A TRAIN WRECKER.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1861, 10 February 1880, Page 3

A TRAIN WRECKER.

[By Telegraph.] NAPIEB, Eobuary 9. At the Magistrate's Court this morning a man named Ford was charged with placing recent obstructions on railway lines, and was remanded. Detective Grace arrested him under a flax bush. He gave the name of John Ford, but stated that he was better known as John Hutton. The account he gave of himself was that ho arrived at Port Chalmers about eight years ago as an immigrant; afterwards went to Melbourne, Sydney, and other places in Australia, returned to Wellington about nine months ago, and has been without employment ever since. He walked from Wellington to this district, calling at all the stations without getting work for eight months ; had not had a clay’s work nor slept in a house, and had mado up his mind that he would do something that would get him into prison. With that view he placed a large piece of timber on the rails near the thirty-five mile post, on the 23rd January, and went on to Karemu, He thought the train would be upset and that he would be looked for; but as it was not, he returned, and placed another log of wood on the rails last Thursday evening, and again on Friday morning, when he was arrested. He went with the detective and pointed out the first log that had been placed on the rails, the spot selected being one where an accident would

be Lkely to be serious, it being at a sharp angle and steep incline, where the driver ot* the engine would bo almost upon the obstruction before seeing it. It is somewhat curious that although Ford pleads such extreme destitution he was in possession oi! a silver watch.