The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-12-23
An important
Witness
By JOHN Y. LARNED

Jimmie Connolly while fishing in a
small lake by the railroad, hearing a
train coming, looked up as 1t passed
and saw the engineer, instead Of hav-
ing his hand on the throttle and his
eyes on the track ahead. dancing a
hornpipe on the floor of the cab. jim
mie was only thirteen years old. He
was wise enough to understand that
such conduct was irregular. but 1t did
not freeze him with horror as Ii would
an older person. At the moment there
was tug on his line. and he pulled out
a fat pickerel. For the time being he
forgot the dancing engineer.
Mrs. Mccoy, the wife of the engineer
of the train on which this scene oc-
Cured. lived near a station at which
her husband was accustomed to stop
for water. The train time at the sta
ton was 1928. and she was accus-
toned to take her husbands dinner to
him at that hour. On the day Jimmie
Connolly saw him dancing a hornpipe
Mrs. Mccoy started earlier than usual t
from her house on hill sloping down
to the track with the dinner.
Before she had made half the dis |
lance she was astonished to hear the |
train coming. A few seconds later, go
ing at a speed far greater than usual.
it passed her. ignoring the station COM
pletely. AS 1t went by she saw sight |
that first caused her to drop the dinner
pail, then topple over in a dead faint
Her husband was struggling with the
stoker, who hit him on the top of the
head with some iron instrument and
dropped him on the cab floor.
Jake Rogers, the stoker. stopped the
train at the next station, five miles dis
tant from the water tank. Mccoy was
found in the cab dying with a frac-
tured skull. Rogers reported that Nc
Coy, in whom he had recently noticed
signs of insanity, had suddenly gone
crazy and had dashed onward at ter
rife gait Rogers, whose back was to-
ward the engineer, turning suddenly.
saw him dancing on the cab floor while
the train was tearing along under no
guiding hand. Rogers attempted to get
by Mccoy, who tackled him and, being
the stronger man, was about to throw
him from the cab. The fireman's life
as well as the lives of hundreds of
passengers was at stake. Rogers had
wrench in his hand and struck his
adversary on the head with it, intend
ing to stun him. Instead he fractured
his skull, killing him.
Mrs. Mccoy was sent for and as soon
as she saw Rogers Historically accused
him of numbering her husband. The
fireman was put under arrest and in
time indicted for the murder of the en-
gineer. There was no confederation of
his story further than certain passen-
} gers bore witness that they thought
the train was travelling rather fast.
} But this counted for very little. Mrs.
Mccoy, who was very bitter against
, Rogers. found several sympathetic
| friends who were willing to testify
that Rogers had been at enmity with
her husband and had been heard to
make threats. There was some foun-
6 dation for this. for Rogers wished to
0 be made an engineer, and Mccoy for
e some reason unknown except to him
self declined to help him secure the
;. coveted promotion.
Rogers was tried, and the evidence
was strong against him. Only one per
son was found to testify that he had
noticed strange actions on the part OF
Mccoy, while a dozen swore that be
q was as sane as any man. The story
/. told the jury by the bereaved wife
:. through tears had telling effect. Rog
d ers was an orphan and had no one tt
e influence the jury in his behalf BY
weeping for him. The trial was near
is ing an end, and the consensus of opin
ion was that he would be convicted
lie though there was sympathy for him b.
a. some of the passengers who had beel
W ON the train when the tragedy occurre,
ID and who considered that in any even
IN they had had narrow escape.
The trial did not take place nea
ID where the murder had been commit
ted, and Jimmie Connolly heard nothin
lie about It One evening his father cam
In to supper and remarked:
Rogers has been convicted"
is who's Rogers?' asked Jimmie.
is "The stoker who killed the enginee
n last August"
what engineer"
10 Mr.. Connolly told his son the story c
III the murder. 1t brought back the RI
ID membrance of the sight he had see
while fishing on the lake.
81 seen an engineer last summer,
de he said, "dancin' in his cab while til
ar engine was runnin' wild"
er That was all Jimmie had seen, but
ul impressed his father as of possible In
Sc. portance In the Mccoy case. The mel
he morning he called up by phone Roger
legal defender, who interviewed jim
tn ME, and by comparing dates and cloc
&c time discovered that Jimmie had sec
In Mccoy ON the day of the murder.
Rogers had not been sentenced, an
to the case was reopened. Jimmie W;
called to the stand, and after couns
ur for the defense had established Il
essential facts the boy told how
had seen the engineer dancing on Il