The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-11
ATTACKED BY A MANIAC
HOT FIGHT 4 NEW HA YEN ROID
STITCH TOWER.
The SignaImam Had Hard Work to
Save His Own Life and Prevent
Switches Being Thrown and Trains
Wrecked.

| A maniac broke into the switch tower
| of the New York. New Haven and
| Hartford railroad between Larchmont
| and Mamaroneck about 8 O'Clock on
Friday night, says yesterdays New
York Tribune, and the operator, Thomas
Louden had a desperate struggle to
prevent him from interfering with the
switch signals and causing an accident
to trains which We're due at the time.
minutes, and was ended by the opera
tor knocking out his assailant with a
club and turning him over to a train
crew to be taken to New Rochelle police
headquarters While the struggle was
going on Louden was unable to register
several trains which passed his tower
going westward, but the operators in
New Rochelle, who did not hear Lou
den's signal and surmsed that there
was something wrong, held them up I'M
til the fight was over and the signalman
got back to his keys,
Louden says that about o'clock
when he was sitting in the window Of
the tower he heard noise at the door
below. Locking out he saw a wild look
ing man trying to get in.
Let me in, quick." cried the man,
tuggging at the door, The woods are
full of bears, and they've chased me
nearly a mile
II haven't time to let you in here"
4 I
down the track"
The man suddenly put his shoulder
to the door and broke it down. Lou
den took a club which he keeps for
emergencies, and as The maniacs head
appeared on the narrow stairway he
gave him a blow that staggered him. AT
this moment the signal bell rang, and
the operator supposing that the intrud-
er had been knocked senseless, threw
several of the levers,
The New Haven local from New York
passed by, and as Louden turned to re-
set the signals he was confronted by the
mailman, who had recovered from the
blow, and with his hands on several of
the levers was about to throw them.
Louden struck him second blow with
club, and the man seized Louden' by
the throat
A desperate struggle followed, in
which both men tumbled about wildly
1t seemed to be a question of which
would succeed in throwing the other out
of the window onto the rocks below
and take possession of the tower Sew
eral times the operator came near being
hurled out, but, realizing that hun
dreds of lives were in danger besides his
own. he held onto the iron railing and
saved himself. Finally, when he got
good chance, he picked up the club from
the floor and dealt his asailant a blow
which knocked him senseless.
The milk train was approaching as the
fight ended and Louden signailed the
engineer to stop, and with the assist
ance of the conductor and crew removed
the crazed man from the tower, He
revived as they were taking him out,
and gave the trainmen such fight that
they We're obliged to lock him up in a
milk car until they reached New Ro-
chelle where he was turned over to the
police. At police headquarters the man
quoted down. He said he was George
1dlidSHel, INN W years plu, VI OH
Chester, and that he was an iron mould
ar. He told the police that he was being
followed by bears and Wild
cats, and that he had broken into the
tower and tried to turn the switches |
'or the purpose of throwing them off his |
rack
Gallagher has been wandering about |
n the woods for nearly a week. living |
IN fruit and herbs.