same rate which in America is
charged for the ordinary train. If YOU
have a third-class ticket, however, you
cannot buy a Pullman car ticket. To
be entitled to purchase superior ac
commoGation of this kind on must pr-
MARTY invest in ''first-class" ticket.
which costs three times the amount Of
q third-class, and not until then are YOU
allowed to buy Pullman car accommo-
dations. If you are going for long
journey Tor as long one as you can
take in England) this makes the cost
about four times the amount you would
pay if you did not have luxurious soul
and long for springs and cushions.
[ hear. however. that to meet the de
mand of the vast body Of Americans
who are coming over here for the
diamond Jubilee" there is to be
complete houeversement of the train
service IN Great Britain, and cars such
as we are accustomed 10 in the states,
md prices TO match, viii be one of the
white stones marking the latter "lo-
ries of her maiesty's siNtieth year upon
the throne.-Chicago Times-Herald.