The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-23
GUARDING FROM ATTACK
CANADIAN AUTHORITIES PREPARED
FOR AN AMERICAN MOB.
Attempt to Rescue Prisoners Said to
He Under Way-OutcOme of Effort
to Wreck Welland Canal.

NIAGARA FALLS, April 22.-Chief
Youngs, of the Dominion police, has a force
of half a dozen regular policemen and two
hundred armed deputies. who are guarding
the Jail at Clifton, Ont, where are con-
fined the three men charged with blowing
UP Lock No. "a at Thorold Ont, last night.
The extraordinary precautions taken for
the guarding of the men is the result of
ernoon to the effect that 400 Buffalo grain
shovelers were on their way here to liber-
ate the prisoners. The militia of the dis
trict, the Forty-fourth battalion, has been
warned for service and can be modified at
Clifton at short notice. Last night 1t was
thought the men who blew up the lock
were Boer sympathizers. To-day the iopin-
ion has changed. 1t is now the belief Of
many persons in Clifton and nearby Cana
dian villages that the dynamiters were
agents for the Buffalo grain shovelers. and
sought TO blow up the lock for the purpose
of disabling the Weland canal. thereby
preventing the passage OF grain through
the canal from Port Colborne to Montreal
With the canal closed, IL Is argued. the
scoopers of Buffalo might have more work
This line of reasoning, aided by rumors Of
an impending invasion of scoopers from
Buffalo. resulted in the heroic measures
taken by Chief Youngs.
1t was said in Clifton tonight that the
grain handlers of Buffalo had organized for
the raid and that they would reach the
Canadian town tonight. Not knowing what
tc expect after such an unusual thing as
the assault on IT, lock yesterday, the au-
thorities determined to take no chances.
1t is believed that the force at hand will be
able to repel any party that may attempt
to release the men from Jail. That such an
attempt will be made is not generally
credited.
To-day Chief Youngs brought from Tho
rold to Clifton two men who positively
identified the three men In jail as the men
who were seen around the lock, and who
We're seen to run away from the vicinity or
the lock after the explosion. The men who
identified the prisoners in the employ
of the Dominion canal department, but
their names are not made public. They ad-
nit that they saw the three prisoners at
the lock more or less yesterday afternoon,
but say they had no idea the men were
bent on mischief Immediately after the
explosion the two canal men saw three
men run away from the lock. They called
Mayor Wilson, of Thorold. Constable Clark
and the mayor took horse and buggy and
started after the trio. The trail of the men
was struck a short distance out of Thorold,
and they were followed half way to Cliff
ton. Then the mayor and constable stopped
and telephoned to Chief Youngs at Clifton,
who caused the arrest of the fugitives. The
men were armed with revolvers. but they
made no attempt to use them. Walsh and
Nelson had been around the Canadian side
of the river for several days. The third
man. name unknown, had room in Cliff
ton, and frequently met the other two,
who came across the river. The unknown
is believed to be the leader of the gang.
He is about forty-five years old, weighs
200 pounds, is five feet ten inches tall, and
has a smooth face
To-day the method of procedure of the
dynamiters was learned in full. The men
made several sticks of dynamite into two
bundles. These bundles they suspended by
ropes at points about half way to the bot
tom of the lock at the middle, half way
from gate to gate. Wires were found after
the explosion that led to the belief that
the dynamite was exploded by electricity.
The men are believed to have carried the
batteries away with them, and to have dis
posed of them during the flight. AS large
quantities of grain pass over the steel
arched bridge of the Grand Trunk ii is
said the men would have blown 1t up If
they had been able to escape arrest at
Thorold.
Mayor Slater, with two other magis-
strates, has made a demand for detach-
ment of No. s Company, orty-eighth Bat
TALON. to guard the jail on the ground that
Vandersluys at once called out a detach-
men of twenty men under sergeant, who
were put on guard. They were served with
ten rounds of ammunition each, and are
now doing guard duty at the jail with fixed
bayonets.