The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-01
HELD UP.A TRAIN
TO GET PRISONERS.

Virginia Mob Fired 100 Shots Into
the Car Windows, But Did Not Get
the Negroes.
Huntington. w. Va, July 31.-The
Chesapeake and Ohio Express train No
1 was held up by a mob of 200 men
near Clifton Forge late last night, and
a desperate effort was made to take
two negro prisoners from the train.
Over a hundred shots were fired by
the mob, and when the train reached
here, twenty bullets were buried in the
wook work of the smoking car, and
all of the window glasses had been
shot out.
At Clifton Forge the two negro pris-
oners were taken on board to be
brought to Covington, Va, for safe
keeping. Engineer James Peck Of Hin
ton and Conductor Jack Hall of this
city, who were 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 out of
his engine to find out why the train
had been tagged.
AS the train came to a standstiIl a
mob surrounded the engine and
coaches, and threatened to shoot En-
gineer Peck if he moved the train;
then they began to climb aboard.
Conductor Hall. who had anticipated
trouble when he saw the train tagged.
was prepared for the mob, and as thew
made rush for the coaches, he order
ed all the doors of the cars locked. The
men, finding that it would be impos-
slble for them to enter and obtain the
negroes, began to gather around the
smoking car. in which the negroes
We're under guard.
AS Conductor Hall ran through the
train, calling upon the passengers to
lay fiat on the floor, the mob began
hiring into the windows of the smoker.
While the passengers scrambled from
their seats to place of safety from
the flying bullets. The firing was kept
up for several minutes, and bullets
whistled through the car windows.
While women screamed the mob out
side continued their clamoring for the
two prisoners. Revolvers were also
brought into play, and flying missiles
of all descriptions came through the
windows, but not a passenger or train
man was injured.
Engineer Peck, during the firing, had
sat upon his engine, covered by re-
volvers in the hands of several mem
bers of the mob. At last when the
main BODY of the mob had almost ex-
hausted their supply of bullets, those
who had been guarding the engineer
left, going toward the smoker, leaving
Peck unguarded.
AS his former guards turned and ran
toward the smoking car, Peck pulled
the throttle wide open, and the train
began to move. The mob, seeing the
turn things were taking and fearing
that they might be outdone in their
efforts to get the prisoners, climbed
upon the platform of the cars, and at
tempted to stop the train by turning
the angle cock to the air hose, thereby
applying the brakes. Not understand
ing the working of the brakes, however
they were unable to apply them at full
pressure. as the train had got under
Roadway.
Realizing that they were baff1ed, the
men jumped from the moving train
and fired several farewell shots into
the car windows.
The train gained quick 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 Lynchburg, Va, and
are supposed to be the men who shot
and seriously injured a white brake
man, Edward Hite on the Chesapeake
and Ohio excursion between Clifton
Forge and Lynchburg a few days ago.