The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-10

An eyewitness who arrived in Wash
ington last night relates one Of the most
thrilling occurrences of the present excite
ment in Kentucky.
| The Hon. Phil Thompson. of Washing
! ton, formerly a member of Congress from
| Kentucky, and the well-krown Col Jack
| Chinn were held under the muzzle OF a
self-acting revolver in the hands of mad
man for fully a half hour Thursday night.
! Messrs. Thompson and Chinn rank high
! among the courageous men of Kentucky.
Each has had more than one severe test
of his nerve, and neither has ever before
! fliached in the face of danger. But this
desperate encounter was one in which the
adage that discretion Is the better part
of valor' found indisputable demonstra-
| ton
The two famous Kentuckians left Frank
fort Thursday night on an east-bOuud
| Chesapeake and Ohio train. Colonel
Thompson was returning to Washington
after a week of arduous work in. behalf
| of peace and orderly procedure in his State.
Colonel Chinn. who was with Goebel when
foul assassin's bullet laid that leader
low, and whose life ever since has been
endangered at Frankfort. was en- route TO
his home at Harrodsburg for a much
needed rest. The two are boyhood friends
and fellow-townsmen.
4 great crowd from Lexington and vi
cinity. who had attended the Goebel
funeral. rushed for the train. and in the
rush Messrs. Thompson and Chinn be-
came separated. Two or three extra
coaches were coupled on at Frankfort for
the accommodation of the unusual crowd.
In fha lagf
seat. The only other passenger was
Sheriff Bob" Fields of Boyd county.
Naturally the two fell into conversation,
though there had been no previous ac
quaintance. Colonel Thompson recalls that
his rew-found friend was unusually COM
municative- The sheriff told glibly OF his
rapid rise from the obscurity OF a country
schoolteacher to the important Office OF
sheriff OF Boyd county, county which
never before had elected Democrat to the
position.
When the train had reached Midway.
which, as indicated by its name is equi-
distant between Frankfort and Lexington
Jack Chinn was successful in finding
Colonel Thompson. with whom he had
made an engagement to talk over some i'm
portant business on the trip. Colonel
Thompson Is Chinns attorney. When
Chinn entered the rear coach Colonel
The three then took social nip" out OF
Fields bottle to seal their friendship. in
orthodox Kentucky fashion. When the
conventional furmalities had been oh
served. Chinn called Colonel Thompson
away in order that they might talk over
the business in hand. Hardly had they
seated themselves before the erstwhile
mild hammered sheriff of Boyd county
stuck under the nose of Chinn a vicious
self-acting revolver
You have insulted me by calling Colo
mel Thompson away from me-" Kissed the
officer at Chinn. and | think shall blow
your brains out l know you have the
reputation Of being the worst man in Ken
lucky but I'm not afraid OF you. you
blankety- blank blank, and II you blink an
eye I'll splatter your brains over this car"
Chinn sat transfixed, gazing into the
madmans eyes. He explained afterward
that he realized if he took his eyes off OF
the glittering optics OF the maniac his life
would be forfeited.
Colonel Thompson thought 10 placate
Sheriff Fields with mild words
We are all friends. Fields" the former
Congressman began saying when Fields
shifted the muzzle Of the revolver from
under Chinn's nose TO that OF Colonel
Thompson. In quick succession the sheriff
alternated the nasal touch of the cold steel
until the train rumbled into Lexington.
The sudden stopping Of the train distracted
his attention long enough for his victims
to escape. But for half hour or more
two of the most couI sgeous r.en in Ken
lucky had been held prisoners in the car
seat by their suddenly crazed captor not
knowing at what moment he would press
his finger on the hair-trigger Of his double
action revolver and send a bullet plung-
ing through the head of one or both OF
them.
Their situation was all the more melo-
dramatic by reason of the fact that the
trio were the only occupants of the dimIy-
lighted car. AS soon as Thompson and
Chinn escaped they notified n number of
Sheriff Fields friends OF his unhappy
plight. and they TOOK charge Of him.
Colonel Thompson said last night that
he had been in many a close place in his
career as a soldier under the famous Con-
federate cayalryman. John Morgan, and
since the war had had numerous encoun-
ters, but he was never before in so dan
gerous a position as he was when the
Boyd county sheriff held him captive in
that railway coach Il was at first i'm
pressed with the mild manners and
thorough decency of Fields declared Col
onel Thompson. When he introduced him
self to me he was thoroughly sane. / am
certain the small amount OF liquor he
drank could not have intoxicated him.
Therefore, | am convinced that his mind
suddenly gave way under the tremendous
strain OF excitement to which he had been
subjected at Frankfort During the half
hour Of our perll-which. | assure you,
seemed an age-I felt nearly as much con-
Germ for the poor maniac who had the drop |
on us as | did for myself or Chinn. |
feared that Chinn would either stab him or
shoot him when the pistol was shifted to
my nose. l kept my left hand on Chinn |
right arm all the time to keep Chinn from |
drawing weapon Despite the terrible |
danger. | realized that il Chinn should kill !
him when only We three were in the coach |
the case would go hard with Chinn under |
the present conditions of excitement in |
Kentucky. As for myself. had no deadly |
weapon in my clothes. and if had had |
one should have used it only as the last !
resort to save my life. | dare say il |
Fields had tackled a less brave man than |
Jack Chinn, he, or maybe all three of US,
would have been killed. We simply kept |
our eyes riveted on his and out talked him. |
by no other means could we have averted /
4 dreadful tragedy"