Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-08-06
SOUTHERN MOB
ATTACKS TRAIN
Riddle Windows in Effort
to Capture Two Negro
Prisoners.
ENGINEER OUTWlTS CROWD
When Opportunity Offers He Pulls the
Throttle Wide open--unable to
Work the Airbrakes, visilantes
Jump From Moving Cars.

Huntington, w. Va Aug. 3.-Chesa-
peake & Ohio express train No. / was
held up by a mob of 200 men near
Clifton Forge and desperate effort
was made to take two negroe prison.
ers from the train. Over 100 shots
were fired by the mob, and when the
train reached here twenty bullets were
buried in the woodwork of the smok,
ing car and all the window glass had
been shot out. ..
AT Clifton Forge the negro prisoners
were put on board to be taken to Gov
ington, Va, for safekeeping. Engineer
James Peck of Hinton and Conductor
Jack Hall of this city, who were in
charge of the tran, saw lights wav-
ing on the trek just as the train had
begun to get under good Roadway af.
ter leaving Clinton Forge. The train
was stopped Immediately and Engi.
neer Peck started to get out of his
engine to find out why the train had
been stopped
Train Is Tagged.
After the train came to a standstill
a mob surrounded the engine and
coaches and threatened to shoot En-.
gineer Peek IL he moved the train.
Then men began to climb aboard. Con.
ductor Hall, who had expected trou.
Bile when he saw the train tagged,
was prepared for the mob, and as they
made rush for the coaches he or
dered all the doors of the cars locked
The men, finding that it would be
impossible for them to enter and OBJ.
tain the negroes, began to gather
around the smoking car, in which the
negroes were under guard. AS Con-
ductor Hall ran through the train call
ing on the passengers to lie fiat on
the floor the mob began firing into
the windows of the smoker. while the
passengers scrambled from their seats
to place of safety from the flying
bullets.
Fire On Coaches.
The firing was kept up for several
minutes. and bullets whistled through
the car windows. While women
screamed, the mob outside continued
to clamor for the two negro prison.
ers. Revolvers were also brought into
play, and flying missiles of all descrip-
tons came through the windows, but
not a passenger or trainman was in
jured.
Engineer Beck 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.
Engineer Pulls Out.
The mob seeing the turn things were
taking and fearing that they might
be baked in their efforts to get the
prisoners, climbed upon the platform
of the cars and attempted to stop the
train by turning on the air brakes.
Not understanding the working of the
brakes, however, they were unable to
apply them at full pressure, as the
train had gotten under Roadway.
Realizing that they were baffied, the
men jumped from the moving train
and fired several farewell shots into
the car windows. The train did not
stop until 1t reached Covington, where
the negroes were placed in Jail.
The negroes for whom the train was
held up are from Lynchburg, Va, and
are believed to be the men who shot
and seriously injured a white brake.
man, Edward Hite, on Chesapeake &
Ohio excursion train few days ago.