Evening star., 1942-12-01
Engineer Found Guilty
OF Mans|aughter
In Dickerson Wreck
R. R. McCIeIIund Held
In Jail Pending
Sentencing Friday
BY PAT JONES.
Star Staff Correspondent.

ftOChVlLLE, Mo- Dec. Ray
mond Rufus McClelland, Baltimore
IL Ohio Railroad engineer who
thrice in the last 10 years has been
chosen to drive a presidential spe-
clal, was found guilty early today
OF manslaughter in connection with
the three-train crash at Dickerson
September "a,
The jury deliberated three hours
and 10 minutes before it returned
to the courtroom little more than
half an hour after midnight and
stood while its foreman announced
its decision with a single word,
guilty" Only a handful of spec
tators remained to hear the verdict.
The 59-year-old defendant stood
without change of expression after
the verdict was given and waited
motionless until he was turned over
to the sheriff to be placed in the
Jail on the top floor of the Mont
gomery County Courthouse until
Friday date tentatively set for SEN
tence to be passed. His punish ment
may range from 10 years in prison
to ST. fine.
Engineer TestifrS.
An indictment against McClelland
was returned by the Montgomery
County grand jury for each of the
13 victims identified after the wreck,
but his trial was in answer to a
specific charge of manslaughter in
the death of DR.. Frederick Hoch-
stetter of Pittsburgh, one of the
passengers.
len witnesses were called to tes-
tify, among them the defendant
himself, who remained on the stand
for an hour and half during the
late afternoon. After a recess for
dinner arguments were begun at
7:30 pm. and continued until after
3 pm. When they were ended,
Judge Charles w. Woodward, sitting
Jointly with Judge Steadman Pres,
colt, charged the jury with the brief
statement that it should find the
defendant either guilty or not
guilty of the one count in the in
dictment."
During the early part of the day
testimony was presented to show
that McClelland had violated sew
eral rules laid down by the railroad
for its engineers. These included
passing through a yellow signal at
Tuscarora, II 900 feet from the scene
Of the accident; ignoring the arm
signals of a guard stationed on
Monocacy Bridge within mile of
the wreck. failing to stop after
bursting two torpedoes and failing
TO stop to eXtinguish burning fusee
Recalls Admission.
In his argument. States Attorney
Ben G. Wilkinson recalled that Nc
Clelland had admitted the accident
never would have happened If he
had obeyed the rules. He also cited
a statement he said the engineer
had made on the day of the wreck
that he had been following train
No. l6 up the hill to Dickerson every
other day under yellow signals and
that he expected the signal to be
the same that day.
Al one point in his argument the
States attorney waved before the
jury photograph of the battered
and demolished Diesel locomotive of
train No. 20, the engine McClelland
was operating, and asked, DO you
think he would be here today if he
had stayed in his seat?"
You know and I know" said the
prosecutor, that the defendant was
guilty of failing to apply his emer-
gency brake, excessive speed and
utter disregard of human lives"
McClelland maintained steadfastlv
during the lengthy questioning bv
both sides that he had remained in
MS seat until he was knocked from
1t by the impact of the crash and
that he applied the emergency brake
after he had passed the fusee and
seen the red signal standing 262 feet
from the point where train No. IL
had stopped because Of faulty air
brakes.
STRESS Actions Before Crash.
Much Of the testimony during the
Gay was given in answer to questions
oeSlgned to show exactly what went
on IN the cab of the Diesel engine
curing the few seconds before il
ploWed into the rear of eastbound
traln Nc. ID, throwing its rear coach
over against Westbound freight
passing at the moment. The State 8
ann was to prove that Engineer Nc
ICELAND had deserted his post and
had dropped on the floor of the cab
ieavlng the dead man" automatic
hraKe device to retard the speed Of
MS tram before it crashed.
b. d Q. Division Supt. Paul K
Partee, among others. testified that
the defendant had said on the dow
VI the wreck and at hearing con-
quoted by the railroad in Baltimore
Two or three days later that he had
thrown himself on the floor of the
eao as soon as he had seen the red
signal and the rear of the train
ahead of him.
me engineer denied that he ever
liau maze such a statement and
auuso at one point that, if he had
salo II, ne had done so because be
was 100 tiustered after the accident
10 realize what he was saving Ho
ile"u IN ms defense that the fagman
u'i traln NO. l8 had not come back
lar enough to place the torpedoes
aho luSeeS. especially in view of the
oeiise log that existed that morning
1l,o lhat he was not required bv
ruieS to apply his emergency brake
@ ullIll AFTER he saw the red signal
near the stalled train ahead.
he testified that he had not seen
the signal at Tuscarora until after
ne mad passed it and then. on looking
back, thought that the paddle was
going down to yellow" and that it
mad been tripped from clear to eau
ton by his own train. He admitted
that he saw Paul E. Heiskell, guard