Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-09-19
Merry CROWD OF TRAMPS.
Insisted Upon Free Ride on a B. & 0.
Freight Train


| in a Box Car and Brought to
| Wheeling In Jail Until Monday
When They Will Have Hearing.
Fourteen CoXeyites, each possessing
more than the share of nerve which is
supposed to have been allotted to each
man. attempted to run a b. & o..
| freight train after their own fashion
early yesterday morning.
| Now the fourteen "hobos" are rest
ing in McCormack's County Hotel,
awaiting a trial By Justice Fitzpatrick
| Monday, and incidentally cOgitating
upon the folly of attempting to thwart
the plans Of great corporation.
Each one of them is sorry for the
part he took in the little game Of bluff
at West Alexander yesterday morning.
The fast freight was about to leave
I West Alexander, On the Hempfield di-
vision, between three and four o'clock
| in the morning, when the engineer got
| his organs of vision on man on the
track frantically waving a flag. This
brought back to his memory the stories
in the school readers about the brave
| boys and girls who saved the passen-
gers from burning bridges and open
switches at the risk of their own lives,
and the train stopped to hear the story
/ of another hero.
! But this fellow was not the sort of
! hero who is immOrtalized by the poet.
| He was representative and spokesman
! for motley crowd of about dozen
! of the sort of characters who cause
one to involuntarily shudder when they
are passed at night in a lonesome spot.
! They were a dozen of as disreputable
! looking specimens of humanity as
ever enjoyed the name Of tramp.
! The buns wanted to ride to Wheel
ing, and they made their wants known
/ in language which was more forcible
than polite. The conductor, in con-
formity with his instructions, answer
ed with polite but firm negative. This
did not please the knights of the
Road, and they emphatically declared
their intention to ride to Wheeling
whether the train crew consented or
not. The conductor tried a little ruse,
/ which failed because it excited their
| suspicious.
! Meanwhile, leaving the train crew
and the tramps engaged in joint dis
cUssiOn on certain technicalities rela-
tive to the operation of trains, the
conductor hunted up a telephone in
West Alexander and communicated
! with Night Lieut.. Supler, notifying
| him to lie on the lookout for the train
and its unwelcome passengers.
! The conductor then returned to the scene
and found a lively argument in progress
Matters were SO shaping themselves that
tn dozen hobos promised to prove victor
! iouS. Then a happy thought struck the
conductor
We can't stand here quarreling all
, night" he said. Just jump into this car
wnlre no person will see you,' Indicating
/ a box car with one door open. The
| tramps crawed into the empty car. and
/ the conductor closed the door and prompt
~ hol.ed and locked it. Then the train
started for Wheeling, with fourteen pris-
/ oners in the box car. 1t took siding at
| Triadephia to allow the cannon balr' to
PASS. and arrived in Wheeling shortly be-
| fore five o'clock.
Lieut.. Supler detained all the police who
reported near five o'clock, and a number
of them were distributed along Seven
teenth street At the corner of Seven
| teenth and Eoff two men jumped from
the train They were not among the
tramps. In an instant Lieut.. Supler. Of
ficer Michaels and other policemen were
| at their heels, and the fellows ran like
. scared deer. Michaels brought one of
| them down with d blow, and left him to
| the mercy of the other officers. while he
/ chased the second man. 1t was a lively
and exciting sprint, and splendid exercise
! for the officers on a cool morning. Both
men were finally secured and landed in
the lookup.
| The train went down to the yards and
/ the patrol wagon was sent down with sew
en- or eight officers. The men in the car
were pounding at the door and asking to
| be released. They were informed that
| hacks had been sent for to convey them to
,heir hotels, and they were not prepared
! for the sight of the blue coats. Most of
| thsm were satisfied, however. preferring
almost any fate to confinement in a car
| without any ventilation.
| The ''hobos" offered no resistance but
took seats in the wagon and a very anus
| ing procession started to the city build
ing. The freight was so heavy that the
steps of the wagon touched the street, and
| three officers walked on either side. pail
bearer STYLE, with their maces drawn
ready to stop any movement toward es-
cape.
The men were safely landed in the lock-
up where they gave their names as Thoe.
! Murphy G. Ray. George Williams, R.
Arnett, Tim Fox, J. Hall. ]. B. Caldwell,
| Charles Bier, William Dixon. D. Thomp-
son. William Wilson. Arthur Dent and T..
| Nanaster.
There were in the party several wor-
| thy fellows who work in this neighbor-
| hood and live near Pittsburg. and who
were not of the tramp party. but the of
ficers could make no distinction. They
were unfortunate in being found in such
| company.
Later in the day B. & o. detective
Shorts swore out warrants for the men
! before Justice FiJzpa trick. and all were
committed to Jail in default of bond for
their appearance for a hearing Monday.
The men may be taken to Pennsylvania
for trial. The laws Furnishing this offense
! are very severe in that State.
The news OF the affair spread rapidly
and in most exaggerated form during
| the day. All reports agreed that pas
senezr train was held nm and ono stated