The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1914-10-27
POSSIBLE METHOD TO MADNESS
Weiscr Man Foresees An Attempt to
Wreck Short Line Train.

Is Ed. Woodruff crazy, seer and
dreamer of dreams or is he wilfully
and maliciously degenerate and MUIR
derer at heart?
These are the questions which have
been taken up and investigated by
paid investigators for the 0. S. l.. r. r.
and Washington county and Weiser
city officials in the past week but
without arriving at any definite con-
clusion.
That an attempt was made to cause
wreck on the railroad in this city
just west of the railroad bridge across
the Weiser river on the night Of the
18th is an established fact but the
fact which is not yet established is
the identity Of the person who per-
formed the dastardly work.
The story as told by the officials is
as follows:
Late Tuesday night or early We'd
nesday morning as 1t was after mid
night and only short time before
the Honeymoon special Is due here,
the night operator at the depot re-
cetved telephone call from Ed Wood
ruff who was spending the night in
a rooming house telling him that he
had just awakened from sleep and
while asleep he had dreamed a wreck
had occurred on the curve just east
OF the depot and he wanted the agent
to go and see If everything was all
right along the track The agent told
him he was crazy and hung up the
phone as dreams do not carry much
weight with a railroad man.
After daylight the same man call
ed up and asked ii there had been a
wreck and was informed that there
had not.
Nothing more was thought Of the
matter until the 18th when the sec
ton crew discovered that II of the
18 spikes on the outside rail on the
curve had been pulled more than half
way out of the ties and only the fish
plate had held the rail in place Be-
side the rail was a claw bar for pull
ing spikes and wrench to be used
in disconnecting the rails where they
are bolted together. The tool house
had been broken into and the tools
taken out.
There was not the least doubt that
some one had done the work with the
intention OF running one Of the fast
trains into the ditch and as the fast
train from the east comes around that
g curse with considerable speed the
damage and loss Of life would with
out question have been appalling.
When the attempt has been dis
covered the dream Of the man Wood
ruff was recalled and suspicion at
once pointed it's finger in his direc-
ton. He was grilled by the officers
but nothing could be secured from
him except his first statement. He is
a railroad man and worked here on
the bridge last spring
Recently he has undergone an OPP
Grafton at the hospital and the physi-
clan who had his case was of the
opinion that he was not physically
able at this time to have performed
the work himself. The officials were
OF the opinion that it might have been
him and that he might have become
exhausted with the work of pulling
the spikes and was not able to use
the wrench for the completing OF the
job.
1t was impossible, however, to fast
en- the act upon him and he was al
lowed to leave the city which he did
Tuesday and went to Poeatello.
On the evening of the 18th a train
Few had to stop the train and take
handcar off the track that had been
placed on it about the same place
where the spikes were pulled It was
put there by some unknown person
also Weiser Signal.