The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-10-25
TIE ON THE TRACK.
Attempt to Wreck a Train
through Spite.
A Discharged Section Hand COnfesses
that he Placed Tie on The C. IN.
W. Track near Eagle Lake.

Madison Lake. was arrested Thurs
day at Eagle Lake on the.charge OF
having placed tie on the Chicago q
Northwestern track near that place.
He was taken into custody and brought
to this city by Detective Jeffers of
Chicago, and was met at the II 10 p.
m. train by Deputy Sheriff Geo. At
Gibson and placed in the county Jail.
Wednesday morning, when freight
train No from the ~seast, in charge
of Conductor Thomas Hughes of Sleepy
Eye, was rushing along at the.rate Of
fifty miles an hour, the engineer was
Mortified to see tie lying squarely
across the track as he rounded curve
three-fourths of mile east of Ea gle
Lake. He set the brakes, but the
speed of the train was not greatly
slackened when the COW catcher struck
the obstacle 1t was six o'clock in the
morning and the frost was still on the
tie, so that it slid along the track and
was finally broken in two. The COW
catcher had struck the tie an inch
from the top, and it is thought that If
it had not been frost covered or If 1T
had been an oak instead of cedar tie
it would have derailed the engine
and caused a bad wreck, with the
probable death of the engineer and
fireman.
AS soon as the train could be stop
ped, the train crew made an examln-
alton of the ground, and found the
place where the tie had been taken up
and laid on the track. with the marks
of a mans shoes still plainly visible
in the frost The matter was reported
as soon as the train reached Mankato,
and notice was Immediately sent to
headquarters, resulting..in the dispatch
of Detective LETTERS to Eagle Lake.
Lovett was employed as section
hand on the Chicago & Northwestern
road for seven or eight years, but was
discharged last fall. Since then he has
been employed as a day laborer.
He got up very early Wednes-
day morning and walked down the
track to his work, going by the place
where the tie was placed on the track.
The detective suspected that he was
the guilty party, and after making
careful investigation called Lovett to
one side and accused him of the crime
Lovett at first denied it, but after
wards made a full confession. He
said that he was angry with the rail
road company, and had placed the tie
on the track unassisted 10y anyone else
Eagle Lake people do not consider
Lovett as very strong mentally, and
they have interceded in his behalf,
working to have him examined as to
his sanity. Lovett is married mar,
about forty years old.
Lovett, while on the way to the Jail
admitted to Deputy Sheriff Atchison
that he had placed the tie on the track
but said that he did not know why he
did it.
Lovett lives on a three acre tract
which he rents, located six miles east
of Eagle Lake, having moved there
year ago when he lost his job with
the railroad. He has wife and three
Oh ildren, the oldest four years and the
youngest ten days. He has resided for
the past twenty years in Eagle Lake
and vicinity. His father died of can
Ger several years ago, and brother
has the disease, and he is said to be
developing symptoms of it.
The reason why Lovett was dis
charged as section hand was that
new foreman was appointed, a young
man, who could not get along we'll
with Lovett. The latter says that
this foreman wanted him to handle
pillow and scraper, which he would
not do, considering the work too hard.
Lovett was examined as to his sanity
this afternoon before Judge Hughes
by Drs Warner and Holbrook. In re-
ply to questions put to him by County
Attorney Wilson and others, he said
that he did not know how old he was,
but did know that he was the oldest
of a family of seven. He said that he
could neither read nor write, and
could not count up to 100. He had
gone to school when a small boy, but
could not learn. When child he had
had sore and swelling over one eye,
and it had left him a little crosseyed
and with a poor memory. He was
born in Wisconsin, and his father was
born in Olmstead county, MINI.
When asked why he placed the tie
on the rails, Lovett mumbled some
unintelligible reply and said that he
would never do it again as long as he
lived, and would never go near the
track again. He begged the county at
torney to let him go this time. He
said that as soon as he had thought it
over, he was sorry that he had placed
the tie on the rails. He had leen
working with threshing crew since
harvest, and had gone to his work half
a..mile away after placing the obstruc-
ton on the track. He had watched
the train come and had seen it stop.
When he saw the train coming he
wished that he had not placed the tie
on the track.