The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-07
BLACkIhILERS WRECK TRAINS
NORTHERN PACIFIC THE VICTIM
or A DESPERATE MONTANA GANG.

U8ln8 UynomlteS - lncy luTo~Veheu w ~
NSSO. 900 Was Not Pnid Over 70 Them
--BIoodho Fail 10 Pick Up the Trail
Armed Posses Scouring the State.
HRIENA, Mon, Oct. 6.--The failure Of
the offit err Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
to meet the demands Of the blackmailes
who have been destroying Ito property
with dynamite for the last few weeks
was promptly met by the desperadoes last
night. when they planted dynamite At two
points along the Northern Pacific lines
and In each case succeeded in partly
destroying a train.
In expectation that some violence would
follow their refusal to submit to be black
mailed out OF $4,000 by a gang OF train
wreckers, with no claims OF any kind on
them, the Northern Pacific officials took
every precaution to get speedily on the
track Of the perpetrators OF any fresh
outrages.
But although they had armed possess at
points along the line In this State and
trained bloodhounds within few hours OF
almost any specific spot, the blackmailers,
who are evidently men Of experience 40
well as Of daring, got away after blowing
up two trains, injuring several trainhands
and damaging several thousand dolhrs'
worth of property.
The most disastrous of the two explosions
last night occurred at about 1880 o'clock,
three miles west of Birdseye station, which
is eight miles west Of this city. An extra
eastbound freight approaching Brdseye
ran into several sticks Of capped dynamite
which had been placed on the rails in such
fashion that neither slow nor fast train
could brush them aside. There was
terrific explosion at once.
Several yards of rail was blown out,
the pilot, stack and headlight Of the loco
motive we're shattered and the roadbed
was 30 torn up that all traffic over this branch
of the line was delayed for hours. That
only slight injuries were sustained by the
trainmen was due more to luck than any
thing else. It is little short Of a miracle
that the engineer and firemen we're not
killed.
Only meagre details OF the second out
rage have reached here yet. The report
comes from Missoula that an eastbound
freight was blown up at Avon. The engine
was almost totally wrecked, but the crew
escaped with slight injuries. .
the same band of wreckers Ia almost GER
tain. At any rate, the Northern Pacific
officials think so, and every effort 10 being
made to round up the desperadoes. A
special train carrying an armed posse and
several bloodhounds started for the scene
the report reached here last night.
They returned to-day with the dogs,
| which were useless because the heavy
rain that had been falling all night made
1t impossible for them to pick up the trail.
| Some Of the men who left here on the train
poases from other points. have taken UP
| the trail Of the dynamiters, which leads into
| the mountains. Nothing further has been
| heard from the scene Of the outrages
| tonight.
Not in the history of railroading in the
West have railroad men been 90 harassed
| as are these Northern Pacific offit ers
| They are up against a game which they
do not pretend to understand. Already
| they have sust aimed heavy losses by dyna-
, mite, placed on their tracks by gang
which has no claims on the road and no
grievances against it, but in politely writ
ten notes declines to quit blowing up tracks,
trains and roadbed until $4,000 has been
deposited at a convenient spot for them.
To grant such a dema I'd is obviously
impossible, and at no time have the North
ern Pacific people even considered such
a thing At the same time, they find them
selves in fearful quandary, as the dyna-
miters have shown that they are ready to
carry out their threats.
The trouble OF the road with the black
mailers dates back to July, when William
Wallace, Jr., Montana counsel for the
Northern Pacific Railroad, received letter
demanding that 5000 be sent at once TO
certain address in Butte, and threatening
that II ii was not sent great damage would
l. LA nj hA in
the State. No attention was paid to the
demand.
shortly afterward the first out rage &C.
Cured and II came very near resulting In
the death of many people. A large quantity
of dynamite was placed on the main pier
of the long bridge which sparsthe Yellow
stone River ut Iivirgst on. The Northt I'll
Pacific goes over this bridf e. and the in
tention Of the dynamiters was undoubtedly
TO wreck the North Coast Limited. pas
senger train, as we'll as 10 des roy the bridge,
for the rain WAS due few minutes after
the dynamite exploded.
Fortunately, the bridge was not damaged
passed over In safety, The noise Of the
explosion was heard several miles away.
The railroad offered a reward Of 81 600 for
the arrest of the dynamiters and put ex
pert detectives on the trail, but their efforts
resulted in nothing,
The next morning the Northern Pacific
off ers got letter from the blackmailers
raising the price OF peace TO s25 600 end
threat ening more explosions at once unless
their demand was promptly met. The
demand was ignored, and the next night u
freight train was blown up by dynamite
near Boseman. The wreckers evidently
meant to wreck q passenger train which
was due, but the freight got In ahead and
exploded the dynamite The engineer and
several trainhands we're injured. but not
seriously.
Several insignificant explosions followed,
but they had the effect of arousing the
offloe rs to great activity man named
William Harmon, who said he was a tramp.
was arrested for the Yellowstone River
bridge outrage.
On Aug 20 Sam Cohen was arrested
by railroad detectives near Arlee, while
store, He was subjected to rigid ex-
animation and finally confessed that he had
hand in the blowing up of the Yellow
stone River bridge.
He said he was buying the dynamite
to blow UP the Moran trestle near Missoula.
Cohen declared that he was In no con-
spracy to blackmail the railroad, but that
he hated all corporations. railroads most
Of all, and had concluded to blow up the
Northern Pacific.
After the arrest Of these two men the
! wreckers, who had written several other
letters demanding the payment Of $500,
On Sept. 20 a letter WAS sent to the North
ern Pacific officials giving them until last
Sunday, Oct. 4. to pay the $4,000 demanded.
In case the road decided to meet the de-
mand Il was stipulated that all passenger
trains for twenty -four hours before the