Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-06
BUT INSPECTOR SAYS NOT
Eby's Father Lost Money, Though,
by Pennsy Deal.
HAS SPITE AGAINST RAILROAD
Prisoner Unable to- Furnish Bail.
Neighbors Speak Of Signs of
Mental Collapse.

/ PHILADELPHIA, August 6.-"ThS is
declaration of war. My life is openly
staked on the result, for / am prepared
to meet you at any time and place you
may name. The weapons l shall use are
dynamite and other high explosives
Thus wrote Abram C. Eby. referee in
| bankruptcy of Burkeville, Va, to the
| president of the Pennsylvania railroad,
Philadelphia July %. naming $4,000 as
the ransom for the safety of the railroad
| it's steamships and the travelling public
Following a carefully laid plot of the
federal postal detectives Eby was arrest
ed in this city yesterday while in the
company Of Oswald j. de Rouse chief
clerk to President McCrea, who acted for
the latter in inveigling Eby to this city
| He was given a hearing before United
States Commissioner Craig and held in
$4,000 bail for the September term of
| court.
At the hearing William L. Calvert post
Office inspector of Richmond, Va, fur
nished evidence showing that Eby mailed
| threatening letters at the Richmond and
Charlotte railroad post offices. De Rouse
told of the receipt of the letters and con-
sequent cooperation Of the railroad au-
thorities with the Post Office Department
to bring Eby to Philadelphia. All
| through the hearing Eby sat unmoved.
He made no statement when charged by
Commissioner Craig with "devising to
defraud by means Of the United States
mail and attempting to extort." The ac-
cused could not furnish bail.
Threatens Dire Disaster.
The first letter written by Eby was
signed adam Smith," In it he proposed
to use explosives in wrecking freight and
passenger cars along various lines of the
Pennsylvania railroad.
/. when you look for me in Pennsyl-
vania,' he wrote, Il shall be in Vir-
ginIa. l shall take care that the pa
pers have details of all wrecks. Every
| anarchist in the country with nerve will
| follow this lead. I am ready to disclose
my identity and keep the secret of this
warfare and it's methods, provided you
pay me $4,000 and l have your pledge
that go free If you break your pledge
at this stage you will only get me at the
/ most for blackmail and threatening let
tiers. l take my punishment and do my
worst when l go free and no one can
| control my tongue or pen."
Eby sets forth further that he has
tried for thirty years to earn an honest
living. but finds that 1.-The corporation
thieves get all and the rest of mankind
must starve or stand in
l In this letter Eby also specified that he
would meet no one except the president
or some high official of the road. He
/ q
be used in the insertion of personal"
| as an answer in the Richmond Times
Dispatch.
A personal was inserted by Post
Office detectives. and Eby's demand of
$3.50 and transportation to Philadelphia
| was acceded to through Mr. De Rouse.
Letters were received from Eby. telling
of his intended trip to the city. He
reached here last night and wrote Mr..
De Rouse. making appointment to
/
| o'clock the men met and Mr.. De Rousee
took Eby to the Third National Bank.
where he procured a certified check for
$4,000 and $500 in cash. These he of
ing. keep them for a while" Chief
Postal Inspector Cortelyou then made the
arrest.
| Calvert Thinks. Eby Sane.
| Inspector Calvert, who knows Ely
was asked about Ebys queer action. He
said: Mr. Eby is not crazy. He has
| long entertained a spite against the Penn
sylvania railroad. His father held stock
in a branch road In Virginia, and Eby
believes that by the reorganization of the
road through the Reading and Pennsyl-
vania influences his father lost some
100000. That is why he believes $4,000
and more is justly due him.
o. j. De Rouse, chief clerk to Mr. Nc
| Crea, was the principal witness, and tes-
titled in substance that one letter stated
| that unless $4,000 was forwarded to the
writer he threatened the destruction OF
the railroad with high explosives also
| the destruction of steamships and eIeya-
tors and endangering lives of the trav-
cling public. Mr. De Rouse further tes-
| titled that, according to instructions from
Ely personal was inserted in the
Richmond Times-Dispatch. Following
this, $50 was sent to him along with
| transportation to this city. He came here
and pending the negotiations he was ar
| rested.
Friends Call Him Crazy.
RICHMOND, Va, August 6.-Burke-
vile friends of A. C. Eby, mayor of that
town, who was arrested in Philadelphia
yesterday charged with attempt to de-
fraud and extort money from the Penn
| sylvania railroad. claim that he has been
| showing symptoms of mental collapse for
| some time. When he left Burkeville last
Tuesday he expected to return yester-