The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-03-24
DESPERATE BATTLE
WITH lNFURIATED MAN
He Was Killed but Not Until He Had
Slain Two and Injured Several
Others


Wilmington. Del, March "a Tbrc,
men were lilled on q northbound Bal
timore & Ohio railroad train yesterday
aitanoou in light which began ai
Newark Delaware. and ended iu i des.
lpente battle between tne police aided
iLy The hfemou and citizens. and a mur.
dcrer az the Delaware avenue station
here following the arrival Of the train
At 5.l7 o'clock Several were wound.
ed
Tho deaa ares
O r Wcilmau, aged 40 years. Of Phil
adelphla, conductor Of the train
Samuel Williams. aged 80 years, col
ored, Pullman porter. whose home Is
said 70 have been in Jersey City.
J. i. Bethea, aged 40 years Of Dillon,
is. c.
The injured;
John O. Wiley. aged 40 years, a park
guard Of Wilmington, Del, shot in the
hand and leg
Matthew Bailey, citizen Of Whining.
ton shot IN the leg
The triple tragedy was the result of
an alteration between Bethea. who was
a passenger and Williams, porter in the
Pullman.
The car was bound from Washington
10 Jersey City Bethea, who had been
drinking heavily, anot the porter
through the heart, killing him instant.
ly. When Conductor Wellman saw the
porter fan and ran Up. Bethea fred
second shot into the eoiored mans body
Them with q word. be shot Wellman
through the heart The conductor fell
dead ID bis tracks.
Before the passengers could interfere.
the double murderer harricaded himself
IN the toilet room Of the Pullman ear
and threatened 10 kn the first person
who approached Meanwhile the train
reached Wilmington When IL came in
TO the station hurry call was sent
10 the police station A squad 81 pa
trolmeu headed by Police Captains Kane
and Evans and reinforced hy park
guards, and a posse Of citizens and train
men ran 70 the scene
The police called upon Bethea to sur.
render AS en- answer he opened the
door Of She toilet room, a short distance
and opened FIRE from an automatic re-
volver Police Chief Black, who also
rushed to the railroad station, lodged
behind an express office. on the train
floor just IN time 70 escape several bul-
let's Bethea q believed % have had at
least one hundred rounds Of ammunl.
tion, for be succeeded in holding the po.
lice at bay and also held up The train
from 5:l7 until 8:3s-
During this time many shot were
fired en- both sides until finally an the
windows Of the car were riddled Tray.
q over the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
was also tied up
When The battle had lasted about an
hour. the police realizea that they woud
BE- unable 90 drive the man from cover.
A call vas sent 10 a local irc station
nearby The aremen responded with
their engine Attaching high pres
,nfe bose 70 fire plug the firemeH
aarrieaded behind trucks and boards
played stream upon the windows Of
he toilet room
The desperate fred number Of shots /
it tie frcmen but they were not iii
idred Subsequently Bethea dfehehed 1
with water, staggered to the platform /
and the police once more called upon /
him to surrender. His reply was several
shots
Several Of the policemen had armed I
with shotHtns and Just as
Bethea fred the last shot Police Cap. /
lain Evans fred a load Of shot into bis
face
Fell Dead When Seized.
Notwithstanding this injury ne kept
ln firing Pauollman Bouehman open
"a fire with a revolver and struck
3ethea in the right arm The despef
lte man tried to fire again hut Serg
iant Kelleher opened FIRE and also man
lged 70 spring upon Bethea When the
lolee took hold Of him he fell dead in
.he arms Of patrolman.
Bethea Well Connected.
Dillon. S. O., March "a John Henry
3ethea who Yesterday killed two men
N a Baltimore Ohio train and was
himself killed, was well-to-
Is contractor Of this place aud a member
i prominent South Carolina family.
He left here Monday for Johns Hop
tins hospital at Baltimore where he had
damned to have an operation performed (
n the hope Of being cured Of a disease
which had troubled him for a long time Z
When he left here be seemed perfectly 4
atfonal. 1t "a Thought IN those who
nov of him here that brooding over his L
lhvsieal trouble caused him 10 become /,
Unbalanced mentally Bethea was about
o Years old and was unmarried. He il :
rrViHad by one brother. a merchant. at Ii