N&W in 1903 -- Dynamite

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DYNAMITE AND FUSE FOUND NEAR TRACK
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Placed There by Eight Much-Wanted Men Who Were Arrested Near New River Sunday Night
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    An important arrest was made just west of New River Sunday night about 8 o;clock and eight white men are now in the jails and it is thought that they are wanted in various sections of the country for all kinds of crimes.  They were arrested about one mile west of the depot, and all were heavily armed.  A posse of eight men surrounded them and when called upon to surrender, they made a dash for their arms, which were stacked near by, but the officers had the drop on them, and when they looked down into the barrels of eight shotguns, they thought discretion the better part of valor and surrendered.  When a search was made eight large sticks of dynamite and a fuse were found near the Norfolk and Western track.
    The men were taken to Radford and lodged in jail, and an effort was made yesterday to ascertain who and what they are, but they were all like clams and absolutely refused to speak or tell their names.
    The arrest was reported to the Norfolk and Western officials Sunday night, and one of Baldwin's men went up from Roanoke and investigated.  He thinks the arrest is a most important one, for he feels assured that a cripple among the party is the same man who was arrested a short while ago, near Blue Stone [sic] Junction, with a kit of burglar's tools in his possession.  He made his escape from the officers and has since evaded arrest.
    Norfolk and Western officers will make every effort to ascertain who these men are for they are believed to be expert crooks, burglars, etc.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
August 18, 1903

["New River" in this article apparently refers to the former station of that name located just west of the river crossing at Radford.  Also, another article in another issue of the BDT states the wreck at Greenville, VA in which Engineer Wesley Bailey was killed -- see my January 19 posting -- was caused by train wreckers who hoped to rob the passengers and express car of the wrecked train.]
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