Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-13
ROCK ISLAND
MEN HURT IN
|. W. W. PLOT
Grant jerks Goes Over
Embankment of 40 Feet
in Baggage Car.

Pennington, Ill, Oct. 13--
With the arrival this morning
Of Burlington railroad officials
- from BeardstOwn, inquiry into
the wrecklng of a c. B. & @.
passenger tRrin near here Sat-
urday night got under full
swing. Officers have only slight
clues TO the identity of the man
or men who removed spikes
from a rail and caused the
wreck in which two men, J.
FauIk, engineer, and L. Pal
mer, fireman, were killed. What
the motive could be for wreck
ing the train, officials have
been unable to learn. A re-
ward Of $1,000 has been offered
for the arrest and conviction
OF the Wrecker or Wreckers.
Two Rock Island men were
slightly injured and the engineer
and fireman were killed when tram
No 81, bound for st. Louis, which
leaves Rock Island at 1925 .. m.
was wrecked near Pennington Sat
urday night, in which is believed to
have been an /. W. w. plot.
Grant jerks, 2728 Eighth-and-a-
half avenue. baggageman, and Otto
Miller. Fifteenth street and Sixth
avenue, brakeman, were hurt but
not seriously, although Mr.. jerks
was In the baggage car which was
hurled down a 40-foot embank-
ment.
Engineer John J. Faulk AMI
Fireman L. Palmer Of Beardstown
were so badly scalded that they
died a short time later after the &C
Cident at a hospital in Galesburg.
The wreck occurred two miles
east Of Pennington.
The wreckers removed a length
of rail from the track at a slight
curve, causing the engine, tank and
two baggage cars to go over a 40
foot embankment.
Break In Toulouse.
Tho vandals broke into a section
gang Toulouse at Pennington and
secured bars, wrenches and other
tools. They pulled the spikes from
the inside of the rail, took off the
angle irons that connect the rails.
and then moved the rail about six
inches closer in.
The train was moving about
thirty-hve miles when the engine
reached the spot and shot over the
embarkment.
All that saved the sleepers and
chair car was the fact that tie mail
car coupling broke and the air
,, ff1a1Iv- onHIfnI
10 the rear of the train.
Several Persons Sought.
No arrests have been made
Railroad men and county officials
\ere looking for several parties they
Ielieve can throw light on the mys-
kerry. If the men were train rob-
bers they did not wait to plunder.
Another theory is that the wreck
ing is the work of I. W. w. Two
men we're seen to drive off in a
stolen car Saturday night. 1t is
thought these two men may have
been the wreckers.
Hurt Three Years Ago.
II wasn't badly injured" Mr..
jerks told a reporter for The Ar
gus this morning. II was in the
baggage car. IL was Attached 10
the tender and when the engine and
tender and express car later hook
ed on the rear Of the baggage car,
went over, why I naturally went
down the embankment with them.
I was bruised up a little but it is
nothing serious and I'll be on my
way to GaIesburg at 2;30 this aft
ernoon."
Three years ago Mr.. jerks re-
ceived serious injuries near Alpha
when he fell between two freight
cars.
None of the passengers on the
train was hurt. The passenger
coaches remained upright and
further than a severe Jolt, the oc-
cupants of these cars entirely es-
capped.
A ARRTARTE