Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-18
BIoodhounds Said to Have Picked
Up Trail of Men at Scene
of Contemplated Crime,

With an army Of railroad detectives
and deputy sheriTs spreading their
dragnet over the hills and valleys Of
Spalding County in the search for
evidence against the men who at
tempted 10 wreck the Dixie FLYER at
Hampton. Ga. late Tuesday night
suspicion has been directed against
three young white men, residents Of
the county. who are being trailed by
the officers
Sheriff l.. d. Huston, Of Spalding
County, who has charge of the in
vestigation. and two railroad detec-
tives, have been working up evidence
against the three men since Engi-
neer Thomas b. Ragsdale saved the
lives Of hundreds Of passengers by
stopping his train on the brink of al
most certain disaster. 1t Is declared
that they have secured evidence
which establishes almost to Ger
tainty the guilt of the men, and an
arrest is expected within eighteen
hours
Think Hounds Got Trail.
Neither the members of the Shcr-
IFS force nor the railroad authOrI-
ties viii diVulEc the names OF the
suspected men or the nature of the
evidence they have obtained against
them 1t is rumored, however, that
all three are well known citizens of
that section Of the state, and SenSa-
tiOnal developments are expected to
follow their arrest. II is understood
that their trail was picked up by the
bloodhounds that were hurried to the
iV,,,,.lf4ts1,-
ing Of the plans of the Wreckcrs.
Thomas Il. Ragsdale engineer,
whose feat of stopping the heavy
Flyer within six car lengths, railroad
men say, never has been duplicated,
took his train out as usual Thursday,
with little thought Of the stirring
events Of his last run Hundreds OF
comrades, men with whom he has
worked for years have congratulated
him on his nerve and foresight in
stopping his train in time to avoid "A
terrible catastrophe.
Congratulated by His pal"
Among them was his old Chum,
, H. II. Conner engineer on the New
York and New Orleans Limited of
| the West Point Railroad, who has
worked and lived with Ragsdale for
many years The two men have their
! homes at Macon and Montgomery,
respectively, but when in Atlanta they
room together at l01 II Whitehall
street They are inseparable, and
| Conner is even more happy than
| Ragsdale over the successful fTus-
trating of the plans to wreck the
| train.
Ragsdale is inclined to scott at his
| own feat and to minimize the danger
| that confronted the passengers on his
] fra Pleas pf ppNVgn8 pbpt ora 20
| piers that he pose for a picture We're
! met by a smile and the emphatic
! statement that he was not looking
! for notoriety
| Il had rather have the love OF my
| wife and family" said Ragsdale.
| than all the fame and glrry in the
| world"
Minimizes Great Feat.
II was only after almost continuous
| pleading that Rugsdale and Conner
| consented TO pose for their pictures.
| Nobody wants TO see my picture.
! smiled the engineer Il didn't do
! anything out Of the ordinary. / just
| happened TO see the open switch and
! stopped my train before we reached
| it, Any engineer would have done il
| just as well as | did
| Other engineers say that Ragsdale's
| feat of stopping a train running at
| 60 miles an hour in six car lengths
| with nothing but the air brakes is one
! of the most remarkable on record.