The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1922-11-23
Young Kearns Admits
Wrecking Train at Todd

tampering with a switch and eausin
the death of two trainmen we
known in Wolf Point. The accoun
follows:
After two days of grilling, Harr.
Francis Kerns confessed to removing
the bolt and nut from the switch
stand at Todd which resulted in the
train wreck causing the death Of
John Hoffman and Claude G.. Halo.
way of Williston.
Thomas Reagan, a special agent
for the Great Northern Railway, took
up the faint clue when it was re-
ported that someone had seen Kerns
in the vicinity of af the switch before
the accident. For several days he
watched the boy from a concealed
spot, while he was engaged IN farm
labors. The actions of the lad led
the investigator to believe he was on
the right trail, and when it was dis
covered that young Kearns had taken
and hidden some small tools which
had been used clearing up the wreck,
he was arrested on a charge of petty
larceny Thursday of last week.
In the preliminary hearing before
Justice of the Peace Ludowese which
was held Friday and Saturday, Kearns
protested his innocence as to tamper-
ing with the switch, plead guilty to
the charge of petty larceny, and was
sentenced to serve a term of ten days
in Jail. He was at liberty until Sat
urday, although he was under the sur
yeilance of officers of the law. During
the hearing special agents Richard
Miller and Thomas Reagan were
working for evidence that Kearns had
been instrumental in the tampering
of the switch.
Saturday a verbal confession was
made to several persons and States
Attorney McGiness conducted a for
NAL Interrogation in which a signed
confession of guilt was secured. Mr..
McGuiness has spent much time as
sisting the investigation of the III
of the wreck. Sunday the boy took
the two railway agents, the states
attorney and a deputy sheriff to the
scene of the accident and located the
wrench with which he had removed
the bolt and, after a search, located
the bolt which he had thrown away. /.
The story told by the boy tailed
closely with the evidence found, and
there seems to be little doubt that
he was guilty of causing one of the
worst railway disasters that has oc-
cured in this territory. +,
A complaint was filed in the states !
attorneys office the first of the week I
charging Kearns with the crime of :
malicious injuryto the GreatNorthern
railroad by removing and displacing
a bolt in the switch at the side track c
at Todd, with intent to de-
rail a train. A warrant charging
him for the same offense will be
served on him at the expiration of
the term which he is now serving for
larceny. The maximum penalty for
this offense is fifty years in the state
penitentiary; the minimum, four
years in the ~penitentiary.
Harry Kearns is the eldest son of
F. Kearns, a farmer living at ts
Todd. He is about 10 years old, and h,
lived practically all his life at
Rose Valley attending the rural school
md the school at Trenton as far as m
he eighth grade. He has been con Fl
idered by the neighbors as slightly w
deficient mentally.
In an interview with a Farmers
'ress reporter, the boy prisoner sv
tated that the wreck at Trenton a Ia
hort time ago in which two cars of dc
pples werespread over the right of sh
,ay and where he secured some fruit
lade him think hat by opening the dc
he might cause the derailment
lent of another fruit train and Sc sh
ure another quantity of fruit. APP st
arently he had no consideration for al
he threatened loss of life always of
imminent in any railroad accident of
hat kind, and that when the local
assenger train had passed the switch
afely the first presentiment of a
alamity occurred to him, but ever
hen he did not think of replacing the
'olt and trying to avoid a derailment. VIC
The toll of two lives which was taken oy
" this wreck does not seem to have
made a deep impression on his mind,
lie does not seem to realize that his ar
vas the entire responsibility for the
When asked if he knew di
about switches and signals
governing the movement of trains he pc
that he knew that the switch hs
show open. but that he didn't
of the fact that a train crew
would run into the switch unprepar- Ga
d for any trouble because the switch fo
ignal showed clear. tn
He gave as his reason for confes- hr
ing to the act that he thought it tn
would be the best thing for himself
IS he knew that, sooner or later they,
you'd find out who did it. tn
Kearns' Confession ne