The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-29
DEATH OF SLAYBACK RECALLS INCIDENTS OF DAYS WHEN COL.
 STEVENSON WAS RAIL LR0ADINC

This the signal man at the Iower switch saw, and began hoisting his ball. On came Slayback and before he could stop the gravel train had rounded the curve at the elevator The engine cleared, but Slayback's engine side-swiped two of the gravel cars and threw several Italians off. One was killed and another died afterwards.
 Engineer Slayback's engine was bad ly damaged He was thrown off and severely injured. He was arrested and locked up in the old police station under the present City Hall. Engineer Samuel Peet who was on a siding with an extra train, dragged away the dis abled express engine and got the ex- press over to New Haven on time. He too was Stevenson man, and he knew that "Stevey'' insisted that trains must be got through on time.
 When I heard of Engineer Stay backs. arrest (excuse the personal pro- noun) went to the station to see him; often before I had ridden on his locomotive and knew him to be mem Der of the Locomotive Brotherhood of When saw how badly he was in-
 jured I asked Captain John Pinker- man, then under Chief Rylands of the police force. if he could not be remov- ed for medical attention. He replied.
 'sNo, sir. He is under arrest for man II you can go into the cell and do so"
 I thereupon went to Shelton's drug store, where now is the 10 cent store. and procured bandages. drugs. sponge, etc, and went back to the station house and was locked in the cell with the wounded engineer.
 After most uncomfortable half hour I tried to get out but could not make myself heard. At last. however. got clear and telephoned for Dr. Godfrey and secured Judge D. B. Lockwood. who at once accompanied me to the station. In the meantime Dr. Godfrey had arrived and took sew
 upper lip and otherwise fixed him up.
 By the time the surgical operations were completed Engineer Maynard Smith of the Brotherhood had arrived from New Haven to give bail for Slayback; also Daniel Maloney from
 Fairfield. The latter was accepted and put up a bond of s5.000, where upon SlAyback was released and ac- companied by Dan Maloney went to Fairfield where he wae laid up for several weeks called on him sev- eral times but after his departure
 death.
 Right after this railroad accident Supt. Stevenson put wheels in motion to get two tracks through Bridgeport, and at the same time succeeded in getting the Slayback case put off from 1 year to year. and then it was discov- 1 cred that there was no one to prose | cute the death of the two unknown l Italians, and that it was no fault of l either the signal men or the engineer, | as Judge Lockwood explained it was 1 because of the tremendous fog. So the case was nolled.
 l In the meantime Supt. Stevenson se- cured Engineer Slayback a good posi- l tion on the elevated road in New York After Engineer Slayback's departure ] another Stevenson man was given the same run on the New York road that Engineer Slayback had been deprived 1 of. and a short time thereafter he was | killed in New Haven
 The old fashioned direct air brakes lthen in use failed to stop the express ! in the New Haven depot. It rushed
 by, struck a locomotive standing upon
 the same track. Engineer Charles \ Persons head was crushed
 l About year after these two fataIi-
 ties Dan Olds using the same engine. No. p, built by Kettendorf, ran into a | train on the down trip at Norwalk crossover He was so badly injured | that he died Here was a loss of
 three good Stevenson men. and that