Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-10
CONFESSES WRECKNC TRAIN
South Omaha Boy Explains Recent Rock
Island Catastrophe.
ms MILEHs HEAR TOUCHING STORY
AdeIbert Preston, AIRED 10. Tells How
. DiscOnsoIate Lad and Rusty
Spike May I~nnoeentIy Cause
Death and Destruction.

IN the perpetual SHADOWS OF a cherries
cell in the county jail Adelbert Preston. a
lad Of Is, sits waiting to learn what penalty
the law will exact for a boyish error that
cost q mans life and thousands Of dollars
worth Of property. The youth has con-
fessed to causing the wreck Of the Colorado
limited on the Rock Island road two and a
half miles out OF South Omaha on the after
noon Of July "a.
His IL not e criminal face, but deep lines
have been furrowed there by worry, and
his eyes are red and swollen from the
sleeplossness Of nights made awful by
horror and fear. No father has been near
to counsel, no mother TO comfort him dur
ing the long. long days he has had to
wrestle the torment Of a sinless guilt. the
gravity Of which has grown upon him until
its proportions have become monstrous and
terrifying.
His stepfather, Richard Kinkaid, and his
" mother separated last June. he says,
the former coming to Omaha and engaging
IN the grocery business in the north part
Of the city. The boy remained with his
mother until a month ago. when she went
70 sarcoxie, Mo-, leaving him to work on
the farm Of Henry slickert. The farmer
has iave boys OF his own and these. 1t APP
pears, we're ovorbearing toward the hired
stranger, Imposing upon his dependency.
Weary OF his heavy work and tainted
pleasures, he crept down to the railroad
cut, a half mile from the house, that hot
July afternoon to be away from his tor
mentors and to try to discern with bis be-
wildered eyes a course that should lead
him to pleasanter e~nvirons and to-his
mother.
Finds Instrument of roubIe
AZ be sat dow at the side Of a rail his
hand fell upon a rusty, discarded spike
and be fell to tapping It on the rail. then
70 pounding it, sharpened end with a small
rock to make It bound into this afr. As
his fancy led him farther and farther
from the place his taps grew gentler and
gentler and finally ceased altogether. with
the spike left lying lengthwise on the rail.
still dreaming, he arose and shufied
wsarily toward the mouth Of the cut. Sud-
denly q sharp whistle aroused him and he
thought Of the oncomlng train-then OF the
spike. Turning. he ran madIy back, but
the distance was too great. and before he
had covered half OF II the swaying locomo-
tive rolled upon the BIT OF iron, slipped on
the rails and dashed into the forty-foot
embankment, overturning and piing the
drst cars above It in q mass. The terror
stricken boy fed to the farmhouse by q
elrcuitous route. through a field OF corn.
The people at tha-house had heard the
crash and were gone before the boy
reached there. For an hour and q hair he
wandered about the yard alone and then,
unable longer to endure the suspense, went
back 20 the cut. AS he glanced down from
the blum the bleeding body of Fireman O.
=. Porter was being carried to one side Of
the wreck and workmen were dragging
Engineer Erickson from under the mass
Of ruins, The boy siokened and slipped
back into a field. where he sobbed for a
long time, with bis arms tight clasped
oyer his eyes, That night no slipped into
1.-THE house late and went directly to his
bed. but not to sleep,
Tells story to Boys.
The following morning he was drawn
again to the scene by the sam irresistible
force and there met other boys from AL
bright. whom he knew, They fell to tell
ing of where they had been at the hour OF
the catastrophe. as every boy has done
since boys were. and Adelbert said he had
been so near that he saw It occur.
This half-proud boast was his undoing.
Willie seholsing OF Albright remembered
Il when Special Agent Smith OF the Rock
island road arrived from Topeka and be-
gan his inquiries. and that same day Smith
sought out Adelbert and asked to have Il
lopoabous 4uo Alafmcu iau maze DENIAL.
Smith came again some days later and the
truth still refused to pass Adelbsrt's lips.
30 fearful was he. But the agent called a
third time yesterday and the boy. who the
day after the wreck had fed into South
Omaha and secured a place with Henry
sliokert, ir., q drayman. this time came
forth stoutly. though with trembling voice.
and told the whole story.
The agent took him to the railroad sta
tion and Informed the ~oficials by telegraph.
Then he led the lad to the once OF a law
yer. and w. r. Patrick. county attorney OF
sarpy county. In which the wreck occurred,
was called. The attorney left the boy in
the hands OF the agent and the latter, who
had been instructed to let the law take its
course. gave the youthful prisoner into
the hands OF Deputy sherin william
Roach, who brought him to the Douglas
county fail. whers he will be held for the
present. No complaint will be filed before
Monday ana possibly not then. as the boys
story is believed.
With secret out the boy talks unhesl-
tstiugly to any who inquire. but always
with moist eyes ana a choking voice when
he attempts to describe the wreck and his
sensations as he viewed It the first time.