Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-25
Insane Negro Cheated of
"Fun" by TrackwaIker.
DISCOVERS INSTRUCTIONS
Removed Just Before Two Express
Trains Speed By.
GRANT PICKED UP BY POLICE
Providing About in Early Morning,
But His Confession of Attempt
Given Credit Slowly.

The vigilance of trackWalker last
night thwarted the wreckinE of at least
two trains on the Pennsylvania Railroad,
near I.andover. Md.
Charles ]. Suit is the trackwalker who
is given credit.
Thomas A. Grant, colored recently dis
charged from the Government Asylum for
the Insane, was arrested as the would-be-
wrecker at = o'clock this morning in
Twining City, D. c., by Policeman Alvin
c. Ogle of the 18th precinct. Grant
had placed ties on the rails at three diff
ferent points along the road. The dis
covery of the distractions by Trackwalker
Suit undoubtedly prevented the derail-
ment of the day express from Pitts
burg, due here at 11:3O O'Clock last night
and the Pacific express. which left the
union station at 1O:45 o'clock. Both
speeded over the tracks where the ties
had been placed in the binding snow a
| short while after the distractions had
been removed.
Grant Tells of What He Did.
Grant admitted after his arrest, the
police say. that he placed the ties on the
rails and stood near in the dark in the
the consequent probable terrible loss of
life. He was arrested as a suspicious
character by Policeman Ogle while prowl-
ing about TWining City in the early morn
ing
Grant is forty-three years of age and
a confessed ex-cOnvict. The police say
he has been arrested many times for
and other offenses.
Suit, the trackwalker, was Flooding
along the track in the face Of a driving
snOWstorm last night, in pursuance OF HIS
duties in safeguarding the property OF
the railroad company and the lives of its
patrons. He came across ties On the
track SO laid as to throw from the rails
any train that might come along. Re
moving the obstruction Suit continued his
inspection. Another tie was discovered
some distance from the first, and soon he
found and removed third obstruction.
The trackwalker then FASTENED to tel
ephone and made a report to the super
visors at the main office. In the mean
time both the outgoing and the incoming
train had passed along in safety at
high speed over the places where the ties
had been.
Chief Inspector Woodward and his as
sistants made an investigation this morn
ing. Before they could begin their IN
quirieS Policeman Ogle had arrested
Grant and placed him behind the bars of
the eleventh precinct station in AnacoS-
| tia.
l. Cheated of His Fun.
| When Ogle approached Grant and
asked him why he was out at o'clock in
the morning, the colored man wanderer
did not hesitate to tell the policeman
| that he had been out in the country
| trying to have fun by wrecking a
train. The policeman doubted that he
was telling the truth. When Grant
reached the police station he complained
that he had been cheated out OF ms
fun"
Il put the ties on the track he de-
clared. IL put three of them there. /
don't know why the trains didn't hit
them. but I didn't have my fun
Policeman Ogle still thought the man
was joking, or that he was laboring
under some hallucination. Not until he
got into communication with the rail-
| road officials was he convinced of the
truth of the prisoners statement.
Grant was questioned closely by Capt
Anderson and Lieut.. Plemmons. He re-
peated his story of having made the
three attempts to wreck trains.
Il picked out place where the track
was level. so that ! could see it good,
the colored man said II didn't want
the people to get killed down a bank
where I could not see"
Il came from Warrenton. Va, when
was a young man." the prisoner said.
was sent 10 prison dl 1rehtoH lof HNe
years for stealing a horse from a man
near Brightwood.
1.-THE year President Mckinley was
elected he added. Il was sent to the
insane asylum. That was after / had
been sent to the penitentiary. Last Oc-
tober they let me out.
Grant an Old Offender.
The police say Grant has been arrested
for minor offenses and sent to the Jail
and workhouse a number of times.
Grant told them he had been arrested
for carrying pistols and razors and for
assault and other Offenses.
He was locked up insane.
Today he was further questioned by
the police. He repeated what he had
already told them
He was sent TO the Washington Asylum
| Hospital for observation. Probably he
he atIlrr to q n Hos