The Ordway new era., 1913-07-04
Negro is Given
A Hearing at
Scene Of Crime
Harvey Fields Held On Heavy
Bond for Attack on Young
Girl on a Fast Train
Near Sugar City

Pacific, who is being held on a charge
of having assaulted young girl on
hoard an east bound train near Sugar
City on Thursday evening of last week,
was given preliminary hearing before
Justice Aldrich at Sugar City Tuesday
and bound over in the sum of $250o.
Bond could not be furnished and Field
was returned to Pueblo the same day.
He was acco mpanied BY Sheriff Hum
iston of Crowley county, .who had gone
to Pueblo and brought the negro to
Sugar City. The accused has been in
secret confinement at Pueblo since the
attack was made, for fear of mob
violence.
The case will be tried at the next
term of the district court, presumably
in Ordway, since the crime was COIN
mitted in Crowley county.
Enticipg Estells Thurston, a twelve
year old girl into the vestibule of the
diner, Fields is said to have attempted
q criminal assault on her at the point
of a revolver, on the train leaving
Pueblo for the east at 30 in the af-
ternocn and due in Ordway at :47.
The girl did not tell her story for some
unaccountabls reason until the train
had reached Scott City, Kan, aud
when the news of the attempted out
rage reached the agents Of the Missouri
Pacific, an organized effort was made
to catch the negro. 1t seetns that tho
diner on which Field vas working had
been transferred to west bound train
before the news of his attack was
spread, and he was not arrested until
tnis train reached Pueblo. In an at
tempt to resist arrest Fields bad con-
fined himself on top Of closet in the
Kitchen of the dining car and armed
himself with a 32-calibte revolver.
The arrest was made with little trou-
BILE, and as mob violence had been
threatened Fields was escorted secretly
to place of safety, and it was not
known where he was confined even
when Sheriff Humiston went after him
to briog him to Sugar City for the pre-
liminary hearing.
Only meaRIe information of tn e
attack is being made public. The
negro confesses to the attempt and
signs an affidavit to that effect The
girls story is not known, or If it is,
it is being closely guarded, and it is
probable that the true facts in the
case will not be brought out until the
negro is brought to trial.
A story was given circulation and
considerable credence last Saturday to
the effect that the girls name is not
Thurston, but kinley, and that her
father was for number of years con-
nected with the Denver & Rio Grande
railroad. Conductor Beers. who was
handling the train on which the as
sault Was attemptd, says that the girls
name is Thurston, that she was riding
on pass issued under that name.
The girl was bound for Greenwood,
Mo-, when the attack was made and
is at present there with her parents.
Her condition IL said to be somewhat
critical, and it is not known whether
she will be able to attend the trial of
her assailant or not. Very little in
formation of any kind is being given
out, for the reason, as given by the
authorities, that they do not want to
feed the flames of mob rule any more
than il absolutely necessary. 1t is
generally believed that if the facts
in the case we're known the negro
would meet his doom at the end Of q
rope in the hands of we'll organized
mob.
The negro is now in safe keeping,
together with George Hazard, negro
waiter on the dining car where the
crime was attempted, and who is said
to have seen tne crime committed and
aftsrward attempted to hide Field
from the officers when the train
reached Pueblo.
Numerous rumors have been aHoat
as to the incidents that led up to
the assault. One which gained
circulation after the news had been
made public, was to the eject that the
girl had asked the negro the way to
the ladies' toilet ON the car, and that