The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-02-14
CONVICT SAID NOT A
WORD FOR SIX YEARS
Mystery as To Identity of Tramp
Convicted as a Wrecker
Unsolved.

CANON CITY. col. Feb. 14.-Serv.
ing the sixth year Of his life sentence
fer wrecking train on Oct 81. 1902.
John Doyine. Convict No. 1854, died
in the Colorado penitenuary a few
days ago. He was also known as a
man OF mystery, for from the first
minute he first entered his cell and
heard the door changed behind him
ana locked. he never gave utterance
To an audible word. not even when he
was dying
Although Charles Dickens is dead.
his story OF the speechless man he
found when on his visit TO America
he inspected the Eastern penitentiary
az Philadelphia and saw the creature
who had been condemned for muir
der 10 q lifetime OF perpetual silence.
sull lives and causes those who read
II 20 shudder.
The story:book man had for 20
wears done without his voice when his
tragedy was made public John De-
vine had given bat six years as host.
age TO silence when death claimed
him. In all those years he had spok-
Ell no word. and If the officials OF the
railroad, who held him responsible for
the Fowler wreck. expected at last
that . confession would break from
his lips. they are disappointed.
That language was not essential 10
the formation of friendships and the
sustaining OF interest in his associates
is proven by the general grief express
ed b. officials and prisoners over the
death Of the man who never spoke a
word, kind or unkind. gentle or harsh.
TO any person for six wears.
II was on the morning Of Oct. 81,
1903, that another wreck was an
nounced on the railroad. The train.
made up OF Pullman sleepers day
coaches and treasure-laden express
cars. pulled out OF the linton station
at Denver. and was making excellent
progress eastward when. 1t creek
west OF Fowler in Otero county, as
the 250-foot bridge over the stream
was reached. the rails spread and the
train dashed onto the bridge. which
collapsed and went down with crash,
dragging the train with it.
Who was TO blame?
Officials OF the railroad announced
Immediately that spikes had been
pulled by train wreckers, whose mo-
tive for the act was robbery. They
didn't exnl ain WHY II was that the
bridge went to pieces like structure
of straw. but cried "wreckers, and
to prove their crv, provided the cuI-
prit in the person OF tramp found
asleep in clump OF bushes about
three hundred feet from the scene OF
the catastrophe.
The tramp was John Devine, 90
years og age. who was so daZed at
being shaken from his sleep. so amaz-
ed At what he saw that he was unable
TO defend himself against the incrim-
nations hurled at him.
Devine was taken 30 La Junta
where he. with the railroad acting as
chief prosecutor. was tried. To place
the blame for the wreck on the
shoulders OF Devine would explain
away rotten roadbed and out-of-date
rolling stock. So the poor, friendless
tramp was sent to Canon City to serve
the remaining years OF his lie as a
prisoner at hard labor.
Il didn't matter that the rotten con-
dition of the roadbed and defective
rolling stock Of the road was a mat
ter OF common knowledge; 1t didn't
weigh an iota in the scale Of justice
that no wreckers would be so blind
ed by folly as TO choose an open coun'
trv. where for miles one could scan
the nrairie To an unbroken horizon
for their scheme or plumber.
With the clanliing Of the prison
gate behind him. the fastening of TN"
number "5954" to his striped coat, the
shaving of head and heard. DeVlnt'
the tramp entered into silence
which seven years Of prison events
and human needs were unable TO
break.
AS man and prisoner Devine was
utterly alone He wrote no letters
nor did any scrap Of writing ever
come TO him from the outside world
Who he was or who his friends might
have been ne never told What tasks
were assigned 10 the still 'un' he full
filed according to directions brt