The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-03-31
Is This StOru True?
E. ". fiolmberg Gives an Apparent
STRAIGHT Account Of How he Was
WrOnQfuIIu Imprisoned.

The following account ID senI euo
chronicle by f. w. Holmberg, who
= az arrested last week and lodged In
he Colfax Jail. charged with stealing
lumber from a wreck on the Iron
railway near Pollock. II
MS statement il true, 1t 10 a case In
v hich somebody can Ike held to ac-
count for false imprisonment. Read
the story and Judge the matter Tor
az follows:
Editor Collar Chronicle:
Please allow me to give you tho
details of the freight train wreck
which occurred on the st. Louis. Iron
& Southern Railroad Val
ley division 4 mile south OF Pollock,
La, March Is. 1904, Of which l was
an eye witness.
The day before the wreck occurred
this writer went to work on section
81, at Pollock, under Section Foreman
Davis al laborer. and worked half
day Saturday evening 18th. The
next day being Sunday we had call
to work, but 1t was cloudy and rain
ing, and work was postponed.
went from my home where slept to
the section house, where l took break
fast and finding work was postpon-
ed I returned, intending to finish
planting some fruit trees on a lot
had bought from Mr.. VIM. +. john
son. BY the time reached the place
I call my home the rain had increased
to general down pour. went into
my cabin, built a fire, and was read
Ing the morning papers when the
south bound passenger passed going
to Alexandria, about 9:SO a. m. At
that time tho rain was coming down
| in torrents, which increased by 1880.
at which time there was three to four
inches of water on tho entire surface
of earth. Sticks of wood were float
| ed of hill sides and carried to swollen
streams below. Seeing the condition
of matters, and getting uneasy about
a vineyard was planting on a hill
aide In terrace work, / started to It,
" aiding water from time l had to
cross the /. NJ. railroad track, which
| found under water and scattered
with debris which had washed on
the track. This stuff proceeded to
remove, going north towards the
depot at Pollock.
At point three or four hundred
feet north / came to a place the watel
had washed away nearly fifty feet o
road bed three To four feet undel
grade OF road bed, making 1t impas
sable. The only way to avoid
wreck was to flag and stop any ant
all trains. had no flags. and no
knowing from which direction tn
first train would come | INSTRUCTED
John w. Jordan, the only man Their
, besides myself. to stay and listen 10
approaching trains from the south
aud l decided to run to the dcpo
about a mile away to reach Tn
wires. At the depot / met MIR. Che
: nier. freight agent. and asked him
he knew of any trains between Ale,
andria and Pollock running north q
J; said mono he knew OF. / then tol
him to wire and find out, and MOTH
. them Of washOut. giving MIN iocs
4 ton of danger point.
y / started to the section house on
run to procure assistance. Ioniy 90
one hundred feet from the depot whe
Iheartl a south train whistle. ! turl
ed and ran back, shouted to II
q agent a. passed the depot that
train was coming. and would Il
to bent It to the w ashout. Twas ru
: down already, but determined to III
all my efforts to prevent q loss
property and perhaps human lives:
was wet from head TO foot, crt
pied, and nearly sick, would run
m hundred feet or 80, then walk q ~
d or 80, then run again. / had pail
NJ in my abdomen and began to gro
ss weak, and before got half way ba'
ID once / decided to give 1t up. Then
nj thought of the engineer and firem'
T. whose lives l might save. iorg
IN my trouble and ran with all n
p might and reached the washOut
!. fore the train waA In sight. With
newed energy and hope | ran over
distance Of nearly five hundred fs
and believed l had them saved.
the distance was covered before
RI engine came In sight around a cur
=. Az soon az the engine came In sig
M commenced giving death" or de
~ stop" signals. The engineer answ
no ed my signal when over three tho
%. and feet away. but the speed OF
train did not slacken but little II Al
continued tagging him until the
CINE was too near for me to rem'
-. ON the track. l stepped on a
nu- shouted to him, reverse and j
and your engine, and jump for your III
at the same time going through
motion of reversing and waived
Err him and jumped Just like wan
. him to do.
He never left the cab of the eng
~ until the pony trucks were In ten
HE of the hole. 1t was then heard
~ air brakes close on the wheels
av in the same instant saw the ems
rr plunge and turn on her side and
ov. cars following pile on top OF Q
q other.
ran to the front end at once
render all possible aid. The first
'su man saw was the engineer lying
ais his back, not i've feet from two
of that were torn to kindling WOO
q He had crawled out Of q hole WI
sho wed his escape was nothing 81
'So of miraculous. His leg was crue