Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-08-01
TRAIN HELD UP,

near Cliften Forge Thursday night and
desperate effort was made to take two
negro prisoners from the train. Over
100 shots were fired by the mob, and
when the train reached Huntington 20
bullets were fouud buried in the wood
work of the smoker and all the window
glass had been shot out.
AT Clifton Forge the two negro prison
ers were taken on board to be carried to
Covington, Va, tor saie-keeping, as II
was feared that mob would gather if
thew were allowed to remain there.
Engineer James Peck, of Hinton, and
Conductor Jack Hall, of Huntington,
who we're in charge of the train, saw
lights waving on the track just as the
train had begun to gather speed after
leaving Clifton Forge. The train was
stopped Immediately, and Engineer
Peck started to get off his engine to find
out why the train had been tagged.
As the train came to a standstill a
mob surrounded the engine and coaches
and, threatening to shoot Engineer
Peck if he moved the train, began to
climb aboard. Conductor Hall, who
had anticipated trouble when he saw the
train tagged, was prepared for the mob,
and as they made rush for the coaches he
ordered the doors of all the cars closed
and locked. The men, finding that 1t
would be impossible for them to enter to
obtain the negroes for whom the tram
had been stopped, began to gather
around the smoking car, in which the
negroes were under guard. As Conduc-
tor Hall ran through the train calling
on the passengers to lie flat upon the
floor the mob began firing into the win
dows of the smoker, while the passengers
scrambled from their seats to place OF
safety from the flying bullets. The fir.
ING was kept up for several minutes and
bullets whistled through the car win
1ows, while women screamed and The
mob outside continued their clamorlng
for the two negro prisoners.
Rocks were also brought into play
and flying missiles of all descriptions
came through the car windows, but not
passenger or trainman was injured. En-
gineer Peck, during the firing, had sat
1pon his engine covered by reyolyers in
the hands of several members of the
mob. At last, when the main body of
the mob had almost exhausted their
supply of bullets, those who had been
guarding the engineer left, going toward
the smoker, leaving Peck unguarded.
\ As the guards turned and ran toward
the smoking car Engineer Peck pulled
the throttle wide open and the train be-
gan to move. The mob, seeing the turn
things had taken and fearing that they
might be outdone in their efforts to get
to the prisoners, climbed upon the plat
form of the cars and attempted to stop
the train by turning the angle cock to
the air hose, thereby applying the
brakes. Not understanding the work
ing of the brakes however, they were
unable to apply them at full pressage,
as the train had gotten headway. Real
izing that they had been baflled, the
men Jumped from the moving train and
fred several shots into the car windows.
The train quickly gained momentum and
did not stop until Covington was
reached where the negroes were placed
in Jail.
The negroes for whom the train was
held up are from Lyuchburg, Va, and
| are supposed to be the ones who shot
5 and seriously injured a white brakeman
on the Chesapeake and Ohio excursion
between Clifton Forge aud Lynchburg a
few days ago. The brakeman was shot,
and it is thought fatally wounded, dur
ing the fight between negroes on the ex-
} cursion train. He was taken to the
Chesapeake and Ohio Hospital at Clifton
- Forge, and the two negroes were arrest
ed in Lynchburg and taken to Clifton
Forge Thursday for Identification. The
brakeman declared them TO be the ones
who shot him, and as there were reports
of lynching the Lynchburg officers de-
cided to take the negroes to the Coving
ton iail for safe-keeping. 1t is be1eye'
that an effort will be made to lynch tn
negroes at COvington.