New Britain herald., 1922-06-28
EX.SOLD|ER BOUTS
 WOULD.BE ROBBERS
Lone Policeman Frustratss Erie
 Train Hold Up >

New York, June 2s.-Edward Ham, ilton, an Erie railroad policeman ex-soldier and Medal and an Honor man, prevented a gang of seven or eight men from footing a through freight train carrying merchandise valued at hundreds of thousanda. of dollars near Woodwick, N. J., bl, yesterday morning. Hamilton, rsapf In the caboose, surprised the pbber. after they had cut the air hose and stopped the train. ..
 Just as they had broken into a cal laden with tobacco and cigarettes Hamilton attacked the robbers, a- though wounded, fought with pistol and sawed-off shot gun until he sank exhausted from the loss Of blood.
 The noise of the firing. the shouts for help from the train crew and the shrill whistling of the locomotive aroused the countryside. When they saw help would be at hand before they could kill the indomitabe po- liceman. the robbers fled in two high powered autom obiles. The Erie rail- road police said last night that not a dollars worth of freight was missing
 As the robbers fled the train crew summoned help for Hamilton. Dr. s. F. Robinson of Waldwick hurriedly gave him first aid and then ordered that he be rushed to hospital. The locouotive was uncoupled and the wounded policeman was carried to Suffern. ten miles distant.
 The hold-up was attempted at about 240 in the morning. The train. No S1, with fifty-siX cars. bound for Chi cago, had just passed Hohokus and was ascending grade on the curve that leads into Waldwick. At that point there is a bank sloping to the tracks on one side and on the other a small lake or pond. All along the railroad there is heavy woodland.
 Train Stops Suddenly
 The train was pulling under a high bridge a quarter of mile east of Waldwick, when there came the hiss of escaping air as the brakes set The train which had been making fair hcadway up the grade, slowed down and stopped.
 T don't know why we are stopping here" said the policeman to the con- ductor. T think I'll have look"
 Hamilton climbed to the top of the rear freight car and hurled through the darkness, darting his flashlight to the left and right. He had just jumped across the space between two cars when he heard someone chamber ing up the side of the car he had reached. Hamilton drew his pistol and crawled along the narrow plat form on the car roof.
 He had almost reached the end when he saw dimly the head and shoulders of man. The policeman threw himself forward on his stomach ness followed by the report of a. pis- tol. The bullet whined above his head
 Get back there where you came from" he heard a voice say, or I'll fill you full of lead"
 Hamilton's own pistol now answer ed with a crash. The robber ducked between the cars. From the darkness beside the train, anther pistol crack ed six times and the bullets sang about the ears of the railroad man.
 Gets His Sawed-Of shotgun
 Hamilton crawled back swiftly, dopped to the ground on the other side of the train and ran back to the caboose. Telling the conductor and trainman to hustle back along the tracks for help, he seized d sawed off shotgun, which is part of every railroad policemen's equipment, and ran up the side of the train where the robbers were. With a pocket full of shells loaded with buckshot, Hamilton felt himself match for any number of bandits.
 He had passed the car when the man had shot at him and was nearly under the bridge when he saw four or five men in the darkness about an open car door. There was a chorus of startled yells and the shotgun roared and roared again.
 The gang scrambled up the bank into the woods and from cover, their pistols answered the shotgun. The policeman followed cautiously, shoot ing at the flashes.
 Suddenly Hamilton heard a shot from overhead and then another and another the bullets spattering the dirt at his feet He had just made out the crouching figure of q man on the bridge, wr.n he felt Q sharp blow in the leg, Telling him tc the ground.
 Opens Tire Toward Bridge
 The policeman was up in . minute and his buckshot tore. splinters from the bridge planking. The man ran back and Hamilton attempted to crawl up the bank after the gang. But lis leg was practically useless and he could feel himself growing weak rom loss of blood,