The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1905-06-02
ENGINEER LEE IS RELEASED
FCR8IER GOODLAND ENGINEER
CUT OF MEXICAN PRISON.
Criminal Conviction in Mexico Tor
Cna4 OidabIe Wreck-Lee Was
Engineer and Several Lives
We're Lost by Accident

Timothy J. Lee, who for over a
year suffered the tOrtures and miser-
les Of Mexican prison, says the Den
yer News, has returned to Denver,
having escaped from the injuries OF
the law which has held him in vile
jail and injured his health perman-
emily, unless perhaps this western eli
mate, good food and good care can
fully restore It
Many GOOdIand people will be in
terested in the case Of Timothy Lee
because they knew him years ago
when he lived here and worked for
the Rock Island as engineer on this
division
From a robust ana powerful man.
who had not known a day OF illneSSS
Mr. Lee returns to the states weak
and exhausted, having undergone
months Of Imprisonment which only
an iron constitution and a temQera-
ment with wonderful endurance fsuld
have survived in surroundings that il
would be difficult for an American to
believe possible to exist among civil
HZed people
Mr.. Lee was an engineer on the
Mexican Central railroad until year
ago last April, when an accident Oc-
CURED on the road near Zacatecas, in
which several lives were lost, and he
was very seriously injured he was
uuiuStly accused OF wTecking the
train. and went through a most har-
rowing experience to gain his free
dom
The horrors OF a government hos
pital in Mexico were described to
News reporter, by Mr. Lee in voice
that broke every now and then with
his remembrance Of the terrible or
deal Of his Imprisonment
I was placed in a long ward with
about fifty beds in il, and all OCcu-
pied, mostly by prisoners. In this
hospital there are no nurses. There
is mOZO, or man servant who IS
there through the day and who serves
the prisoners OF patients their meals
and gives them what other little at
tentfon he sees mt At night there is
absolutely no one to give you even a
drink Of water. was laid on an
iron bed in about the center Of the
ward, but was later removed by or
ders Of the American consul about
thirty feet from the Others as ne told
me he had heard that my life was in
danger
After I had been lying on the cot
an hour, perfectly helpless, on my
back and unable to move the doctor
came in and sewed up the cuts in
my face, where YOU see the scars to-
day. He waShed~ only about the
cuts, but did not touch another part
OF my face, though It was covered
with blood and dust and CRIME, and
so were my hands and arms He left
no orders for this to be done and did
not return until 10 O'Clock the next
morning. A daily visit at 10 o CLOCK
was the only one he ever made, and
in spite of the agony I was in ne
would pay little attention to me, but
hurriedly went through the ward,
glancing at the patients and getting
out again.
when I had been there several
days three Mexican ladies OF the
higher class, who were members OF
some order, visited the hospital, TO
do what they could for the victims
OF the wreck who had been taken
there. They found me in a terrible
condition. I could not move, and no
one had been near me to do a thing
but put a piece Of bread on a table
at my right and give me some water
TO drink.
They washed my face and hands,
cut the filthy shirt from me and man
aged to pull out the sheet from under
and put a clean one in its place. This
was done with the greatest difficulty,
for by this time my Injured intes-
tines were swollen and my agony was
SO Intense that any movement of my
body threw me in such pain that
could keep from screaming
Between them they got clean
cotton gown on me and did what else
they could to relieve my frightful suf-
fering. I could only breathe in short
quick breaths, for beside the internal
injury I was fearfully bruised and
sore all over my body. They visited
the hospital for several days and after
that I only received what attention
the day servant would occasionally
give me, for 1t was rarely that you
could set his services for a glass OF
water.
I'm the meantime a priest had
come in during the night and found
me raving, and thought / was dying
He summoned the doctor, but he re-
fused to come, having paid his usual
visit at 10 in the morning As look
back on it 1 cannot understand how
I survived.
'.At the end Of the month was one
day beginning to stagger around the
room, when some soldiers arrived and
/ was led under guard down the mid
die OF the street for a mile TO the
prison Ny beard and hair had not
been touched. and all I had on were
some shoes, a dirty shirt and pair
Of trousers. I do not know what be-
came OF my clothes or my hat
Il slept on the floor the first night
without even a covering, and was
driven almost crazy by the varmin,
which simply invested the room and
added TO the other horrors Early IN
the morning ] was IN such a serious
condition that they were going 70
take me back 70 the hospital, but I
refused to GO"
Mr.. Lee then told Of how he got
the speedy trial" demanded from
washington. Witnesses who had been
IN the wreck were brought from diff
ferent parts Of the state from time
to time and appeared before the
Judge. who examined them in a pri-
vate room with clerk to take the
testimony. After each witness was
dismissed the judge would send for
Mr.. Lee, the testimony was read to
him and he was asked what he
thought Of it
This sort Of trial went on until Oc-
tober 8, when he was convicted and
sentenced by the judge to serve four
years for wrecking the train
Mr.. Lees attorneys Immediately
appealed the case, which went to the
supreme court, where the prosecutor
secured acquittal, showing that the
charges brought were entirely false
This acquitIal came in April OF this
year, but through the influence Of the
railroads traffic manager, E Steyner,
Nh Lee says that ne was held and
sentenced to a years imprfsonICert {.
which threw the responsibility OF the
wreck back upon him and saved the
railroad from being sued by those
who lost friends or BY the injured
survivors Of the wreck
It was while he was being held IN
definitely to await further possible
charges that Mr.. Lee escaped He
had been let ont, and was staying un-
der surveillance at the hotel when be
got away. He now advises railroad
men to keep out OF Mexico, unles,
they wish to run the risk OF what he