Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-21
WANTED $4,000 NOT
To DYNAMITE ROAD;
MUST FACE TRIAL
Abram C. Ely Arrested in At
Ianta on Serious Charge,
Following His Service of One
Year in Federal Prison

AS he was released from the federal
penitentiary Wednesday morning. Abram
c. Eby. alias Adam Smith, was rear
rested on an indictment which charges
him with having carefully planned to
blow up the Norfolk and Western road
unless he was paid $4,000.
His case is one of the most peculiar
that anyone ever encountered in real life.
The details of the indictment are like
some wild romance.
This soft fat white little man, accord
ing to the charges against him, planned
singly to terrorize the Philadelphia Rail-
road company into paying him a small
fortune.
Reproduced in the indictment is let
ter he is said to have written to James
McCrea, president of the Pennsylvania
railroad. 1t is a remarkable letter.
In it he sets forth calmly how he will
go about dynamiting the Norfolk and
Western, how he will never relent until
he has been paid the sum he asks.
HIS REMARKABLE LETTER
Following is a part of the letter:
This is a declaration of war. My life
is openly staked on the result, for am
prepared to meet you at any time and
place you may come. The weapons /
shall use are dynamite and ather high
explosives. The Norfolk and Western
road Is controlled by you. 1t is I'M
protected and l can easily set mines at
lonely high entertainments, to be fired by
the running of a fast express over it.
can easily conceal a few sticks OF dy-
Mantle on many coal cars at lonely sid
ings There Is no danger in attaching
a bomb at night to freight car, passen-
ger coach. coal hopper, or fiat car,
which ever l may find so that when the
same is put on the main line 1t will wear
off and drop so as to ditch the train
Three days work along your line
would cripple the road for week and
not begin to act till 1 would be hun
dred miles away setting other traps.
The explosives In coal cars would wreck
your elevators or. IL it ever got so far.
give the steamer handling your coal
a very lively time.
Il meantime, would be at some other
outlying property Of the pennsylvania
Grecking that in the most SCIENTIFIC
manner. 1 may be caught, but 1t will be
difficult as l have neither accompllce
nor confidant, do not drink and shall fol-
low this up till l win or you hang me
and the slightest relaxation Of vigilance
will find me at work. When you look
for me in Pennsylvania | will be In
Virginia The moment l begin l shall
take care that the papers have details
of all wrecks with the cause ana purpose
of the same fully reported.
ANARCHISTS TO FOLLOW LEAD.
Every anarchist in the country with
nerve will follow this lead. You re-
member how the black hand was Gre
ated in New York by the publication OF
a fake news article? This can be done
far more efectually When the news VIII
be no fake.
I'm England ii is frequently the case
that a man, broke and hungry, Will
walk into shop and, pre- enting a
brick, ask: How much for the BAR
The shopkeeper usally offers sixpence
or a shilling and closes the deal III
he does not the mucker heaVes IL
through the window and gets 80 days
free lodging. Now / offer you the bat.
Take it or leave it. l care no more
than the mucker.
IF you want peace put the Follow
ing in the next issue of the SUNDAY
Times-D4spatch Of Richmond, Va: Adam
Smith--Wnl concede."
The complete letter is an extraordi-
nary document. 1t is written In SIM
ple. clear English and at times In
really graceful style.
Is As YEARS OLD.
Eby is a man about as years old. He
is plump and fat and very white. The
whiteness of his SKIN Is uhusual. as
he sat in the United States court on
Wednesday morning he looked more
like a peacable merchant than anything
else. II was hard to reconcile him with
the letter he was accused OF having
written.
He was first taken before United
states Commissioner Carter and then
before Judge Newman. Judge Newman
issued an order for Eby's removal to
Richmond to answer trial for his al
legged declaration of war against McCrea
and the Norfolk and Western.
He has just finished sentence Oh
one year in the federal penitentiary. he
was sent up from Philadelphia.
The indictment on which he was ar
rested was returned by a federal grand
jury in April.
Ella Oct 1q-Ta ma