The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-22

singing of the rails. 1t fascinated him
and caused sort of paralysis to seize
upon his every muscle; even his brain
was numb, but he was acutely con-
scious of one thing through 1t all
tho fendish humming of the steel rails.
Something Of the numbness left the
teamsters limbs: he alternately tug
Ced at the lines and lashed the wheel
ers: this delayed his progress.
Suddenly the rails glowed with yell
low light in the gathering dusk and
the engine whistled for the crossing.
Young became motionless again and
sat staring at the cleaning lines. The
wheelers were on the track and the
front of the wagon was over the first
rail-
There came a single sharp blast from
the whistle: it was the first note ot
down brakes" but the signal was
never finished. The engine gave a
great leap forward, crashed into the
front end of the wagon. now half way
across. and hurled it back. The
wheelcrs were crushed to pulp, and
the pointers dragged against the side
of the engine and killed, while the
the gloom.
The train seemed hardly to have
struck ere it disappeared rocking and
plunging into the distance.
Under the wreckage of his wagon
and its load of rock lay Dick Young,
tcamster, dead.
Public indignation ran high in Black
county against Engineer Ware. 1t was
no so much that he had killed a man;
other engineers had done such things,
and it might have been unavoidable;
but Ware had not made the slightest
effort to save Young's life; he had not
reversed or called for brakes: on the
contrary, he had opened the throttle
wide and the engine was going at
such speed that it could not be
stopped until it had left the shattered
wagon nearly a mile behind.
That the wagon must have been
struck in any case all were agreed,
but if Ware had reversed his engine
Young might have jumped in time 10
save his life.
Those who felt inclined to seek eX-
cuses for the engineer advanced the
theory that he had been excited, and
did not know what he was doing, but
all agreed that he should be punished
that is, all but the railroad men; they
knew that It was case of premedi-
tated and deliberate killing, and they
also knew that Engineer Ware had
done a glorious deed, and not for gain
or fame.
The engineer was charged by the
Coroner's jury at first with man-
slaughter, but it transpired that he
had made a statement admitting that
he had expected to kill the teamser,
| and he was indicted for murder. Act
ing on his lawyers instruction, he de-
| clined to give his reasons for. killing
Young.
The courtroom was crowded on the
day of the trial and full of an air of
| suppressed excitement.
The first witnesses heard We're two
| stOnecuttcrs who had been at the
spur. Their evidence showed that nc
effort had been made to slow down
that the train was going much faster
when the engine struck the wagon
than when it first appeared around
| the curve. The defense waived the
| right of cross examination, and the
| testimony of those witnesses stood.
| Poor fellow! He takes 1t hard"
| Such were the whispered remarks in
the courtroom when the prisoner took
the stand to speak in his own defense
| His ghastly face, eloquent in its ag-
| ony, gained him much sympathy. H.
| began excitedly:
Il had to do it," Then, recovering
| himself, he continued
when | saw the wagon first start.
| ed 10 call for brakes, but | instantly
| saw that they would be of no use anG
| decided to do what l could with the
| lever l was about to reverse wher
| it flashed upon me that the wagon was
| loaded with roCk-that it would be
| straight across the track when
| struck it if l tried to slow down." He
| had been speaking eXcitedly, but nov
his voice fell.
| Il had two coaches and the mai
| and baggage car; the lightest car was
| between the other two, and in tha'
one were more than thirty people; tC
| strike that load cf rock was to tele.
| scope that middle car"-his voice haC
risen; he spoke wildly:-'yes and tC
crush it like an egg shell and every,
thing in it,"
What could do' threw the leveI
over; we plunged forward; l killed
that man. Oh, my God! I didn't wan
to kill him.
Ware paused, with his arms stretch
ed out as if in appeal to those befor,
him, pleading with them TO tell him i
he had done wrong to sacrifice a hu
man life. and the answer came in
choking cheer.
Now followed expert testimony t,
prove that reversing would hav,
telesCODed the car.
His own life was in danger" saiC
the counsel for the defense. "A MAJ
has the right to protect his life" War
made a deprecatOry gesture. The law
Yer continued:
"DO you think man can delight il
| killing people for whom he has no dis
like? Look at him! He has save
many lives by his unselfsh devotion
vet the memory of the life he wa