Birmingham state herald., 1897-01-10


 city and community was shocked by the announcement through the columns of the State Herald of the attempt, by in human monsters to wreck passenger train No S7, west bound on the Southern rail- way, at McComb's trestle, between Hen ryellen and Weems, and about fifteen miles from Birmingham.
 Never, since the memorable Saturday night of Dec. 8, 1888, when the celebrated butchery termed the Hawes riot occurred which will go down in the history of Jeff ferson county as its darkest deed, was such a thrill of terror known to shake this city from center to circumference. When it became generally known that an attempt had been made to wreck
 A PASSENGER TRAIN
 with upward of 200 people on board for the sole purpose of gaining a few paltry dollars, indignation reached a severe ten sion.
 All honor was accorded Brave Jim Hawes, one of the truest engineers who, ever grasped throttle or reversed lev CT, when it was authoritatively an- nounced that but for his eagle eye and cool brain the entire train, human freight and all, would have been plunged into an abyss, whose bottom was 11O feet dis tant and which was a mass of jagged rocks, and all on board either killed out right or suffered a like fate with those On board the ill-fated Birmingham nnin- eral train which
 WENT THROUGH CAHABA BRIDGE Sbut few days thereafter, leaving many homes desolate, adding new graves to those already dug on many hill sides, making widows and orphans all in al- nose single instant of time.
 That the removal of rail, so timely discovered by Engineer Jim Hawes was the work of criminals whose souls were backer than the hinges of hell, there was no room for doubting. Every instance and surrounding tended to prove the fact. Who they were, was riddle which seemed destined to become as dark as the sphynx in the desert of Sahara.
 Justice demanded that, if in the power of man, the scoundrels, who dared to doubly violate the commands of the AL mighty by taking life and robbing the dead, be brought before the tribunals and a punishment commensurate with their guilt be meted out to them.
 Sheriff Frank P. O'Brien was sum- moned in the dead hour of night, to awak- en, as crime, dark and bloody, was and he having pledged himself, in the sight of God and man, to keep down crime, responded to the call. Hastily summoning together such of his trusted aids as Chief Deputy Warnock and Depu- ties Ball and Waldrop, securing horses and arms and with pack of dogs whose scent were as keen as the livid lightning, they went as fast as man e'er dares to go to the scene of the attempted crime.
 The dogs were loosed and soon struck a trail. Closely followed by the stern minions of the law they plunged through the darkness On and on they went, but to no avail. The scoundrels were too cool-headed, and for the time being jus- tice was thwarted.
 The law must be satisfied, said Sheriff O'Brien, and never having failed to do his duty, the law was satisfied, insofar as his duty demanded, as will be seen furth- CT on.
 After riding from midnight until 8:30 a. m, Sheriff O'Brien and his aides re- turned to the city. As soon as possible after his arrival Sheriff O'Brien called upon MT. J. Barber Thompson. assistant general superintendent of the Southern Railway He informed MT. Thompson of what had been done, his opinions as compiled from what he gathered at the scene of the attempted wreck, and then asked for instructions.
 MT. Thompson promptly informed Sheriff O'Brien that he would place the matter
 ENTIRELY IN HIS HANDS and to spare no expense in ferriting out and bringing to justice the scoundres who attempted the most diabolical crime in the history of the south. Sheriff O'Brien's first step was to secure the services oi Jonh n. ouiilVan, man noted for coolness, bravery and skill in ferrit- ing out criminals. MT. Sullivan, armed with full and explicit instructions re- paired to the scene of the attempted wreck and went immediately to work. This movement on the part of the sheriff, as afterward turned out. proved a happy one. It was the beginning of a most sue cessful end.
 Quietly and without the knowledge of any save those directly in the confidence of the sheriff, the plans were mapped out and successfully carried through. One by one the men implicated in the plot, which. for hellishness exceeded any thing ever conceived by mortal man, were capturned and landediH the county jail. 4sAi asss a.s .3es The first arrest was made on December 30 two of Sheriff O'Brien's deputies sue ceeding in landing Tom Ingram. His in