Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-31
SOMEONE TOLD.
Eighteen Arrests of Suspected
Men at Waterbury, Ct.
In Connection With Recent Brutal
Attack on Trolley Car Men.
Thought That Officer MendeIssohn's
Murder May Be Cleared Up.

Waterbury, CT, March 30.-Eighteen
men placed under arrest on the charge
Of assault with intent to kill was the
record of activity on the part of the
police, today, in their effort TO discover
the authors of some of the outbreaks
of violence which have occurred since
the beginning of the strike of motor
men and conductors of the Connecticut
Railway and Lighting Co., II weeks
ago.
The men arrested are charged in the
warrants with assault on VIM. L. Mer-
ner and George Morreste, on the night
of Feb. 26, with intent to kill. These
two men were the non-uniOn employees
of the trolley company VINO had charge
of car which was attacked at lone
ly spot on the Waterville line, on the
night mentioned. Both were assaulted
and one was beaten into insenSibility
and left lying on the rails in the path
OF the cars.
This disturbance occurred little
more than a week prior to an attack
of a similar nature on a car at Forest
park, when Policeman Paul Mendels-
sohn was killed by bullet from mob
of masked men. Since the murder was
committed, detectives attracted by the
large rewards offered have been quietly
at work. While the arrests. today.
nominally for the assault of Feb 70,
the officials do not deny that they hope
from this action to learn something
that will clear up the mystery of Men
delss0hn's death.
Col. l.. f. Burpee. attorney for the
Connecticut Railway and Lighting Co,
said in an interview, tonight, that he
had strong evidence against the men
arrested for the Waterville assault and
that he felt quite confident of tracing
out the murder of Officer Mendelssohn.
Col. Burpee added that warrants for 2.
men have been issued and that he eX-
pectcd that the whole number would
be under arrest before tomorrow morn
ing. The credit for the arrests, he said.
was due to Pinllerton detectives acting
in cooperation with the local detective
bureau
OF the arrested men, seven are mem
hers of the Trolley Mems Union now
on strike. These are Charles T. Ross.
Harry w. Warren, Clifford Wander
mark. Willis Vandermark, David G..
Marsh, Edward b. Vinegar and John
Willis Vandermark were arrested by a
SQUAD of a dozen officers under COM
mand of a sergeant who visited the
meeting place of the strikers union,
this afternoon. They We're taken to the
police station and the hunt for others
against whom the warrants were di-
rected was begun.
Early this evening. the police blotter
fAi- adj al
names of men arrested on the assault
charge: John Brearton, Ernest VOL
colt, Charles Thorpe, John Ennis,
James Witty, Michael Regain, James
Quinn Stephen Ball, Thomas Quinn,
Joseph Kelly and VIM. Costello. None
of these last mentioned men are strik-
ers. They are nearly all factory work
ers and young men of from 20 to q
years having homes in the West Enc
of the city in the neighborhood of tht
car barns. Brearton is son of Police
officer John Brearton.
Counsel was secured for the arrested
strikers, this afternoon, and efforts
were made to secure bail, the amount
required being $4,000 in each case. This
two vandermarks, who are brothers
and Thorpe. Ennis, Witty, Breartoi
and Wolcott secured bail during thu
afternoon. 1t was thought bonds coult
be obtained for the others. tonight.
Although the officials decline to indi
cate the nature of the evidence OF
which the arrests are based a repor
which seemed to be reliable was cur
rent this afternoon, to the effect tina
one man would turn states evidence
One of the attorneys for the defenc
said he had heard this report but tina
it was not true of any of the three o
four men for whom he had been re
tanned.
An official of the Schenectady Railwa
Co. Monday. at Schenectady. N y. state
that tne cei ~ an Is IVY Wh;r% s,s,,