Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-12
Robert Hamilton Accused Of
Train Wrecking.
LOCKED UP AT FAIRFAX
FORMERLY IN EMPLOY OF THE
SOUTHERN RAILROAD.
Engineer and Fireman Were Killed and
Two Postal Clerks Seri-
ously Injured.

| OuSly 4AJuIcu.
Robert Hamilton. living near Ravens.
| worth, Fairfax county, was arrested this
morning near that place by Sheriff Gordon
and Deputy Sheriff Jacobs on a warrant
charging him with causing the wreck oe
the New York and Florida express at
Ravensworth early Sunday morning, Feb
ruary 10, when Engineer Thomas Purvis
| o fthis city and his colored fireman. Walter
Wigginton of Charlottesville, were instant
| ly killed.
The prisoner was Immediately taken be-
! fore Justice of the Peace James Sangster,
| who referred the case to the grand jury,
| which meets Monday next at Fairfax Court
| House. Hamilton was them conducted to
the county seat, where he was confined in
| Jail.
Andrew J. beavers of this city, at whose
| instigation the warrant was issued. noti-
| fled Sheriff Gordon, and this morning the
| sheriff left Fairfax Court House with Dep
uty SherifsJacobs
| 1t was said there that they-were going
| to the neighborhood of Franconia, which is
| not far from the scene of the wreck, and
| although their mission was not announced
| it was understood that it was to arrest
| Hamilton. If an arrest is made it is ex-
pected that the prisoner will be taken to
| Alexandria court house this evening ana
locked UP in the county jail.
Warrant Issued in Fairfax County.
Magistrate James Sangster of Fairfax is
| sued the warrant charging Hamilton with
the crime The information upon which
it was sworn out was furnished, it 10 stated.
| by a man at whose home the accused was
staying at the time of the wreck.
| This person, whose name Is not given.
| nil Mr. naaI q
| time ago certain alleged facts connecting
Hamilton with the crime, and beavers de-
| termined to bring the matter before the
| authorities. The first step he took was
| to get his informant to consent to make a
| sworn statement concerning the affair be-
| fore magistrate. Yesterday, Mr.. beavers
| states, this statement was made before
| Justice Sangster, who thereupon issued the
| warrant. The complainant then commu-
nicated with the sheriff.
Allegations Against Hamilton.
Mr.. beavers, when seen this morning by
a reporter for The Star, was reluctant to
make any statement before the arrest Of
the accused. He said, however, that the
| allegations contained in the sworn state
| ment of his friend before the magistrate
| were to the effect that Hamilton had con-
| fessed to having caused the wreck, assign
] ing as a reason for his action that he had
| grudge against the railroad. from which,
it is alleged, he was discharged some years
| ago.
| In the statement it was further alleged
that Hamilton had related to his confidant
| the method employed In turning the switch,
| which, it was stated, was broken, not un-
| locked. 1t was alleged that the informant
had been requested to accompany the ac-
| cused the night of the wreck, although the
purpose in view, it was said, was only ex-
planned by the statement that he would be
| well paid for it.
Thirty Years Old and Unmarried.
| 1t is stated by Mr.. beavers that Hamilton
| is about thirty years old and unmarried.
| He has lived for several years In the neigh
| borhood of Ravensworth, and was at one
| time employed by the Southern Railway
Company there. Recently he has been out
Of regular employment, and has been liv-
ing, it is said, at the home of the man
whose statement before the magistrate con-
1ected his name with the wreck.
The story of the wreck which resulted in
| the death of the engineer and fireman and
| the serious injury of Postal Clerks V. p.
Hammer and N. w. Borden of Washington
| is as follows:
| Train No 33 left this city an hour and
| fifty minutes late. 1t was travelling rapidly
around the curves near Ravensworth when
suddenly the engine swerved from the main
track, ran out on blind switch and jumped
the rails, the engine, tender, mail and ex-
press cars -plunging down a steep embank-
ment. The locomotive, after running sever
al lengths, was buried deep in the earth.
Both the engineer and fireman stuck to their
posts and met instant death. As the mail
car left the track the occupants We're
thrown violently against the sides of the
car. Borden was badly cut and bruised and
| Hammer sustained a concussion Of the
brain. Fortunately the sleepers and palace
cars did not leave the rails.
Wedding Party on Train.
On the train was the Gallaudet-Cockrell
wedding party bound for Florida, but iss
members with the other passengers escaped
serious injury. A feature Of the affair was the
method In which the news was carried from
| the lonely spot to the next telegraph station
south. A man named John Morris. VINO was
riding on the engine. escaped serious m
| jury and ran at top OF his speed down the
| track. When he reached the station he feli
exhausted on the floor and could scarcely
| inform the operator of what had happened.
| The news was wired here and within two
hours a wrecking train with doctors and
police officers was sent to the scene
Since the New York and Florida express
| was wrecked at RavenSWorth the omciais
of the Southern road have had detectives
| at work on the case. In addition they
| offered reward of $500 to any person VINO !;
would give information that would lead to
| the arrest and conviction of the guaty
party or parties; for from the hrst the
| opinion was freely expressed by road otn-
Gals that the disaster was not accidental.
but the result of malicious design.
Opinion Practically Confirmed.
In the investigation which followed very
little developed that gave promise OF bring
ing the guilty to justice, but the opinion
that some one was criminaiiy responsible
was practically confirmed.
There were many facts which con-
tributed to substantiate this assumption.
1t was pointed out that a number OF other
trains had passed over the road at the
same place in the few hours Immediately
preceding the wreck, and furthermore, that
there was no opportunity or occasion ior
the switch to be turned by any railroad
f1,ac n
express
But perhaps strongest Of all the presunp-
tive evidence was the history of attempts
at wrecking at the same place within ths
past few years, and each EFFORT was ma ie
at about the same time. and was directed
AGAINST the south-bound Chesapeake and
Ohio express which passed RavenswoTth
about midnight.
The fact that this train was generally
supposed to carry large sums of money
Saturday evenings led the oficials to BE-
lieve that robbery was the motive. II waa
noted In the recent wreck that the Southern
express was running almost on the sched-
Il. 49,. No and I'm