The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-31
NOTORIOUS TRAIN GREW.
Carried Away a Jail and Dumped It
Into a River,

From the Seattle Observation-Disclosures.
Rallroading twenty years ago was not
carried on with the cloekllke methods
that characterize the big systems today,
At that time there were scores Of little
roads, owned by small companies that
have since been with the big systems.
In those days the employees of the rail
were often allowed many liberties En-
CINE men and experienced crews were
scarce, and many had shortcomings that
were indulgently overlooked by their en-
ployers.
Sobrlety then was not one of the re-
quirements of the man who handled an
engine or had charge of train. Run
ming on schedule time especially by To-
cal freights, was not required. Provided
the train got through to its destination
and delivered its freight at the way sta
lions few questions were asked
The crew of freight train on the
Paris and Danville railroad, a small line
In eastern Illinois that Is now part of the
Big Four system, was operated by
crew that for drunkenness and deeds of
daring was notorious There was nothing
they would hesitate to do, from stealing
city Jail to making a record run in
violation of orders
Frank L. Champion of the Antlers ho-
tel of this city was brakeman ON this
freight until finally the company dis
charged the whole crew.
CHAMPION was In reminiscent mood
the other evening, and entertained a
party of his friends with stories of the
doings of the old Danvlle and PARIS
freight crew
zone night in Paris, ILL.," remarked
Champion several Of the trainmen be-
came intoxicated is to say. they
got little drunken than usual-and Gre
ated such a disturbance that the town
constable arrested the engineer and
locked him In the Jail.
1.-THE calaboose was a wooden structure
IL by IL, constructed of by boards laid
fiatwise The jail was situated about fifty
feet from the tracks of another railroad
line that paralleled the Paris and Dan
vile. The conductor and the crew wanted
their engine driver, and they resolved To
get him. But the walls of his prison
were thick and the door was strong So.
in the small, still hours of the morning
the freight steamed In on the rival tracks
with a wrecking crane A cable was
placed round the prison house and II was
dragged to within reach of the crane and
quietly loaded on a fiat car. The en-
gineer and two other prisoners were lib
CIdltQ anu lHtii iut NIUE jail WAS Carried
about ten miles down the line and dumped
In stream.
THE people of Paris were at a loss to
account for the dlsappea rance of their
Jail and they were still more puzzled
when 1t was found In river ten miles
away"
How the Paris and Danville crew kept
out of reach of the officers of the law
for more than week was another of
In 81
"One morning" continued Champion.
looking of into space as he again pic
tured the scene, the crew stopped for
twenty minutes at a little wayside station
for breakfast. As usual, the bunch had
been drinking. and when a big negro sat
down at the engineers table there was
trouble.
"'what dwo you mean BY coming to
my table?' demanded the engine man.
glaring at the intruder.
Guess All pays TO what All gets,
coolly replied the colored man. AN Abs.
a free man.
with that the engineer rose up and
struck at the negro and was promptly
knocked down. Then, one of the brake
men fioored the darby with a poker. We
didn't wait to finish our breakfast then,
but bolted for the train and pulled out
before the officers got there,
For a whole week we managed to
evade the sheriff and the constable at
the place where the fight took place.
When the engineer reached the outskirts
of the town he would send up blast
from the whistle. throw the throttle wide
open and thunder through the place. A
mile below the town, just over the
county line, were the yards of another
railroad. II we had any freight for the
station where the fight took place IL
would be switched off there and the yard
men would take II back for us.
THE sheriff waited In vain for the
train to stop inside the county and finally
gave up the attempt. One day a stranger
boarded the train at the first station. and,
walking up to the conductor, remarked:
"'Fm the sheriff Of the the next coun-
ty and I guess you had better stop to-
day And we did"