The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-08-25
ARREST OF FIREMAN ADDS NEW INTEREST ID TRAIN WRECK|NG Wm. Majors of Decatur Denies That He Was Implicated
 in the Crimes OFFICERS CLAIM THEIR EVIDENCE IS POSITIVE Negro Morris Brown Said to Have Con- fessed That He Caused Wreck of Fast Passenger Below
 Montgomery

In the arrest yesterday of a white man and a negro four of the six wrecks on the Louisville and Nashville railroad are solved, according to the officials of the company.
 William Majors, a white fireman, who has been in the employ of the Louis vile and Nashville for eight years, was arrested yesterday afternoon shortly be- fore o'clock as his train drew into Bir- mingham from Montgomery. He was taken to the county jail and placed in an inner cell. He Is charged with being con- rected with a wreck on the Louisville and Nashville at Cunningham which occurred December B. 1909. At the jail last night he denied that he was implicated in the wrecks
 His arrest follows active investigations on the part of the Louisville and Nashville special service department, the agents of which have been trying to unravel the riddle of six wrecks on the line for the past six months. Majors is also charged in an official announcement made by T. E. Brooks, superintendent of the North and South Alabama railroad. with having
  night of March 26, 1909 He is also charged by MT. Brooks and the special service men with having wrecked or attempted to wreck the fast mall train at Decatur on the night of August B. 1910.
 The first official announcement regard ing the first arrest which was of Morris Brown, a negro, was made last night by Superintendent Brooks. He said that Brown wrecked the fast mail below Mont gomery less than six weeks ago In which two or three men were killed and several injured
 Negro Said to Have Confessed
 The negro was arrested several days ago by officers in Montgomery. He was accused of having robbed two Central of Georgia freight cars. After being given, 1t Is said, the third degree, the ne- gro Is said to have made full and com plete confession. This feature of the ne gro case was made plain last night when the Louisville and Nashville officers stat ed that the confession had been obtained in the presence of several members of the company's special service department.
 The negro was secretly carried to Montgomery yesterday where today, 1t Is understood here, warrant will issue against Brown charging him with having caused the wreck below Montgomery.
 The arrest of Majors is said to be the first but not the last that will be made in connection with the wrecks on the North and South Alabama division. Up to a late hour last night T. E. Brooks and Col J. B. Harlan, chief of detectives for the Louisville and Nashville, were at the formers office in the Louisville and Nashville building. They expected last night that some additional developments would occur. But finally 1t was stated that the case would rest until today, when some new features will probably de- velop.
 Brooks Makes Statement
 The statement made by Superintendent T. E. Brooks last night in the presence of District Attorney George W. Jones of Montgomery M. M. Baldwin of this city and Col J. B. Harlan, chief of de- tectives, follows:
 "The arrest of William Majors, a fire made today We have the most posi- tive prOOI that NaDOTS ellIloT ulu luo wrecking or is implicated in 1t. We have incontrovertible proof that Majors tam pered with the switches at Cunningham, Decatur and Calera. He is the man who wrecked the trains at those points.
 Tn the one at Cunningham one man. an express messenger, was killed. At Calera several persons were injured and at Decatur a freight train went into the siding which resulted in the injury of the fireman, but did not kill anyone. Majors has been employed by this com pany for eight years. We have positive evidence and I can state the officers of this company would not try to injure Majors or anyone by haphazard arrests.
 We have been diligently Investigating the attempts and wrecks against our trains ever since they occurred The frequency almost stampeded our train men and our patrons. We have other lines out which have not developed. I cannot state yet whether other arrests will be made. All can say Is that this company intends to go into this wreck ing investigation to the very bottom, with an idea solely to arrive at the truth ---~-------- >->~-------->----~------~
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