The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-06-03
YOUTHFUL WRECK{RS.
Boys Who Tried to Smash
G. R. R. Express Make
Confessions.

Captain Nugent and Detective Pairson
last night arrested Harry Hansen, ten
years old, of No. 81 Fulton avenue
Young Hansen is the boy, who with four
teen year old Emil Mades attempted
to wreck the Washington Express last
Saturday afternoon. The boys had been
in the habit of playing about the Central
Railroad tracks, One of their forms of
amusement was to place stones upon the
track to see how far the flying engines
would knock them.
According to Young Hansen, Mades
tired of that sport after a short time
and suggested that they place something
heavy upon the track, to cause the
wreck of the express. Then they could
gather the jewelry and money from the
passengers he said, who would neces-
sarfly be killed and wounded as result
of the wreck. Young Hansen agreed to
the proposal and the boys went to the
railroad yard and procured wrench and
a solid block of iron about ten inches
square and six inches thick. This was
placed against the west bound track.
1t protruded above the track for about
five inches. Fortunately, 1t was not
fastened. The boys also attempted to
unscrew the hange connecting the rails,
but were unsuccessful. All this took
place about two hundred feet from the
Claremont avenue station. The boys then
climbed the hill across the canal, op-
posite the railroad, and awaited the re-
suit of their attempt at trainwrecking.
A west bound local running at a high
rate of speed came along and struck the
obstruction. A large piece was Clipped
from the iron block which was knocked
aside. The first experiment being fall
ure the young would-be train wreckers
came out of hiding and attempted to do
the job properly. The iron block was
placed upon the track in a position that
would have certainly derailed any train
striking it.
The young rascals again resumed their
positions upon the hill and awaited re-
suits. The Washington Express, the boys
knew, would be due in few minutes.
Fortunately, however, at this juncture
a fireman on a east bound drill engine
noticed the obstruction, jumped off the
engine and removed it, just as the Wash
ington Express came flying along. He
then reported the case to the officials of
the road. Special Detective Wagner was
detailed upon the case, but was unable
to discover the miscreants. The Fifth
Police station was then notified and Cap
tain Nugent and Detective Pairson took
charge of the case.
A number of arrests were made,
among them young Mades. AT first
Mades denied all knowledge of the
affair, but later he made a partial con-
fession. He implicated young Hansen,
who was afterward arrested. The boys
accused each other. Hansen claimed
that he made several attempts to take
the iron block from the track, but was
prevented by Mades. Mades denied this,
however, and said that he would have
removed the block if Hansen had allow
ed it, Neither boy appeared to be afraid
and they seemed to think the affair a
huge joke.
In speaking of Mades, Captain Nugent
said that in his experience he had never
seen more depraved boy than young
Mades. The boys guided Captain Nugent
to the hiding place, near the Canal,
where a set wrench and a large iron bar
were dug up. These were to be used as
tools by the boys in the trainwrecking
business.
A boy named August Dorst told Cap
tain Nugent that Mades had said to
him.
"I've done mean trick, but I'm not
sorry
The boys were both released on bail
last night.