Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-20
RESCUED FROM MOB
Sherifrs Auto Saves Imper-
 fled Tramp.
COMMITTED ASSAULT ON LITTLE GIRL

COMMITTED ASSAULT ON LITTLE GIRL Hobo, said to Have Confessed Grave
 Crime, Landed In Jail at Mead
 villc, Pa. He Had Been
 Tracked by Dogs.
 MEADVILLE, Pa, Aug. 20.-Only the speed of Sheriff R. P. Marshalps automobile saved from lynchers a tramp calling himself II. W. Wagner, who is accused of having attacked the Rev. J. NJ. Whitehead's daughter on Saturday night, after the fellow was run down by bloodhounds along the Lake Shore railroad, near Dorset, O. Town and country folk all along the turnpike from Dorset to Meadville were waiting for the prisoner when the sheriff passed, and several at tempts to take the man away from Marshall were made. At half dozen points the efforts to lynch Wagner were so vigorous that the sheriff had to crowd on all speed and fairly blow through the throngs with his auto. Rifles, shotguns and revolvers were flourished, and evidently the captive would have been shot had it been pos sible to fire at him without danger of hitting the county officers. Marshall did his duty in defiance of mob after mob and landed his man in Jail. Even then extra precautions had to be taken, as there was strong probability bands of infuriated men from other towns and villages would try to take the tramp out of the jail and put him to death.
 Dogs ran Wagner to earth when hundreds of men had failed to do so. He took to the woods after passing Warren, O.. and was traced there by pursuers bent on killing him. Literal ly thousands of shots were fired into the woods in the hope either that one of them would hit the fugitive or that the fusillade would drive him from cover. Men beat the woods in parties of two or three and upward, but the tramp's hiding place was not found until bloodhounds were taken to the place from Warren Instantly on their arrival the dogs took up his trail and followed it to a hollow he had dug un- der pile of brush. He heard their ap- preach and fled to the swamp, through which he continued his flight until he broke to the open near the railroad. All that time the hounds were on his heels, and he was not out of the swamp five minutes when the leading couple sight ed him.
 Screaming with terror, Wagner made for meadow or the other side of the tracks. The hounds followed and were seen breaking cover by Sheriff Mar shall and Police Chief Flowers of Warren, who were in the sheriff s auto. Marshall threw on his high speed and dashed after the dogs. He and Flowers sprang from the car and got to the center of the pasture barely in time to save Wagner from being torn to pieces. The tramp was prone, his hands covering his face, with the hounds closing on him. when Marshall and Flowers forced their way through the ring and jerked him to his feet.
 Hardly had they saved their captive from the bloodhounds when a score of the unofficial pursuers arrived and at tempted to kick Wagner to death. Much suasion was needed to induce the men to let Marshall take the pris- oner away. As soon as the tramp was in the auto the lynchers repented yield ing to the sheriff and tried to draw him out. Marshall with a sharp pull at his speed lever hurdled ditch and escaped with Wagner to the road, where he headed for Meadville.
 Marshall asserted that the tramp, who said he was twenty-seven years old, admitted he was the man sought in connection with the crime. A grave charge was made against the prisoner, and double guards were set over hin In his cell to prevent him from com hitting suicide. while the outer guards of the Meadville jail were doubled.
 shells Explode, Hurt Three Soldiers.
 NEW YORK, Aug. 20.-The acclden- tai explosion of three nineteen pound shells in the ordnance storehouse of Fort Totten at Willets Point, N. T., at the junction of the East river and Long Island sound, severely injured three artillerymen who were unloading shells. ". NJ. Blank, a private of the