Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-10-01
DEMAND $4,000
DYNAMITERS WANT MUCH MON
EY FROM N. p.
Recent Explosions Evidently the
Work of Letters
Demand That a Large Sum Be
Handed Over at "a Designated
Place. Some Arrests.

Helena. Mont, Sept. 29.-It has de-
veloped that the recent attempts to
dynamite bridges and tracks on the line
of the Northern Pacific between Liv-
ingston and Missoula, are in further
ance OF a plot to force the railway COM
pany to pay $50 600 for immunity from
the outrages. In August last the com
pany received a letter demanding $685.
600, and it was threatened if the terms
rroposcdwere not agreed to, dynamite
would be used on the lnie. No atten-
ton was paid to the demand, and
shortly after the railroad brdgis at Liv-
ingston was partially wrecked by dyna-
mite, and few nights later another
stick of dynamite was exploded near
B3zeman under passing ptrain Other
letters followed, and the dynamiters
proposed that the company pay $780,
900, and if it acceded to the request it
was to carry a white flag on engines
hauling the trains, and on September
80 was to run light engine from Butte
to Nissoula, and at point on the road
it was to stop on signal, and an agent
of the oI..pany was to pay over the
money.
The company, hoping to catch them,
put out the white flags and on the
night agreed upon ran the light engine.
Behind it followed another engine pull
ing two cars. One was filled with
armed sheriffs and deputies and the
other contained horses and bloodhounds.
The run was made from Butte to Mis-.
s0ula, but there was no signal, and it
was thought the men had been scared
off.
Shortcly after the letters began to ar
rive again from the dynamiters, n ak
ing the same demand and telling the
railroad if it agreed to the terms to put
the flags on the enginess. This the rail-
road company has not done, and in the
past two weeks there have been four at
tempts to damage the line by the use
of dynamite. One of the attempts to
blow up train tok place in the rail-
road yards in this city last Monday
night. This was followed a few nights
later by explosions on the tracks near
ElIito and Blossburg. Within the
past ten days a powder magazine be.
longing to the Hotter Hardware COM
pany, of this city, located on the out.
skirts of the town, was broken into and
2,l50 pounds of dynamite taken. This
powder. has not been found and it is be-
lieved that it was taken for the pur-
pose of being used against the Northern
Pacific.
The only effect of these recent but-
RACES has been to make the company
redouble its efforts to catch the perpe-
traitors and protect the line. The scene
CT the outrages have been SO far be-
tween Livingston and Missoula and be-
tween Butte and Garrison. The wreck
ing of street car in Butte about
week ago is believed to have been the
work of the same gang, the idea being
that they intended the explosive for the
Northern Pacific track and got it on
the street car track by mistake. All
along the line of the railway there are
hundreds of guards night and day. Ev-
cry mile CT the track is patrolled by
armed men, bridges are carefully
watched, tunnels guarded and no point
is LETT ithout a patrol. In addition to
the new men who have been put out,
all section men, trainmen and others
connected with the road, many of
whom are heavily armed, have been in
structed to keep careful watch OF all
strangers found along the line of road
and report their presence Immediately.
Two arrests have been made of sus
poets.
st. Paul, Mimi, Sept. ga special
from Helena, Mont, to the Dispatch
gays:
In addition to the threats which have
been made against the Northern Pacific
railroad by gang of dynamiters, who
demand $50 600 cash, Chief of Police
Travis has received notification from
what is bel eyed to be the same gang,
that unless the two men arrested in
connection with the first dynamite out
rage at Livingston are not released the
city Jail will also be blown up.
Searching parties have been sent ont
to try to locate the gang and to find
the ton OF dynamite stolen from ware
house here.
The last ultimatum to the railroad
company expires October 4 and the
one to Chief Travis ends today.
The railroad tracks are carefully
guarded against further outrages.
TRAIN JUMPED TREsTLE.