Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-29
IOWA ENGINEER CONFINED IN
MEXICAN PRISON RELATES
HIS SIDE OF CASE.
SHOWS MEXICAN JUSTICE
Is oUEERLY ADMINISTERED
RandIsman Spent Almost Three Years
In Prison az Result Of Fatal Wrse<
Sentenced on Charge Of WiIfu!iy
Causing Disaster in Which Thirty
Lives Were Lost.

Muscatine, Dec. 29-David Randle-
man. former employee of the Burling-
ton. Cedar Rapids and Northern, run
ming on the Muscatine and Western
branch, whose Imprisonment in Mexico.
for alleged disobedience of orders in
connection with wreck in which some
thirty persons met their deaths, and
whose subsequent imprisonment in
Mexican prisons aroused American
railroad men to concerted efforts in his
behalf, his version of the facts which
LED to the wreck and Of his expert
ences at the hands of the Mexican
brand of justice.
A watch which had run down was
the cause of the wreck and of his
imprisonment. The running down
of the wtach and the carelessness im-
piled thereby were the results of q
strain and sleepless efforts too great
for human faculties to experience I'M
impaired. Thirty -seven hours of SER
vice without sleep preceded the fatal
wreck.
Mr.. Randleman, who arrived this
week from his home in Cedar Rapids.
to visit his brother Joseph Rand!emal!
of Park avenue in an interview. denied
the charge that the wreck was due tc
wiiful disobedience of officers, declar-
ing himself to have been the victim of
circumstances, asserting his chief fault
lay in accepting call to take a return
run" without sleep or rest interveh-
ing between twenty-five hours contir-
uous service preceding. The report,
made public at the time when Con-
gresham Dawson called upon the state
department to investigate the circum-
stances surrounding his imprisonment,
in which Will B. Davis, the American
consular agent at Quadlajara declared
that Randleman, the conductor of the
wrecked train and his engineer G. j.
Brock, had been convicted in the fed
eral district court after fair trial he
characterized as absolutely false. In
detailing his experiences he declared
that only once, and that Immediately
following his arrest, had he been taken
before a Mexican judge, during all the
two years and eleven months elapsiEg
between his arrest and his release.
The lone newspaper Of Guadlajara,
published an account of his sentence
he declared, the day before his trial
was held.
Wreck Occurred in September, 1907,
The wreck for which Randleman
and Brock were held responsible oc-
Cured between Santa Marie and Ell
Incarnacion, Mexico in September.
1907. On the 18th Of that month
Raniieman was arrested. He was
Fo
enty-eight hours, allowed to see no one,
or summon an attorney, and then taken
before a judge at Aqua Clientes and
permitted to make his statement of the
wreck. This was the soleStime he was
before a Mexican court. After his sem
tence to serve two years and eight
months, eight months more than the
maximum sentence provided by the
Mexican law for the offense charged
against him, Mr.. Randleman says. his
case was appealed from the federal dis
trict court to the supreme court. In
August, 1909, the sentence was affirmed
by the higher court. Altho he had been
in prison during all this time. his sem
tence began with this affirmation. Thru
the efforts of Consul McGill, who sue
ceeded Davis, Randleman and Brock
were released when half their sentence
had expired because Of good behavior.
Yet they had then experienced two
years AMI eleven months imprison-
ment.
Tells Cause Of Wreck.
Mr.. Randleman talked freely Of the
circumstances that led to the disas-
trous passenger wreck. He declared
that he had taken out a train at 1:15
o'clock in the afternoon Of one day,
that a broken f1ange on one Of the
freight cars resulted in a derailment.
and that he arrived, as the result Of
the accident. at the division point at
2:15 o'clock the following afternoon. At
about o'clock he was called to take
out train on the return trip, tho he
had been on the road previously twen-
ty-five hours without sleep or rest.
This he did. Coming into Santa Maria.
five miles from Ell Incaracfon, his or
ders told him the passenger train
coming the other way was two hours
late. The passenger was due at Ell
Incarnation at 12:46 a. m. Arriving
at Santa Maria, Randleman's watch
read 2:10, leaving him q margin Of
thirty six minutes to make Ell In
carnacion in time to clear ahead Of
the passenger What Mr.. Randleman
did not know was that his watch was
running down and therefore running
slow. It had been a habit with him al
most life long to wind 1t every evening
at about o'clock. That evening,
however, tired and weary. following
many sleepless hours of toll, and en-
gagged with the details Of preparing to
take out his train at that hour, this
duty had escaped him.
Brooks (thc engineer) watch was,
however. keeping correct time. He
too, had his orders. but according to
Mr.. Randleman, depended upon the
conductor. Brock told his fireman, a
Mexican, understanding little or no
English, to go back and ask Randleman
whether or not they had time to make
Ell Incarnation The Mexican under
stood that the engineer wanted him
| to inspect the train. This he did
casually and returning said In Mexican
All Right"
Two Trains Meet.
A mile or two out Of Ell Caracion
the collision occurred. Almost at the
moment Of the impact Randleman
snstched his watch from his pocket. It
was then 1925 according to his time
piece. A Mexican brakeman, glancing
over his shoulder whispered brokeniy,
de dispatcher, Senior" 1t looks that
way" Randleman replied.
Later Brock and Randleman were
arrested and their experience at the
q. - xho NGovSro :, at{co followed