The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-01
MOB HOLDS UP TRAIN
DETERMINED EFFORT TO GET
 TWO NEGROES.
Bullets Splinter Woodwork of Cars But Not Passenger Nor Train Man Was Hurt-Engineer's
 Quick Wit.

Huntington, W. Va, July 31.-A Chesa- peake and Ohio Express train was held up by mob of 200 men near Clifton Forge l late last night and desperate effort was made to take two negroes prisoners | from the train. Over a hundred shots
 were fired by the mob and when the train reached Huntington, twenty bullets were buried in the woodwork of the smoking car and all of the window glass had been shot out.
 At Clifton Forge the negro prisoners were taken on board to be brought to Covington, Va, for safe keeping Engi- neer James Peck and Conductor Jack Hall, who were in charge of the train. saw lights waving on the track. just as the train had begun to gather speed aft CT leaving Clifton Forge. The train vas stopped immediately and Engineer Peck started to get out of his locomotive to find out why the train had been Tagged. After the train came to a standstill mob surrounded the locomotive and coaches and threatened to shoot Engi- neer Peck if he moved the train, and then they began to climb aboard. Con ductor Hall who had anticipated trou- ble. when he saw the train Jagged. was prepared for the mob, and as they made a rush for the coacnes. he ordered all the doors of the cars locked The men finding that it would be impossible for them to enter and obtain the negroes, began to gather around the smoking car where the negroes were under guard. As Conductor Hall ran through the train calling on the passengers to lie fiat on the floor the mob began to fire into the windows of the smoking car. while the passengers scrambled from their seats to place of safety. The firing was kept up for several minutes. the bullets whistling through the car windows While the wo- men screamed the mob increased their clamoring for the two negroes.
 Not a passenger or trainman was in- jured, Engineer Peck during the firing being seated in his cab, covered by re- vOlvers At last when the main body of the mob had almost exhausted their sup ply of bullets, those who had been guard ing the engineer left, going towards the smoking car 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 pris- oners climbed upon the platform of the cars and attempted to stop the train by turning the angle cock to the air hose, thereby applying the brakes Not under standing the working of the brakes how ever. thcy were unable to apply them at full pressure as the train was under kead- way.
 Realizing that they were baffied, the men jumped from the moving train and fired several farewell shots into the car windows. The train gained quick mo- mentum and did not stop until Covington was reached where the negroes were placed in jail. The negroes are from Lynchburg Va. and are believed to be the men who shot and seriously injured a white brakeman Edward Hite. on Chesapeake and Ohio excursion between Clifton Forge and Lynchburg a few days ago.